fl0nk

Hello everybody.....

I'm from Venezuela.... and this is my bike
The buy in an auction site like ebay, The previous owner had it stored for over 15 years to be not using.

I know very little about bikes ... But I try. Currently, I am "fixing"a BMX.
my knowledge about the subject is little to say none!

I would like, fix your bicycle, to put it to use ... I do not want to lose its value!
The pieces that I can suggest, may be pages in the U.S., no problem with that

With your help, I'd get it back .... and get feedback and comments on some critical decisions. I'll upload the photos, the whole recovery process.

Greetings to all and thank you very much for all the help you can give me.

PD: Excuse me for my bad English ....


................

fl0nk

For now, the information I have about this bike is:

Manufacture: Tristar
Model: 10 Speed
year of manufacture: 60/70**********??
Type: touring bicycles ???
Rin: 27
Speed: 10 speed

other relevant information?





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love2pedal.com

Just curious, why do you think it is a Univega?

My guess is that the brand name is Tri Star.

fl0nk

uhmmm but tris star isnt univega? in wikipedia say is a model!

LesterOfPuppets

I'm pretty sure most (if not all) Univega TriStars will have the word Univega on the downtube and headtube.

fl0nk

Ok... but isn't a univega, what is? and wherefrom? year? etc... this is a mistery for me =(

LesterOfPuppets

I haven't seen many tires made in India. Could be an Indian marque. Could be Chinese. Perhaps in the 60s/70s India produced more tires than China. These are just guesses.

If you're in the US, I'd call it a pretty unique bike.

fl0nk

Oh man, thank you!!!
I understand you say it may be that made in the 60s/70s, ok... but what kind of bike is this?

fl0nk

Hello everybody.....

To continue the thread, which parts and tools need to purchase to begin with the restoration???

Thank you!

Bianchigirll 

are you looking to restore this or make it usable? if your thinking of restoring it in hopes of some huge profit forget it. it looks a step above a Murray.

I agree with love2padal and would say the Brand is TriStar. I think the fork is bent and judging from the fact that it is blue it has been replaced once already.

is there a hole here?

fl0nk

Hello bianchigirl.....

Well.. uhmm i want to use... no.. I do not want to become rich with this bike

What is a Murray?

Yes, the previous owner change the blue part because the past was broken, he fell!

No, don't have a hole only is rust!

Thank you for you replay!

ColonelJLloyd 

In my opinion, it isn't worth restoring.

fl0nk

Hello ColonelJLloyd....

Why do you think is not worth restoring?

and that means the fork is bent, i dont understan

Thank you!

-holiday76

I think it's awesome. Plus restoring it would be a good learning experience for you. Knowledge is power you know...

fl0nk

hello -holiday76

Thank you!! you have idea why I say it the fork is bent? i worry

Thank you!

-holiday76

well because the fork is bent. Basically if you look at the head tube and follow is in a straight line the fork should never be behind that line. You should try to find a new one, although I wouldnt suggest putting too much money into that bike as it is low end . You could probably find a straight one off of another bike. Or worst case are there other bikes you could look into restoring?

ColonelJLloyd 

I say that because even after you put that much effort and money into it you're still left with a bike that's not going to perform very well.

To say the fork is bent is about as plain as I can put it. It can probably be straightened, but again that falls under my first point. If vintage bikes are not uncommon in your area I would continue to look. If you're set on restoring it, search this forum for general restoration advice. Google can help. Search like this for example, "remove rust site:bikeforums.net".

fl0nk

Thanks for your explanation -holiday76,

is a great way to know that this bike is low end....will keep in mind that you do not spend too much money!!!
Remember...i'm from venezuela.. i'm a student, i can't buy other bike..... only I have little money....

I'll have to find a solution for the fork
BTW, any online store you can recommend me to see the price of correct fork? (in usa), thank you!

ultraman6970

I dont know if anybody said this, but the fork needs to be replaced. the one in the frame is not in good shape, at leas in the picture looks like it had a nice crash.

-holiday76

oh right! good point. The fork needs to be replaced.

ColonelJLloyd 

Glad you showed up. We were all wondering.

Maddox

This thread needs more snark.

Since the OP asked for photos of straight forks vs. bent forks, here are a couple obvious examples --

This is an illustration showing correct angle/orientation of an unbent or straight fork:



The fork comes straight out of the steerer without a dramatic bend forward or back.

Here are a couple photos of forks that have been bent and seriously damaged through crashes or some other rider-induced trauma:



(bent forward)


(bent forward)


(bent backward)

Maddox

Notice that yours does not go straight through - it bends back. Sorry some of the posters have been a bit harsh, but bent forks are a bike-buying No No. It's one of the first signals that the bike hasn't been well cared for.

Your bike will require a new fork, and you need to have a shop take a look at that front wheel - it looks warped. It might have been a casualty of a crash as well.

LesterOfPuppets

This one likely came from the factory like this. Looks like a straight blade fork and straight blade forks need to be canted forward at the crown or have special dropouts fitted to provide offset.

Wogster

The fork is bent, when the fork is bent you need to do two things, first is put a metre stick along the top tube and make sure it's straight, and do the same with the downtube (the one right behind the wheel), if these are straight then the frame is straight, now take a piece of string, tie it to one of the rear chainstays (where the wheel attaches at the back), run it all the way around the top of the head tube and to the other one and tie it, then put a mark on the string at the middle of the head tube, the pieces from mark to end should be the same length, if not the frame is twisted. The reasoning is that a collision hard enough to bend the fork, could twist or bend the frame as well. Now you need some sandpaper and sand off any rust (you will need to repaint those areas anyway), if there are any spots that are rusted through, then the frame is not worth repairing.

Strip it to the bare frame, clean all the parts you have, making sure they work as they should, you can often remove rust from chrome with aluminum foil, decide what parts need to be replaced, as a given, cables, brake pads, tires, tubes, these parts do not like to sit. Then decide what parts you want to replace, count up the costs of those parts, if it's more then $150, move on. Sometimes you can find another similar old bike and between the two of them, get enough parts together for a single decent bike.