Fix or Sell?
05-17-11 | 11:07 AM
#76
multimodal commuter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
Likes: 597
From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Yes. The cage should pivot freely, with a spring to take up that slack; some kinds of lubricant, like 3-in-1 oil and WD40, can dry up into a gummy stuff that slows movement down or even prevents it. If your bike has been sitting unused for a few years, this is likely the case. Work some oil into it --oil it and move it back and forth with your hand-- and it will probably come back to life.
05-17-11 | 11:09 AM
#77
wheelin in the years
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 666
Likes: 1
From: Kansas
Bikes: Some Schwinns, a Gary Fisher, some vintage lt wts
You don't have to do anything. I remember when I first noticed what you are talking about: I was riding home from work on a Nashiki that I had bought at a garage sale the earlier weekend, and noticed my bikes shadow had a chain that was so slack on the bottom it looked like a sway backed mule. So I pulled over and looked it over, I had already covered 7miles, without a problem, so I rode on home, and read up on it, it is called "Alpine" gearing. It allows more gear range without going to a Triple.
05-17-11 | 11:15 AM
#78
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 8,343
Likes: 16
From: Louisville
I'm late to the party, but I would have suggested you have your LBS remove the existing freewheel and true your wheels and that you buy and install the following (preferably from your LBS):
7sp freewheel
7sp or 8sp chain
Good chain tool
New derailleur cables
New brake cables
At some point I'd likely want to replace my brake pads as well. That's not the cheapest route, but if you're a medical student you ought to be aware of the benefits of doing things right the first time.
7sp freewheel
7sp or 8sp chain
Good chain tool
New derailleur cables
New brake cables
At some point I'd likely want to replace my brake pads as well. That's not the cheapest route, but if you're a medical student you ought to be aware of the benefits of doing things right the first time.
Last edited by ColonelJLloyd; 05-17-11 at 11:19 AM.
05-17-11 | 11:41 AM
#79
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Rhode Island
Yes. The cage should pivot freely, with a spring to take up that slack; some kinds of lubricant, like 3-in-1 oil and WD40, can dry up into a gummy stuff that slows movement down or even prevents it. If your bike has been sitting unused for a few years, this is likely the case. Work some oil into it --oil it and move it back and forth with your hand-- and it will probably come back to life.
05-17-11 | 04:07 PM
#81
Cottered Crank
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,401
Likes: 15
From: Chicago
Bikes: 1954 Raleigh Sports 1974 Raleigh Competition 1969 Raleigh Twenty 1964 Raleigh LTD-3
"But learning to do simple tasks like work on a chain and freewheel/cassette will pay off the next time one runs into a similar problem and having the right tools and knowing how to use them will be an investment that pays dividends for a lifetime of riidng" -Amesja
I would like to say +1 , and add It will pay off for a lifetime period. Similar problems will not be limited to bicycle problems, once you learn basic principals and practice them , you will see how it applies to the mechanical world around you. There are very few musical prodigies in this world, I have never heard of a martial arts prodigy , nor a medical one (Dougy Houwser Md dosn't count) so just like every other discipline, it takes practice. I would like to offer a word of encouragement -" Grease is the word, is the word it's got groove it's got meaning"
". (Musical enterlude over there is the bike flipper part of me that says : "Cool another Doctor in the world to toss out an RB-1, or Dura Ace equipt bike because they can't air up a presta valve")
You have taken the biggest step in your journey, The first. So may people live lives empty of challange because they cannot step out like you have.
I would like to say +1 , and add It will pay off for a lifetime period. Similar problems will not be limited to bicycle problems, once you learn basic principals and practice them , you will see how it applies to the mechanical world around you. There are very few musical prodigies in this world, I have never heard of a martial arts prodigy , nor a medical one (Dougy Houwser Md dosn't count) so just like every other discipline, it takes practice. I would like to offer a word of encouragement -" Grease is the word, is the word it's got groove it's got meaning"
". (Musical enterlude over there is the bike flipper part of me that says : "Cool another Doctor in the world to toss out an RB-1, or Dura Ace equipt bike because they can't air up a presta valve")You have taken the biggest step in your journey, The first. So may people live lives empty of challange because they cannot step out like you have.
Once I bought a truck from a guy who couldn't get it to run. He had replaced the battery, the starter, the starter relay and even the key. It just would NOT crank over but would push-start like a champ. He got fed up and and was selling it for $175.
After I paid for it when I went to pick it up I looked under the hood for 4 seconds, wiggled the frame ground and told my wife to crank it over. VROOOM! Drove it home.
Knowing how stuff works is nice.
