Please Help!
 

I just bought a used bike off Craigs List. Everything seemed ok. I took it for a test drive and all the gears shifted fine and the brakes worked and there were no cracks in the frame. Upon getting it home I noticed that the bike would not roll backwords. The rear wheel will not spin backwords at all and if I try it looks like the chain is tensing up and the shifter starts to push out like it is under stress.

If I petal backwords the chain loses slack. What is wrong, PLEASE tell me this is an easy fix and that I didnt just get ripped off.

Its your assumption that is the problem. don't pedal derailleur bikes backwards.
go forward.

does it ride OK going forward down the street?
take it to a bikeshop and ask them to inspect for anything bent.
buy a tune up service.

Take the rear wheel off, then reinstall it.

It seems to be working now after I rode it around the parking lot for 5 minutes. I will get some WD-40 and lube it up. Let me show you the bike I bought, and tell me if I got a good deal. http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/bik/2336272949.html I paid 175. Please tell me I got a good deal. The tires arent 100% straight but they are pretty good id say like 95% straight.

i've heard you don't want to use WD-40....i'd take it to a professional!

Anyone know if 175$ was a decent buy? I completely took a shot in the dark buying this bike and I am really sweating right now. Someone please let me know!

http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/bik/2336272949.html

How tall are you?

6'1 ish It is a large bike it seemed almost a bit too big for me but from the research I did, 60 cm was a good size. Was this a good buy 10 Wheels or did I shoot myself in the foot, from what I can tell the bike is in decent working order.

It is a good deal if it fits.
If it fits you will like to ride it much.
Have fun with it.

From the quick ride around the parking lot It was a lot of fun, I cant wait to start riding to to school every day. You have eased my tensions a lot, I was stressing out that I overpaid.

I am 6ft ride a 60cm. 30,000 miles.

So would you say I overpaid, underpaid, or paid about right, factoring in that I might need new tires and possibly a chain. I dont know if the shifter can be replaced?

The tires arent terrible ill ride them until they get worse. The chain is rusty and looks old Ill ride it until it breaks. And I dont know if anything is wrogn with the shifter who knows old stuff breaks right?

Just saying factoring this in how did I do overall investment wise at 175$

I thought it had new tires.
$175 might be a tad high for me. but you already bought it, so tear up the roads with it.

Tires are cheap. What size do youi have?

Honestly I have no idea what size the tires are. I can look when I get home. How much would new tires cost?


I am assuming that the rubber parts (tires and the tube) are new, howevever the rims cannot be new, they have small rust spots on them.

Can a metal rim be bought? I mean is basically everything on the bike replaceable?

Look on the side of the tires when you get home.
You may have 27" Rims.
Tires $10 and up.

Im planning on riding the bike to college and back home tommorow. Its about 4 miles there and 4 miles back with a few hills, so it will be a good trial run to put the bike through its paces. Ill let you know how it turns out. I really hope this bike holds up and isnt a money pit...

Trip went well, the back tire seems a little wobbly.....I called a local bike shop and they said it would cost around 35 bucks to replace the back wheel, and its a 5 cog wheel, does that sound about right?

The freewheel mechanism (the part that whirs when a bike coasts) needs to be lubricated. Unfortunately, this isn't something easy to do.

It could be that the bike has sat unused so long that the grease dried and got sticky. Simply riding the bike might loosen this up.

Your other option is to get a new freewheel. This might lead to a cascade of new parts: chain, maybe chainrings, you said the rear wheel is wobbly so a new rear wheel, new tires, of wow that's a lot of patches on those tubes, shift cables cause the old ones are rusted, cable housing, while you're at might as well get new shifters, the old grips fell apart getting them off to change the shifters, and oh that saddle looks crummy, oh drat the seat post is stuck so cut it out, ... And quite soon you've paid for a new bike but still have the crummy old bike.

matlock123, Have the bike shop true the wheels and give it a once over assesment. The bike should be perfect for campus work... GET A LOCK.

Brad

I'll give you half points. I agree with the diagnosis but disagree with the difficulty of repair.

1. Take off the back wheel. Set it horizontally across a trash container.
2. Try to spin the cogs (they'll only move one way). Notice that as the cogs move the middle part stays still.
3. Drip a little light oil on the crack between the moving part and the stationary part. Let it soak in for about 5 minutes or so.
4. Try to spin the cogs again. Do they spin much easier? If yes, reinstall the wheel. If no, repeat the process.

I think you are exaggerating a bit. Unless you buy a total junker it doesn't usually take much to get an old bike back on the road. Tires, tubes, cables, brake pads, bar tape. Tune it up and then you are in business. Many old bikes have very little wear on the drive train because the bike spent the last 25+ years simply hanging in someones garage. A tune up can work wonders.

I took it to the shop and told them about the back wheel and that I was inquiring about replacing the whole wheel. The guy said he would true it and tune up the bike for 30-40 bucks rather than replace the wheel. So its in the shop and im picking it up over the weekend. Ill let you know how it turns out.

Sign up for the remedial English class, too.