Originally Posted by
qcpmsame
I enjoy the building, and the working on everything, so this is my next step forward.
To those that don't care for people upgrading things, or spending for higher end components (Ultegra is not the top end, Dura Ace is twice the cost,) please stop reading, and let it go. I'll be fine with deleting this thread if it becomes remotely like the "Expensive Bicycles" thread. Thanks if you respect this request.
Bill
Good for you. Enjoy your project.
A couple of years ago, I found an old Huffy road bike for $20 at a thrift store. It was in what I would call almost-mint condition, looked like maybe one or two rides ever, then hung on the garage wall for probably almost 30 years - rubber was rotting from oxidation, etc but paint was perfect, absolutely no rust , not even too dusty, must have been tarped.
I wanted a "tear down and rebuild bike" basically to learn more about bike repair and mechanics. It looked like a good prospect.
So I posted my project idea, some photos, and questions about it on another bike forum. Generated quite a few pages of comments, but only a handful were the kind I was looking for, actual suggestions like "you could use a Shimano crank model ...."
Most of the thread was me repeatedly saying "it's not about the age of the bike, it's not about the cost, it's a learning experience ... It's about the journey, not the destination."
I bought a $200 Wal-mart mt bike in 2014, then put about $400 in upgrades/accessories on it. A lot of forum members didn't get that either ... "You could have bought a Trek for the same $" was a typical comment.
True ... But I wanted a cheap bike to play the amateur at home bike repair game with ... Again as a learning experience. I figured "what can possibly break down more than a Wal-mart bike"? Ok - the joke was on me on that one - used and abused it a fair amount in 2014 and rode it a little, maybe 200 miles, in 2015. The only issue I had was a grip that I installed kept coming apart, I think I over tightened when I was installing it and damaged it a little.
Yes, I "could have" just bought new ... But that wasn't the goal, the process was the goal.