Okay, I'm just getting into cycling. My original goal was to use cycling as my cardio exercise and thats about it. However after spending some time on line (reading the posts) and doing some riding, I'm getting more and more hooked.

I have a Takara 10 speed. I'd guess it to be a late 70's or early 80's model (it has a bike permit on it for some city in WI that expired in 1985). It seems to be in decent shape and rides well. It has a sticker on the frame that says "10-11" (I don't know what that means). All the shifting parts are Suntour. All the braking parts are Dia-Comp. It came with a Zefal pump and has a Ideale saddle (again that doesn't mean anything to me but I'd be interested in more info if anyone is familiar with them).

After reading some of the forums I figured I probably had a bike that weighed somewhere between 24-28lbs. Well I used the highly scientific method of weighing myself on a scale and then weighting myself holding the bike and it weights a whopping 34lbs (I am kind of out of shape, but no wonder those hills are so difficult).

So, do I have department store junk, or something worth putting some money into. I'd like to lighten her up, but I don't see the point in spending a lot of money to knock off 3-4 lbs and still have department store junk.

Opinions? Advice?

Thanks,

Don't worry about shedding pounds just yet. Ride the bike for a while and if you really like cycling, start looking for a lighter bike. You can find old Raleighs in the mid 20 range. It would most likely be very expensive to lighten your current bike, becasue I assume that the weight is in steel. If this is the case, you'd want new wheels, handle bars, and fork. But, if the bike rides nicel, there's no real reason to do this.

Personally, I like the ride of my 32 pound '72 Schwinn road bike than that of a 25ish pound new road bike.

Ditching the kickstand will knock off a pound very quickly. Like el-twe mentioned, the wheels are probably the next biggest contributor, then the cranks & pedals. If the wheels are steel, it is definitely worth it to change them for alloy for safety in braking.

I do suspect that, despite everything that you try within reason, you're still going to be over 27 pounds. For some people, that's just fine. Better to ride a 27 pound bike than not to ride.

Well, it has the signature stem shifters, suicide brake levers,and foam bar grips. If it also has bolt on axels,and steel rims,it's certified bottom of the barrel junkue'. Riding that heavy POS will make you stronger.That's a good thing. Ride it till it goes TU and throw in in the recycle bin. That will be a good thing too, but some fool will probably dig it out and think it's golden, and post here about 'catch of the week'. Don't waste time or money on upgrades.

your bike's fine. I found a Raleigh racer at a garage sale with tags from 1980 too.

If you got a local bike shop nearby that love's to tune bikes up...have them take a look-see and let 'em spoil you with a new rim or brakes or whatever...made me feel better with what i found...

I rode that baby until I got sick of the sprocket slipping...rode it for a couple years..

All 70s and80s bikes aren't the same. There was good stuff and below bottom of the barrel.Just a new decent rim, not a wheel, is worth more than that junk.Sometimes better gear can be scavaged fom thrift store and garage sale finds for little money.

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll keep riding and reading and start looking for a better bike sometime next spring. That should give me time to become better educated as well as get a feel for how well I take to cycling.

One thing I might do is change the wheels or rims somehow for the braking advantage. I was putting around on it today with my kids and we went through a few mud puddles…after that I couldn't get the thing stopped.

I've only got $60 in the bike. Any one have a good suggestion for some replacement wheels or rims that would help with the braking but still be price appropriate for this beast?

Thanks again.

Summer is winding down now and you will see that the bikes available for sale will become cheaper as the demand lessens. Check www.craigslist.org for your area and you will find some golden bikes on there in the next few months that will be much less than 60$ but of better quality. To be pefectly honest, don't put any more cash or time into this thing unless it is absolutely necessary---it sounds like you could just use some new brake pads which you can purchase at Wal-Mart for 3$. Keep your eye out at thrift stores, Goodwill, Value Village, the Buy and Sell, etc, and something better will come along.

Awesome, concise post. I searched high and low for a simple set of criteria to determine whether the bikes I had were junk or not. I think I finally found it. Thanks.

Too bad most of this knowledge isn't collected in one place, somewhere. Unless you've got years of background, telling the junk from the passable from the decent in "classic" gear is awfully tough.

V

Just think - if you can knock 30 pounds off the rider, it'd be like riding a 4# bike!

I used to be 260# 2 years ago, now 229, so I know from experience...

Cool - but that won't stop Sydney from calling your bike "junque".

No problem. A magnetic list for your refrigerator door,free on request.

Good point. I know that by next Fall I'll be wanting a new bike, so If I can get it cheaper now than next spring…

Based on the criteria given before by sydney the bike in the attachment below would seem to be a better ride for me.

You can see more details on ebay item number is 7175250090.

^^^...the Fuji is a better place to start than the Takara. Some upgrades wouldn't be throwing money away.