i am a graduate student who has rediscovered bicycling. i am an active person who enjoys running and tennis. i am mostly interested in commuter bicycling, and i am currently working on a single-speed road bicycle which was destined for the dumpster. i really and enjoy these forums, and i hope some day to be able to give advice as opposed to just receive it.

Welcome scrambled. What bike do you have?

from the information i can gather from the internet, i have an 80s pinnacle fs road bike frame. it appeared that the previous owner was using it as a single-speed commuter bike, and installed bull-horn handlebars. i picked the complete bike up for $50, and i am slowly replacing things. i have put on some decent 700c wheels, a freewheel in the back, and a new brake in the front. i plan on using it for commuting/pleasure riding.

i am running into a frustrating reality of purchasing old bikes second-hand: refusal of lbs to work on my bike. one shop claimed that the fork is slightly bent and (fearing i might sue them) refused to touch the bike much less take it apart. is the fork bent? i don't know, because i don't have the tools or know-how to take it apart (i can do simple adjustments/replacements though). i want to replace the bottom bracket and crank set, but i am afraid to bring it in because of my past experience. how can one make a bike safe if the experts refuse to help me make it safe? anyway, maybe i will take the wheels and brake off, and just bring the frame set in; clearly it's not rideable because it has no wheels