I ride a real old Giant Iguana which I dearly love. I ride about 10 miles a day just to stay in shape. The bulk of my riding is on pavement but I do venture onto logging roads every so often. My Giant frame is Al. My chain is so stretched out that it's off the scale of the gague at the LBS. The mechanic tells me that when I replace the chain I'll need to replace the cassette. That tells me I'll need a new deraileur.It'd sure be nice to have 9 cogs back there instead of the 6 I have now.Also, I'd like to have some shocks on the bike which means a new fork. The mechanic also told me that riding with a loose chain is OK so long as the chain isn't slipping. It's not.
The question is: Is it worth it to pui out those kind of bucks on an old Giant frame?
I'm new here but from what I read you guys know the answer. I checked the FAQ and previous posts.
Thanks for taking the time.

ummm...a 9spd won't work in the spacing of the old 6spd. The rear dropouts are too narrow.

BEcause it is alum you do not want to stretch the frame that much. At least thats the way I have always been told.

You sound like me a couple of months ago. I have a 1994 Chromoly GT Aggressor, 18 speeds, Alivio in the back and Acera in front, single wall rims and no suspension fork. I was also planning to upgrade it but everywhere I asked, the answer from the salesmen at the bike shops was the same: It's just not worth it.

It certainly wasn't. I needed to invest at least 300 dollars and in the end I was getting the same old and heavy 150 dollars bike. For that reason I got a new mountain bike.

What I did with the old one was adapt it with road slicks, fenders and a rack for commuting because I also love my old GT very dearly.

Hope this helps,

Ricardo

n62bm-

You do have a dilemma - you say you love this bike, its served you well. You didn't say that its been having symptoms, just that the drivetrain is work out.

I think given that its lived a good life, keep it clean & lubricate the drivetrain well (could lack of lube have hastened its life?) and hang on to it while you search out a new bike. This bike isn't worth repairing to you or anyone else it seems.

If you haven't already read this - here goes & good luck

https://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

Peter

Thanks for the advice thus far.This bike has been mine since I was 40. That's around 17+ years. In other words, it doesn't owe me a dime. Regarding cleaning and lube, Dad was a machinist. He taught me that anywhere metal meets metal gets lubricated. I was a good student.

If it were me, and it's not, I'd do what i did this spring. I sold my old Nishiki, and got a new bike to take up the precious room in my garage that the old bike leaving made available again. You can only ride one at a time.