What to upgrade on my bike
 

Hey guys!

So, I have this old Niji Caravelle bike I bought a few months ago that I use daily (use it to go to school and in town, about 11 kms from home on a non-flat road in 20 mins) and really like it.
I didn't upgrade the bike so much yet, changed the tires, added a rack for my stuff and fenders today (no more dirt!), total 80$ (30 for the bike, 30 for the tires, 10 for the foot holder and 10 for the fenders)
I would like to change other thing in order to enhance the performances of the ride, but I don't really know what to do, I surfed on the Internet, but didn't really found specific things so it's still vague to me (I'm quite new to this world tbh)

What I'd like to know is, what do you think would be the most benefic parts to change in order to have a more performant or maybe even comfortable bike? Here are the specs of the bicycle

It is a Niji Caravelle (haven't found any infos about that on Internet, you can try, it's like impossible so I don't know anything about it lol)
27" steel wheels, 27x1 1/4 tires of the brand Bontrager (just random tires I found for 15$/each at a local store)
Stem mounted shifters are Shimano
Rear derailleur is a Shimano SIS hanging around in my house, I think I have also a Shimano Altus but don't know which is better
Middle is a Shimano Altus
The teeths of the cassette and middle disks aren't straight and some are shorter, perhaps because of the old messed up chain that was on him, changed for an "ok" used chain hanging around in my house. I also have a new basic Supercycle chain, but I don't want to place it because I don't want to scrap it with those teeths
Breaks aren't really effective

Here are a few pictures:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266000
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266001
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266002
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266003
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266004

Considering I don't have a big deal of money to spend on it, what do you consider being the "most important" component to change?
I was thinking about the tires, for example taking the best low priced 27 inch tires on Internet, perhaps a little less large(1" or 1" 1/8), would that help out? Or it doesn't change so much? Also, the the air chamber inside have an impact on the bike?
Maybe the chain also, but don't know what are the best low-priced models/brands and if that actually is important.

And on a more aesthetic note, suggestion on what colors could I modify to make it nicer?
I thought maybe a brown handlebar and black tires with tan sides

Thanks a lot! :)

Personally, I'd wait for something to break or wear out before doing any upgrades - especially if you have a very limited budget. Maybe focus on things that will make your ride more comfortable and enjoyable - like a saddle.

I would put new grease & bearings in the hubs, bottom bracket & headset. It probably needs them. This will be very cheap if you can do it yourself or with a friend.

I'd also consider a new freewheel with shifting ramps and a new chain. You can probably do this for about $25 or less if you have a freewheel tool and chain tool, or if you have a friend with one. You will get smoother, cleaner shifts and a quieter drivetrain.

You may want to consider new brake pads (Kool Stop are very good ones) & cables and new shifter cables, if you haven't done that already. But if they're not rusty and working OK, maybe just oil them a bit.

Some people will tell you to replace the steel wheels with aluminum ones. It's true that this is a big upgrade in terms of lighter weight and also much better braking in the wet. On the other hand, it will be pretty expensive. I would hold off on that for now.

If you want new tires, Panaracer Pasela's are very good inexpensive tires that come in 27" sizes. Don't pay more than $20 each for them.

Hope that helps!

Change the chain because it's dirty and might be worn. And if it's not worn, changing it soon will prevent wearing out the sprockets.

Buy the nicest tires you can afford. This has the biggest effect on the ride of all possible upgrades.

Without a close examination one can't be certain what you mean by this, but some freewheel or cassette teeth are slanted or shorter by design. It helps them pick up the chain better in a shift. Which is to say they ain't broke, they're s'posed to be that way. You'd have to hit them with a hammer to bend them sideways so a funky chain surely wouldn't hurt them except make them wear into odd shapes. Other than the surface rust on those cogs I don't see anything wrong with them. They look to have no wear at all.

Perhaps modern chainrings have an occasional shaped tooth also for the same reason, but my experience doesn't extend much into modern chainrings so I'm only guessing.

I'm with that wandering architect and the guy who doesn't glide. Lube the hubs and bottom bracket, get a good chain, good tires, and alloy wheels, then ride it. Skip the wheels for now if your budget is tight. A bad chain will eventually wear out the chainring and cog teeth (but that takes a lot of miles). Plus it has lots of bearing surfaces which create friction if they aren't clean and free. And a sloppy chain shifts poorly. Once you've ridden enough to judge the rest of the bike you can decide whether you like it well enough to take it further.

One more thing. You asked about tire size. People argue about that all day. I have 25mm (1") Pasela (TourGuard version for flat protection, more expensive) tires for two of my road bikes, but I've got 28mm (1 1/8") on a commuter road bike, and 25mm Gatorskins on another road bike, and much more expensive 23mm Vittoria Open Corsa tires on my best bike. Can I tell the difference between them? Oh yes, especially the Vittorias, but some of that is probably the bike differences too. If your roads are smooth, go narrower, if they're rough go wider.

IF I was trying to keep expenses down I'd
Service the wheel & BB bearings. About $1-2 per "axle". 40 1/4" (rear wheel, 18 & Bottom Bracket, 22)+ 20 3/16 (front wheel) bearings.
New brake pads. The old ones are probably hard and steel wheels aren't that good for braking anyway.
I'd spend the extra $ for Kool Stop pads. You NEVER hear people complain that their brakes are TOO GOOD on steel wheels.

a new chain and cleaned rear deraileurs does wonders.

some new softer modern bar tape is a great luxury over the old hard stuff

I noticed you have steel handlebars and maybe even a steel seatpost.

