Crotch

Picked up my dads old reliant and figured biking would be a good low impact way to get in shape for the corps of cadets at texas A&M. (go aggies!) The only thing i really know about the bike is that its at least from the 1980, and as far as i know, that was the last time it was ridden. But anyway, looking at the bike it looks like it needs some work and might not even be fixable, tires are old, front brake doesnt work, etc etc. Sorry to be so ignorant to this stuff, but can anyone tell me what i might need to do to fix the brake, get it back to riding condition, and how much it might actually cost? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

KleinRider

Start with the Park Tool website. They have good info that's fairly straight forward to follow, especially for someone new to the bike maintenance thing.

https://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml

Later on, add some info from Sheldon Brown (he's considered the guru around here - and rightly so given his obvious vast knowledge on the subject of bikes).

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/index.html

dmw010

Wow, I had a 1980 Raleigh Reliant growing up in San Antonio. I loved that bike, did my first real rides on it (up to 60 miles in the Hill Country). It had a quick release on the front wheel, but not on the rear, enormous friction shift levers mounted on either side of the stem (I eventually switched to downtube friction shifters), and those "suicide" brake lever extensions. 27-inch wheels, 10 speeds total (2 chainrings, 5 cogs), weighed a ton. I think it cost about $200 in 1980, sold it in 1994 for $80.

A bike shop should be able to get it ridable if you really want it, but depending on what needs to be fixed/replaced and the amount of labor involved, it could end up being expensive, maybe more than the $200 it originally cost. Probably still way cheaper than a decent new bike, but you'd probably find riding more enjoyable on a modern bike. Bike technology has changed a lot since 1980.

neil0502

First, momma used to work at A&M, so Gig 'em!

Second, an estimate from your local bike shop ("LBS") might be a few bucks well spent. None of us can diagnose a non-working brake. Most of us can tell you that it could be:
- a cable detached from the lever, from the brake caliper itself, or snapped
- depending on the kind of brake, return springs might have snapped
- a handful of other things

Third, the parts are relatively cheap. Odds are that a tune-up will get most things working, provided most things worked when the bike was put away. The "etc., etc." is where you could run into problems. The problem will be with replacement parts, and whether new stuff will work with the old frame/fork pieces.

But don't assume it's anything major. Your LBS would be a good first stop.

Good luck . . . and enjoy College Station. Great town!

Crotch

Well, the thing with the brakes are whenever i get them tight enough to engage properly, they don't disengage all the way, if that makes any sense at all. Is wd40 safe to use to get things a little bit more in shape? and maybe some steel wool to take off some of the rust? picked up some brake and shifter cables and housing, so i'll try to figure out how to swap that stuff out, so far i've learned quite a bit from the forums and i gotta admit everyones been great.

caotropheus

Restoring a bicycle from 1980 shouldn't be very difficult. Technology was simple and pretty straight foward. I woud suggest to replace tires, tubes, brake pads without thinking twice. Other major mechanical problems were already refered on brakes and cables. You may use WD40 to release bolts and nuts and use some car wax to clean paint. You may use the same car wax with steel wool to polish chrome. Most important, do not force any nut or bolt otherwise they may brake. And pay attencion to bottom braket and pedal left threads.

About WD40, you may use it in abundance on your bicycle it may even be used to clean your paint. Apply WD 40 and after clean thorougly with a soft cloth.

If brakes do not release after operated that's because you will need to spray WD40 on the caliper and brake lever joints. Most probably you will have to replace cables and do it exactly (exactly, I mean word by word) as Sheldon Brown describes in his articles. I strongly suggest you to oil gear cabels the same away you do with brake cables.

https://sheldonbrown.com/brakes/index.html
Good luck

Nick Bain

how much would a practically NOS reliant be worth with a pleschter rack.

wrk101

Not much. Old MTBs and hybrids have minimal value. Best way to get value out of them is to ride them.