Bought a 2003 Redline Monocog yesterday from a guy who really did only ride it once or twice before sticking it in his basement and forgetting about it. It still has the L and R stickers on the pedals. Little nipply things are still on the tires. Seems to roll OK and no noise or grind from wheels, headset, or bottom bracket. Tires look a bit dried out. That's the only thing I can see that would make me think this bike was a decade old.

For the mechanics: what's probably wrong with it? What would you do to it before you rode it regularly? What should I be aware of?

Don't hold back. I know my way around a crank pull and I've got a five pound tub of marine grease ready to dispatch to this bike's nether-regions.

Thanks for your insight.
Matt

Regrease the hubs and headset. Lube the chain.

Take out the quill stem (if applicable), and put a layer of grease on it. Pull the pedals and grease the threads.

I would also regrease and check the hubs and headset and lube the chain. Since the bike has been stored inside it likely doesn't need much I would air up the tires and take it for a ride and see how things looks feels before I did a lot of work. There is a very good chance that on a ten year old nicer bike stored well it may need nothing.

Beside the steps suggested above I would check the condition of the brake pads; if the tires are dried out the pads may be as well. Replace them with Kool Stop Salmon or similar and you should be set.

+1 on relubing the hubs and headset and the bottom bracket too unless it's a cartridge. After all that time the grease may have dried out to the point it's not functional and riding the bike in that condition will quickly damage the bearings.

Anytime I find a gem I think is a keeper I do a total dis assembly, overhaul all bearings, replace any rubber/soft components that seem at all questionable, true the wheels and give everything a really good cleaning in the process. The end result is a bike that is "nicer" than new with everything lovingly adjusted and lubed much better than it probably was when it was first purchased.
The end result is a bike that is as good as it will ever be.
If it is not a keeper or not special to you just a re-pack of the hubs, headset, bottom bracket, along with new tires and maybe brake shoes should get it in service.

As you seem to have the ability the main variable is your time (and any tools you may not have). Grease may well be perfectly fine, but overhaul if you like. If you don't do so, or do it later, what's critical is to make sure the bearings are properly adjusted, spokes have good tension and derailleurs are properly adjusted.

Colour me highly dubious.

A, I ran my bike for a couple of months once with no grease in hubs, BB or headset with no detectable damage.

2, even Shimano's infamous STI grease, even after ten years, would still serve to lube a cup and cone bearing. If it's enough to prevent corrosion, it's enough to lube the bearing enough to prevent damage.

I'd just make sure everything's goldilocks, and put air in the tyres, unless it's the sort of bike that warranted full TLC.

I don't know what hubs the OP has but several years ago I bought an '86 Bridgestone 400 that had sat unused for about 12 years. The hubs (Sansin) and bottom bracket (SR) looked like they were packed with dry rubber cement when I took them apart. Maybe they would have survived some use in this condition but I was certainly not willing to find out. YMMV.

Matt, I suggest replacing the tires and tubes, they're well beyond their shelf life IMHO. Probably the same for the brake pads. I'm the type that feels good about hubs and headset maintenance on a new to me bike, even if not needed.

Brad

I wouldn't bother replacing the tyres unless the actual casing is damaged, except for aesthetic reasons. Perished tyre rubber doesn't matter a damn, unless you need the cornering grip of a sew-up.

The pads might be cactus, but then again, they're probably still fine; I'm sure the pads on my bike are the best part of 20 years old, and I can put the back wheel in the air from the hoods, on hardox rims.

Wow, that sounds like some crappy grease...

But I bet it would have worked for quite a long while anyway.

mattblast, the dange is that the longer this thread continues the longer your list will get....

As with the quill stem, pull the seatpost fully out --even if it's at a good height for you already-- and give that a little grease so it won't seize.

Check the tires really close as they might be ozone rotted if the bike was stored anywhere near a sizable electric motor in a basement (Heater/Airconditioner fan motor, for example.). If you see many minute cracks anywhere on the surface of the tire, then they will be suspect and can blow out on you if you ride them. New tires are much cheaper than a trip to the emergency room any time.

