My friends knew I have been looking for a bike to start doing some long mile rides on. While they were driving around they found a garage sale that had a frame for sale. They bought a frame with the front tire for 20 bucks. After doing some research, I found that it was a 1996 gt talera. It still has all the original components but the back tire had been stolen. I was planning on tearing the whole bike apart and clean everything anyways but should I buy newer (better) components or stick with what I have? Right now it is shimano acera. My plans are to do 25-30 mile rides on it. Will eventually be riding to work (25 miles) as well. Will post pics later

Find a back wheel and get the bike running with the components you have. That way if it doesn't fit you properly, or you don't like it for whatever reason, you can sell it at no loss.

If it does work out then you can always upgrade later.

I agree. Get one (or two) wheels on it and ride it. If you like it, then upgrade!

Should I stick with 26" wheels or does it really matter? Been finding a lot of used 27 and 28s with the 7 gear cassette.

It would probably be very difficult to install the larger wheels, especially if you want to have brakes (Pro tip: you need to have brakes). The brakes on your GT (assuming they are rim brakes) have a narrow range of adjustment and the pads will simply not reach the braking surface on the other sizes. 26 inch wheels are actually more common that 27" - which have been obsolete for ~3 decades. 28" or 700C (also called 29 inch) will also not fit.

If you have disc brakes, then it is very very unlikely that you will find a set of 27 or 700c wheels with the correct mounts.

You need to find a 26" wheel with the correct number of cogs on the back to match your shifters.

The other thing your post made me think is that you need to be concerned with the size of the bike - if the bike doesn't fit it will be uncomfortable to ride. If you are roughly average size and the bike is roughly average sized then OK, but if you are tall and the bike is small or vice versa then get rid of it and get something that fits.

Thanks for the info. I will look for 26" wheels. I am just getting into cycling and did not want to spend $500+ on a bike right now. I am only 5'6" with a 29.5" unseen so I have been having a hard time finding a bike to fit. This frame is 19" so hopefully it will work. One day I will be able to afford a nice bike but this will have to do until then.

19" will be pretty big for you.

Washington State or Washington, DC?

A 17" frame would be a better fit for you. Why not fix this one up nicely, get everything working, and sell it on Craigslist? Use the proceeds to buy a rigid fork MTB in a 17" frame size. Better fit is always, well..., better.

There are always good quality MTBs for sale on Craigslist. Many have been refurbished or, at least, well taken care of. In the mean while, do you have a bike coop or used bike shop in your area? Scour curbsides and want ads for a rear wheel with a 7-speed cog. Do you know the distance between your rear dropouts? That will help specify the hub outer locknut dimension that you're seeking in your new rear wheel.

Don't put hundreds of dollars into a $20 bike. Make it functional and ride it. If you want better components or a better bike in the future, then buy a better bike- it'll cost the same or less than hanging nice components on a 20 year-old bike- and will be an overall package of better quality, and give you much more bang for your buck.

I did virtually the same thing years ago, with an old department store bike someone had thrown out. I took it all apart and went through it and put it back together, all cleaned and lubed- replaced a few minor things- and I think I had $30 into that bike. Had lots of fun on it. But I never would have put any "good" parts or money into it.

Phil-gretz I am in Washington state. Thanks for all the inputs everyone. I found a set of mountain bike tires for 20 bucks so I think I am just going to take everything apart and clean it up and put back together. I do need a new chain...any recommendations? Can anyone point me to the rebuilding a bike for dummies portion on these forums?

check out utube...lots of videos available for almost any repair or adjustment you might need to do.
I am with the others on this... just clean it up, put it together and ride it....or sell it and put that money into a new bike that has what you want on it....brand is not as important as fit....go to a reputable bike shop, not a box store, not a sporting goods store and have them fit you.

I agree with Wilfred & Phil about sizing. I'm almost 5'10" and 19" mountain bikes are generally too big for me. But your bike may not be a 19" bike. Bikepedia says that the '96 Talera was available in the following sizes: 14.5", 16", 18", 20", and 22".

For a 7-speed rear, a KMC Z51 chain would be a decent choice. You'll need a chain tool like a Park Tool CT-5 to remove extra links from your new chain, but the Z51 comes with a connecting link so you can rejoin it easily. If you think you might want a multitool to carry around, the chain breaker on the Crank Brothers M17 and M19 is decent enough and these multitools are just a few bucks more than the Park chain tool.

As for the "rebuilding for dummies" section of this site... We don't have one, but the tutorials on parktool.com and sheldonbrown.com are fantastic references. If you run into any problems, there are plenty of helpful people in this site's bicycle mechanics forum, plus a few entertaining curmudgeons. Think of them like Statler & Waldorf, the old guys up in the balcony on the Muppet Show.

SkyDog75 you are right on frame size. I have been doing some research and GT measured their frames up to the top tube not the bottom of the seat post, so my bike is a 16". I did find some 26" hybrid wheels for cheap so I will just get these and completely tear down and build back up. My goal is to get a nice road bike one day.

GT Talera? I think that's what mine is. not sure a MTB is best for "long mile" rides. what do you have now?

A GT Talera that fits and is mechanically sound is fine for long rides. I have a number of high-end road and track bikes, but I use my '87 Cannondale SM500 mountain bike for 90% of my road miles. When I'm riding solo, I don't care that I'm moving slower; it's the same workout either way. Plus, the miles/punctures ratio is much better with the mountain bike.

I agree. A rigid mountain bike can be an excellent long-distance bike. THey are among the most commonly used bikes for touring; it seems that it is mostly the bearded wool-sock-wearing purists who insist on a pure 'touring' bike.

The technical term for that is turning a cheap old bike into an expensive old bike that has a few new parts.