orangepower

Hello everyone. I just got this bike for free at a garage sale. I'm looking to fix this bike up for my wife but I can't seem to find out what kind it is so I can look for parts. Can anyone help?

thinktubes 

How bad do you want to stay married?

orangepower

Haha 2 years in, I want to keep it going! It's too much fun. I'm not looking to completely kill myself here, but I do want to take a crack at figuring out what bike this is and what needs to be replaced.

frantik

looks like a lot of work to fix up and in the end you'll still have a low end bike

gitarzan

Sounds like he got a free bike and still got ripped off!

orangepower

Well good thing I came to this site. Very helpful!

Bianchigirll 

Hello Orange power, Welcome to the forums.

Better pics will help ID the bike I agree I think you got a lemon, maybe even a rotten one at that.

the bike looks to me like maybe a Huffy, Murray or even a FreeSpirit as far as and ID goes. I also see a bike that needs between $50 and $100 worth of work. The rear derauilleur (the thing in your hand) is broken and needs replaced. It also looks like a pedal is duct taped together so you need some pedals. Then a good tune up. Tires tubes too?


I would look for a decent local shop that selles used bikes and see what you can find there.

Binxsy

Kent, Columbia, Huffy, sears etc etc take you pick. If you see falcon it usually means low end, also bikes of this style are usually low end.

orangepower

How about this: IT'S A FREE BIKE. I'm not looking to have a specialized or ride around looking like a ****** like some of you. I'm looking to work on a bike and get into this kind of thing. If I need to junk it, I will. It was free, no big loss. But try not to be such a tool about it.

orangepower

Thank you Blanchigirl and binxsi.

frantik

*waves* welcome

even though it's a low end bike, it could be a good learning opportunity if you are looking for a project. However I would be hesitant to spend money on restoring this bike, and at the very least it looks like you will need a rear derailleur and replace the cables. If you're not careful, this "free" bike could cost you a lot of money, money that could have been spent investing in a better starting point.

You might be able to trade it to a flipper (bike reseller) for some money off of a ready to ride bike though.. not sure how much they'd give you though

Jeff Wills

Umm... no matter what it was originally, it's not worth trying to fix it. It will cost a fair amount of money for parts, and then it's still going to be a cheap bike. Bikes like that sold for $60 to $80 originally. It probably needs more than that in parts just to get it in working shape.

orangepower

Thanks! I figured as much when there isn't a single logo on the bike anywhere. I figured it would be good to tinker with for now until I feel like absolutely trashing it.

jhazel

I can't help you on what brand but as some others have said, you have a pretty low end bike. Based on the brake levers, I would date it from the late 70s. The cables look like somebody did some messing around without quite enough knowledge or patience. A lot of the parts will be pretty standard low end and your LBS can probably be a big help in matching them. You may be lucky and only need to take it all apart, clean it, route the cables properly and put it all back together. Good luck.

Zoku620

Looks like part of your rear derailleur (hanger and top pivot) is still attached to your bike, it may be missing a circlip or something that holds it all together, or it may be broken. If you need a complete rear derailleur, you should be able to find one for $20 or less. The cables are routed wrong, the brake rear brake cable should go over the handle bar and behind the crank, use zip ties to hold them in place. Otherwise, the bike needs a total tune up, you need to check and adjust the hubs, bottom bracket, headset, spokes, etc. The tires and brake pads may need replaced.
It may seem you got a cold reception here, but I think it is just the voice of experience telling you not to waste your time / money on this bike, when there are plenty of quality machines available for $50 on CL, usually in much better condition.
What is that, a Fiat? Maybe a nice Italian bike...

gitarzan

Actually I did something like that once. I bought a Raleigh M40 for 40 bucks at a thrift store. I then put about $200 in parts on it.

It hangs on a hook in the shed waiting for me to find a more suitable bike to put those parts on.

