Hello,

I've got a Huffy mountain bike that came to me for free and I'd like to make it into a commuter to use while I save up for a good quality MTB and also one I can use around Pittsburgh without having to worry about it getting stolen. The components it came with are absolute crap, but the rest of the bike seems to be okay (at least for a beater). I'm looking for some relatively inexpensive components to make it an enjoyable ride for my daily commute. Any suggestions?

Does it shift and all that? How's the chain look? If I could get the ders to go, I would leave those since a quality new bike will come with a decent setup. If the chain is too shelled out, you could replace that for cheap.

Apart from that, I'd say look at a new saddle and slick tires. The tires should move right over to your new bike since they'll most likely be more appropriate than the ones you'll get stock.

Replacing all the components will cost far, far more than buying a decent quality new bike. I'm amazed by what you can get these days in the $200-$300 range. The only investment I would make is in slick or semi-slick tires, which you could use on your new bike.

The most important thing in getting good service and longevity out of a cheap bike is to keep everything lubricated -- except the brakes!

I understand that it's fairly senseless to upgrade a Huffy to use as your main bike, but what I wanted this for was to have a second bike in addition to the new one. This one I'd ride in the city, the other I'd leave at home for trails and whatnot. That way there'd be little chance of the good one getting stolen. So, that said, is it worth any upgrades?

ride it till it dies...........you have nothing to loose.

Slick tires and a half decent saddle are excellent suggestions. As for the drivetrain, etc, don't bother. If either of your derailers takes a dive, then just shorten the chain and make it a single speed. Don't waste your time/money fixing it up. If a wheel dies, replace it with a cheap one. There's not alot to be said for the huffy type bikes but if its all you have, then ride it and have fun. As I mentioned in the $80 bike for commuting thread, I started out on a mart bike and put on slick tires and rode that thing all over the place. I was proud to have done that myself. It was worth it, I think. It got me started to where I'm at now at least

Don't put any money into the huffy. Just ride it until it breaks, then buy another bike, new or used. Components that you can keep, like fenders, or maybe tires, are OK to spend a little on. You can not make this sow's ear into a silk purse.

I don't know, riding it until it breaks can be dangerous. I saw a guy who broke a Huffy in half jumping off a curb. Of course, he rode this thing hard, jumping off of curbs and stuff, and left the bike out in the rain...

if it's got like a 6 or 7 speed drivetrain and semi-horizontal dropouts, you could probably make it into a super-cheap singlespeed that would last many years....

just make sure it has working brakes and it should be pretty safe to commute on. not fun but hey it's a freakin huffy, what do you want anyway

I think the reason these bikes break down more often is because they are put together poorly.
I have taken Huffy bikes apart and re-assembled them with proper torques and lubes, tensioned the wheels, adjusted and lubed the cables and rode without incident.

Enjoy

Welcome to the forums, njbrubaker ! I, too, commute in Pittsburgh. I say ride the bike until it dies. Have you thought about purchasing another used bike? There is an organization in the area called "Free Ride". They take in old bikes, teach people how to fix them up and sell them for cheap. I've never been there, but I would like to check them out. See for yourself at www.bike-pgh.org then click on the "Free Ride" link in the left frame.

Edit: My guess is that you could also take in the Huffy and they could help you fix it up.

I have an old Huffy mtn. bike that I am in the process of turning into a commuter. Though, my parents paid a princely sum of close to $200 at a bike shop for this Huffy back in the day (around 1992 or so) The components on my bike aren't horrid, at least for '92 era parts (Shimano STI) I put a BG saddle on that I picked up on clearance my LBS, and some 26x1.25 slicks. I've adjusted the ders so I've got the two biggest chainrings (still can't get it to drop to the granny ring) and the rear shifts pretty smooth. So far, I've spent about $40 on it in parts and labor. I still need new brakes, and then I can add the commuter stuff that will transfer to the next bike - racks and bags.

This Huffy gave me 5 great years before I went to college and found it was easier to hoof it on campus and quit riding. If anybody goes to U of Cincinnati, you know what I mean. The knobies that were on it were almost worn down to slicks and the brake pads are completely worn out.

I think your Huffy will make a fine bike. Just make sure everything is tight on it. Get a decent saddle, some road slicks, make sure your safety equipment is in order, and get some fenders, racks, bags, lights, and other bike geek stuff. You can spend a little on the bike geek stuff because that will move to your next bike whenever you get one. There is nothing wrong with Huffy or any X-Mart bike in general. Most are just poorly assembled to begin with. I wouldn't worry about upgrading the components. I know it sounds amazing, you will still be able to change gears without XTR or Dura-Ace. If those components do break, just take off the ders, shorten the chain, and go fixed.

1) new groupset
2) new wheels
3) new seat, bars and stem
4) new frame

That should about do it

Seriously, just ride it until you have saved enough for the MTB you want.

CHEERS.

Mark

Yeah turn it into a singlespeed, get rid of the rear brake, strip it down! And cover it with goofy stickers, make it cool! And take care of the actual running parts well, keep it lubed and running like a swiss watch, and enjoy!

Here is my list of what I would replace topmost being most important:

Just remember, I'm tlaking upgrading to the cheapest solid part you can find.

brake calipers: if you have those cheap side-pulls, get them replaced ASAP. There is far better out there, and those cheapies on those bikes are a joke.

chain: SRAM sells some cheap ones that will last a long time

Cables: better cables, better corrosion resistance...better durability

crankset: more durable chainrings means better shifting...however this is possibly something that is not upgradable due to weird BB sizing common with single-piece cranks.


Aside from those, don't upgrade anything. Heck, if you are going after named shimano parts, you are going too high end...stick with the no-name shimano parts or dia-compe.

time for a webiste reality check:

chain, $10.50: https://www.bikeparts.com/search_results.asp?ID=KM7201
brakes:
side-pull ($30 a pair, could be the wrong size though): https://www.bikeparts.com/search_results.asp?ID=DC4172
Cables ($16 for brakes and deraileurs) : same site as the above two links...too lazy to put in two links

That's a lot of money though...at the price of all that together, you can just buy a roadmaster mt.fury, so decide what needs replaced and go with that. If it uses sidepull calipers though, seriously try to get some beefier sidepulls on there. When I used to ride an x-mart bike...my biggest problem was the front brake caliper bending under braking force, causing my front brake to fail.

Thanks for the replies everyone. As luck would have it I may be buying a used Gary Fisher Marlin in the next week or so for about $200. Hopefully then I won't need the Huffy anymore. Thanks again for the advice.

SA answer: Start by removing all the components & wheels, then upgrade the frame, wheels and components and you will be good to go.

Real answer: break-down and rebuild it, inspecting everything as you go. I suggest you pick a chainring and stick with it. Pick the middle ring and remove the front derailleur. If it were me I'd turn it into a single speed to avoid rear shifting problems also, but my ride is flat. Most importantly though, realize that the bike was probably assembled by a 16 year old kid with know clue how to put a bike together properly, so you need to double check everything before you start to rely on it for transport.