Chombi

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I took an hour or so to start taking things apart and generally like what I see. Looks like there's ample grease in most of the places I looked for it. Brake pads are hard as a rock. They've gotta go. The brake cables seem to rub rough on the inside of the housings. I pulled those and will be replacing them maybe later tonight. The bike was apparently stored on flat tires. There are some nasty-looking cracks on the sidewalls in the spots where they supported the bike's weight without air in them. The rubber all around has a chalky appearance. My suspicion is that this is ozone damage. I pulled the tires and it looks like the cracks are superficial. I cannot detect any irregularities from the inside of the tire. I'm haven't yet decided whether I've got to replace them right away. I probably will before I put any real miles on the bike. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm the "breadwinner" and that being injured can come with significant cost.

Get the tyres up to pressure and see how the carcass is. Again, the perished rubber doesn't matter - it's the nylon belts that contain the pressure*.

They usually don't take too kindly to being left with a fold in em for ten years, but it's worth a shot.

*I have a tyre here that's so perished, a small piece of the tread here and there has parted company with tyre, and it's happily holding 120psi. It's fine.

Before I read that you had tested the cables I was going to suggest replacing. Newer teflon lined housings and stainless inner cables work substantially better than their predecessors. Also, steel cables have a way of oxidizing, even sitting in a basement, so it's inexpensive to pull them out and replace. Assuming you'll re-tape the bars in any case...if you need to get the aero housings off the handlebars. PG

Aaahaha! Best advice yet.

I would change the tires.

I just got a used bike and I am replacing tires just for the safety of it. They look ok, but I wanna be sure. Small price to pay for big benefits! Worth every penny.

No. Money wasted.

If you can put the max pressure in the tyre and it doesn't deform, it's good to go, regardless of the condition of the rubber. It's purely aesthetic, unless as I said, you need the cornering grip of sew-ups.

It's the fabric of the casing that matters, for the eleventieth time.

Curses. Wishful thinking got the bwst of me again!

Once I got in there real close I noticed that the hubs were actually dry as hell. Gonna need new cartridges.

Bottom bracket is OK. Headset is soso.

Tires dont feel right from the insides. Can't see riding them.

What I had hoped was ready to roll is now a minor project that will take an hour or two and maybe $50 or so.

Here's a list that I've gathered from the whole thread for you.

Pull stem and grease where it contacts the steerer tube.
Pull seatpost and grease it.
Regrease hubs (I doubt that they're cartridges)
Replace tires+tubes
Replace brake pads
Replace cable housings and inner cables
Replace bar tape

I'd be a bit surprised if it had cartridge hub bearings too.

Fair enough; before I even bother putting air in a tyre I'll hold it by the beads in the thumb and forefinger of each hand, stretching it fairly flat as I shuffle along it using my other fingers to press up between where I'm holding it.

Good way to find anything major wrong with the carcass, rather than deafening yourself with a blowout

I had a similar situation this spring when a very good friend gave me her 1992 Cannondale R500 that had sat in the garage since, well, 1992.

Not being a mechanic the first thing I did was take it to the LBS for a "Gold" tune-up. They got the cobwebs off, oiled the chain, retaped the bars and put on new tires because the old ones were "dried out and cracked" and generally checked things over. Over the next 750 miles I ended up with the following:
1) The brakes stopped releasing so I had new cables installed.
2) Both tubes blew the valve off (but that may be due to a bad pressure gauge on a cheap pump???)
3) The spokes on the front wheel loosened up and the wheel needed to be (re)trued.
4) Per suggestions from this forum I had them check the hubs, BB, etc... The mechanic told me they were "In good shape -- but very dry" (meaning the grease had dried up)...

At this point, the bike seems to be in very nice shape...

Tires dry-rot, but tubes don't, since they aren't exposed to UV, and their exposure to moisture is a lot less than the tires' exposure.