I once passed on an old Gary Fisher with old worn parts. I had no way to transport it and had to be at a wedding in a few hours and let it pass. That would have been a sweet scion.

repechage

What it probably needs or should be reviewed.:
Tires, if cracked to the cord, replace.
Tubes, if they don't hold air, patch or replace
Rear derailleur, the missing part is not worth the effort to replace or work around, unless you have a bike co-op nearby.
At least one brake and one shift cable, assuming you can use the rears of each now for the fronts.
New brake blocks are probably in order.
This is without spinning the wheels to review those, or turning any rotating parts, checking for bent chainrings for example and other potential problems.
Most of the above will be a sunk cost and not recouped.

Now, if there is a bicycle co-op nearby, that changes the equation and taking a class or two there could provide some knowledge you will need and special tools that make the job much easier or even possible.

The advice of selecting a better bike to begin with will provide a better result as you will like what you end up with more and be easier, very inexpensive bikes were the type of bicycle a bike shop mechanic dreaded. It takes twice as long to make it half as good as a bike that is just a bit better to start with.

In many areas second hand rigid (no suspension) mountain bikes are often selling very cheap. Not all forum member here have or must have a top tier machine. Stick around a while and read posts and you will begin to be able to tell what makes a better bike to begin with. The bike you received is one I would politely turn down as a gift.

Lascauxcaveman 

Actually, those were just brutally honest replies to the effect that old crummy bikes are very cheap (as you have found out, from experience) whereas bicycle parts and labor are actually kind of expensive. It's the problem I run into all the time with the charity I run; taking in unwanted bikes and making them rideable again to give away to the local people who can't afford to buy a decent bike. Unless I get enough people to donate $10 or $15 when they take one of my bikes, I literally can't afford to give them away.

sloar

Put an add in Craigslist for the parts you need. If you were local to me I would give you everything you need for free. If you have anyone around you that flips bikes I bet they have take off parts from junk bikes. Search around and try to find used cheap parts. The only thing new that I would put on that is tubes, tires and cables. Good luck. I've fixed up worse.

Bill Kapaun

Maybe some of the posters weren't tactful, but they were trying to make a point.

Using something like this bike for a "learning experience", will result in great frustration.
IF you have a good foundation (bike) to star with, you can see the fruits of your labors.
Excellent mechanics aren't going to turn this bike into a well functioning machine without spending a ridiculous amount of money. As a beginner, you can do things correctly on this bike and it still may not work, thus you really won't learn. On a "good" bike, you'll see positive results when you do things correctly and thus, have positive feedback that you ARE learning.

DiegoFrogs

Others only gave you a warning about the dangers of over-investing in a "free" bike. You can do whatever you want with the bike.

With respect to your hateful language, please learn to exercise better discretion . For what it's worth, if you yelled that word while striking someone you might be arraigned on federal hate crime charges.

jet sanchEz

Fixing that bike up will be an exercise in futility, you'd be better off spending $100 at Target to get a bike that your wife can ride right away rather than spending hours putting lipstick on a badly crippled pig.

sonatageek

If you have a bike coop and can get a used rear derailleur for next to nothing and some functional pedals you might be able to come up with something that would function. You would have to clean and lube things, adjust (might need to replace) cables to get to functional.

At that point you can decide if it makes sense to spend the money on new tires and any other items.

You could learn some things, not spend too much and not drive yourself crazy. In my experience the worst part of working on bikes like that is the quality and tolerances of the parts (like the brakes) make it almost impossible to get them set up and working really well.

billnuke1 

Sometimes you can learn as much or more about bike repair taking a bike apart as rebuilding one! Take it apart like you have to save and reuse each and every part! Cheap parts and their fasteners will become very evident very soon! Decide if you would want to put these parts back on your bike!

shoota 

Hey orangepower, welcome to the forums. Now, thicken that hide. This isn't the forum for getting feelings hurt The people that suggested you trash the bike were seriously giving you their best advice, no ill will intended. I got into this in just about the same way you did. Found an old Ross, came here, learned how to do a little wrenching and learned a lot. I say you take it apart and try to put it back together, that's always free. If you need new cables and housing Wal-Mart carries a $7 Bell kit.

Go Pokes!