Blitzkriegbnana

I'm learning to fix bikes and have fixed up a couple mountain bikes, but recently I bought an old Tunturi 500r for $10 and want to replace some of the parts, I'd like to replace them with something better than it originally came with and make it a better bike. It has friction gears, which I'm not use to and don't really care if they have to change to indexed or if that's even possible. The chain snapped on me after I cleaned it up and took it for a spin, so I don't want to replace the chain until I know what other components I'm going to change.


It currently has and was manufactured with a SunTour Accushift alpha-2000 rear derailleur that looks kind of crappy, which I'd like to replace as well as the crank shaft, because the threads are trashed and if I ever get it off, it won't be going back on. I know the bikes nothing really special, so unless I can make it a better bike, I don't know if I want to put the time and money into it.


Anybody have suggestions?

wrk101

Find a bike co-op. Go friction, as that bottom end Accushift was nothing special. Limit your time and $$ as you are right, its nothing special. From the friction era, I like the Suntour V, Vx stuff. The nicer vintage derailleurs tended to be mostly aluminum with a little bit of steel. The lower models tended to be mostly steel with a little bit of aluminum. Rust = steel part.

You can get used to friction. Evaluate wheel situation first. Learn to service the hubs, check the cones for excessive wear. If the cones are bad, either stop at that point, or find a deal on used wheels. Bike is not worth buying new wheels for it.

Flush the freewheel well, relube it. Service bottom bracket and headset (new bearings and grease on BB, clean and fresh grease on the headset). Order some cheap bar tape from China, under $2 delivered to your door on ebay, but you will have to be patient.


If you have a good co-op in your area, you may find a better project at a reasonable price.

Some basic service, grease, cables, decent tires, new brake pads, new chain, and fresh bar tape, and the bike will ride much better.


You will probably need a claw style RD as a replacement. A lot of the older ones, including very good models, were available with a claw hanger. Now if your RD directly bolts to the frame, ignore my comment.

Blitzkriegbnana

This is my third time replying back to you, this website lost everything once for posting a URL and second for not being logged in when submitting. BS. Anyway.

I have already done what I can with the tools I have, I replaced the barrings and greased front wheel, but when I got to the crank shaft the threads were thrashed and I could only access the other side, I cleaned and greased the crappy cased barrings, but didn't swap them with loose ones, since I could only get to one side. I found a good co-op like you suggested, maybe someone there can help me with it. I also don't have the right tool to remove the cassette or freewheel (not sure which one it has) so that was left too.

The RD has to be replaced, because that one is crappy as hell, the wheels don't spin smooth even after being cleaned and greased. The RD is bolted onto the frame. I'm wondering if I could just go all Shimano replacements for RD/FD, freewheel ect., just to make it easier. Do they make friction derailleurs still? Also, could I move the gears up to the handle bars? And putting duel brake handles for top and bottom would be an option right?

Is this too much work for this bike? Is there a limit to how much improvement I can put on to it? I just don't have the money to spend on something better.

wrk101

Bike has minimal value. So its kind of marginal. Depends on your market. Does the co-op sell bikes that are ready to ride? Do they have an "earn a bike" program (you pitch in, do clean up in the shop, or whatever, and in return you end up with a bike for free)?

As you make more and more changes to the bike, it makes less and less sense. Each change is going to cost you money. Its very easy to get upside $$ even on a free bike. The co-op I volunteer at gets such bikes from local bike shops, where the owner brought in their special "find" asked to get it serviced. After being shocked at the cost, they drop it off at the bike shop. We then pick up these cast offs, and because we have free labor (volunteers) and free parts (donated), we rebuild them and sell them cheap. I've put in a couple of hours or more into a bike, changed cables and tires, and then we sell it for $45...... No real shop could survive under those economics.