Hi, I'm 18 years old 5' 6" and very athletic (165lbs, 7-12%bf year round, 300lbs squat). I'd like to say I'm on the brighter side, and I've always liked DIY projects, like building computers and installing my own car receiver, just to name a few I've been commuting on bicycle for years (I didn't even have a car until three months ago), between 10 and 20 miles a day. I played hockey for years, so I never cycled as a sport, but due to injuries I've had to leave hockey for the past year, and I may (or may not) take up cycling as a form of cardio (I'm not big on cardio thou). For the time being, I'd like to have a bike I can use for local stuff during the nicer months of the year. It's going to be used to commute to my current school (1 mile distance) every day, plus maybe local errands and some pleasure-riding on nice days. I do ride very aggressively (hills, curbs, fast riding in general, hard braking, etc.); I like the rush. So I don't want something that cricks and cracks and has the chain come off all the time. I want something solid and reliable. My only other concern is theft: having lived in a third world country for most of my life, I've learned that a low profile is the best way to keep thieves away. Because of this, I'm not interested in aluminum frames, shocks, fancy colors or logos unless they're free. I'm thinking a solid steel 20" frame 26" wheel mountain bike, with the thinnest low-tread tires that would fit.
I currently have a bike that I inherited from my grandfather in pretty bad condition. It's a green steel Giant frame, with a Shimano STX drivetrain. The only "new" part was the seat (which is a nice modern seat).
I cut of a lot of the accessories he had on it (rack, bottle holder, etc; I'm a minimalist), and changed the tires and inner-tubes for 26" x 1.5" (IIRC) and put on new brake pads. I also got (most) of the blocks of grease that were all over the place. The only thing I wasn't able to figure out, after fighting with it for an hour or two, was the shifting. I just couldn't get the front derailleur to work right at all. I ended up taking it into a shop because I wanted it done soon, and I didn't feel like putting any more time into it, and I got the cables changed since I was at it. A couple dozen bucks and hours of all of the guys in the shop fighting with it, I find out that:
1. I need a new front shifter (as the one I have isn't fixable; it doesn't shift right).
2. I need a new chain
3. I may or may not need new chainrings as the ones I have are slightly bent (I had noticed this myself).
So, because of all these problems, they weren't able to get it to work on all three front plates, so I got them to try to lock it to the two largest ones. It seemed to be working ok, and I really needed to leave (they'd been adjusting and me testing for a couple hours already). On my way back the chain came off twice and finally the rear-shifter cable snapped and it got locked into the smallest plate. I can't really blame them since my bike is in such a bad condition, but hopefully they'll give me my next tune up for free or something.
I immediately decided I'd just get a new bike, but after browsing for a while, I haven't found one I really like: most of them have wide treaded tires, are aluminum, have shocks, lower end drivetrains and are $300+.
So now I'm reconsidering getting a whole new drivetrain on my current bike, considering I've got new wheels, brakepads and seat. From what I could find, the Shimano Deore seems like a good fit. I'm thinking I can do a basic install myself, and if I fail to tune it in correctly, I'll try to get the shop to do it for free. All the parts (front & rear derailleur, front & rear shifters, chain, chainrings, rear cassette) add up to about $175 shipped NEW. Now, looking on ebay, there are sold listings for much cheaper, adding up to about $125. Then, even if the shop charges me $50 for whatever it is I can't do by myself, for lack of tools or whatever, I'd still be under $200 for what ends up being a bike tiers above a new $300 bike (for my purposes).
What do you guys think of my plan? Is it even possible (would the parts work, etc.)?
Long intro huh
Thanks for selecting the right forum 10 wheels