I am sure there are some forumites who have these parts in alloy used you can get for next to nothing.

I have at least 6 pairs of cheap bars with no need for them-too bad im so far away.

as for colors-

I have thought of this before, some old bikes were very pleasent with a 2 tone paint,
as you do not have anything worth keeping original take a look around,
sometimes a wide band around the seat tube, or the lugs painted makes a big difference.

good luck

Kool stops are great...but they sure are noisy!

I would learn to disassemble/reassemble all the components that contain bearings. Buy the tools necessary to do the job. If you eat up the hubs/bb/headset from lack of grease/proper adjustment the cost will be higher to replace than to get the tools and learn. I use high-temp. automotive bearing grease, you get a lot for the $. New brake pads, you have to have decent stopping power. Change all the cables, a broken cable is very little fun and changing them is an inexpensive insurance policy. Get some cork bar tape(non-adhesive), watch a couple of youtube vids. and learn to do your own bar tape replacement. I would leave all the cosmetic wants until the basics are taken care of.

???

They're not more noisy than anything else, in my experience.

You can get rid of that noise. Usually, all you have to do is toe them in.

Tried that. They still let out the most horrible, piercing, loud squeal when I brake hard. It's great for sneaking up and startling people. My wife didn't care much for that feature, though.

Are the pivot bolts on your brakes tight, or is the whole contraption flapping in the wind?

Me, or the OP?

If me, then yes, everything is tight & positioned correctly. I've installed many brake pads on bicycles. They are only noisy while braking hard (usually on a 10%+ decline, coming to a stop from 30+mph).

I'm thinking it may be a combination of the compound used in the kool-stops and the braking surface on my wheel. I tried Aztecs on the same bike, and they were nice and quiet.

Are these on Mafacs?

No. The factory Bontrager's on my 2012 Trek FX 7.5...but this discussion is starting to derail the thread. I'm OK with a little squeal on my bike - which happens only under very heavy braking. Let's discuss the OP's case of upgraditis.

Leave it alone until something breaks!*

*I mean, maintain it, lube everything thoroughly and don't just wontonly replace stuff.

Honestly, I'm sure it's a great bike for day to day use. If you're not satisfied with the braking, upgrade the wheels. It might even be worth your while to source out some aluminum hoops and build your own wheels using your stock hubs...

Note: My daily rider is a stock Schwinn Continental. I know from bad brakes! Heavy rain sucks on steel
rims, even if they are pretty comfy and adequate the rest of the time.

Upgraditis. Thank you for that word.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

I'll look forward to change the bearings and put some relatively good grease or oil in the pivots, is there a product you recommand me for that? For now I just have WD40 in my dad's "workshop" which I used for the pivot and chain. I never go with a mechanic for my bike (and in general) because I try to do it myself or get help of my dad since he's a really good handyman, so it should be quite cheap to change bearings :)

Regarding the Pasela, I would like to buy it ASAP, thought I can't seem to find good prices on Internet because I live in Canada, so shipping always costs a lot and there is no Pasela's dealers around me. Anyone from Canada has a good e-shop or real shop to find those? (I'm more specifically from Québec). The cheapest I found shipping included is 55/60$ for a pair. Also, since I will change the tires, I'd like to go for narrower ones then the 1" 1/4 I have, thought my wheels are written to be 27x1 1/4, will Pasela's 27x1 or 27x1 1/8 fit anyways? The wheel is not rifted.
Another thing, I saw there are kinds of submodels for those, like Tourguard, is the most basic model good or generally people refer to a "upgraded" model?

As for the brakes, I adjusted them yesterday and now they brake pretty good, before that I had a bit of problems (braking on a really long distance which could have been dangerous)


Here are closer picture so you can understand better, sorry if I explained it bad I didn't know how to formulate it.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266706
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266707
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266709
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=266708
Also, I forgot to mention, the "original" chain on it was really messed up, the links were opening, leaving small gaps in the inside's sides. So the chain was almost unrideable because it made terrible sounds and acted weird, not sure how to explain but well.
Does the cogs looks alright finally? Would it be safe to install an unused chain?

And finally about the handlebar tape, I found advices for the Deda bar tape and those on Sheldon Brown's site ( http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/handl...ebar-tape.html ), but I don't really know how good is it for the price. What would be your suggestions for a confortable good-looking tape? I was thinking about a brown one, do you think it would fit with the colour of the frame and the tan-sided Paselas?

Thank you guys for everything! :)

Why upgrade anything? Clean it up, maybe replace the chain, then ride it! :)

That's what I still do everyday :P I'd just like to make go even better

Don't use WD40 on the chain. It is a solvent, not a lubricant. Its alright to use it to clean things, but you need to apply a lubricant after cleaning it.

I use this stuff on chains:
http://www.finishlineusa.com/product...-plus-lube.htm

The cogs look fine. The teeth are supposed to be slanted like that. It helps them pick up the chain better. I see no significant wear on them.

Thanks for the infos!