Originally Posted by
smd4
How long have you had the bike? Are you the original owner?
Just from the looks of it, that bike needs a cleaning from the top down--and I mean a deep-clean--remove the chain and degrease; deep-clean the rear cogs and chainrings. I'd definitely consider servicing all bearings as suggested. Probably could use new cables too. Definitely new brake pads. Maybe new tires--again, it's hard to tell if they're dry-rotted from these fairly blurry photos.
Thanks for the advice. I bought it a few years ago from a New Jersey bike dealer, "Zach" who operates out of a UHaul unit. I have no problem with grease and grime, rust is the primary threat to the longevity of bikes and mine has been in a low humidity apartment except when I go out and take a 10-30 mile ride. Probably the brake pads should be replaced as needed.