General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

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My question: is this an intelligent road to be going down, or should I just bank the cash and buy a new bike and consider the Fuji a lesson in misguided frugality?


I'd consider it somewhat misguided. You could spend a fortune trying to fix it up and in the end you'll have a 30 year old low/midrange bike. Looked at as a learning experience/fun thing to do, it could be worth it. That thing has a lot of old stuff there on it. A lot of new commonly available stuff isn't going to fit and while you'll probably be able to find parts for it, it could be a real PITA. Learn to love the Sheldon Brown site.

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

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In addition to new gloves, you can unwrap the bartape and add extra padding where you need it. You can find silicone pads for this, but I've used strips of bar tape and it does make a difference.

Originally Posted by zatarregaza

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Gloves with gel padding worked wonders compared to my old foam gloves. Considering they weren't that much more than non-gel gloves they're a no-brainer.
thanks - i bought a gel padded fingerless over the weekend. it does help a bit. excellent suggestion on the bar padding, i hadn't thought of that!

Thanks for the input shiny, mondayc, and zippyh; a friend who's got a full set of tools and a crate of spare parts is coming over this weekend to make an assessment. Upgrading, selling, and converting to single speed are all on the table right now.

I think my bike just got stolen It was not where I thought it should be when I left my apartment this morning. There is a possibility I accidentally left it somewhere else but it is doubtful...will check when I get home from work. I can't remember for sure when the last time I saw it was...Pretty sure I last used it on Wednesday but I think I would have noticed if it was gone before sunday.

Oh well...it was a beater bike in need of some TLC (that I was never going to give it...I was calling it dead and donating it as soon as I got around to building wheels for my new neighborhood bike). I just sucks since it was the first of my bikes that I bought in college and it was the bike that got me really started biking again.

Hope the thief hurt themselves...the freewheel/cassette was shot and skips in everything except the little cog if you stand up on the pedals--causing you to slam your knee into the thumb shifters...ouch

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

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My question: is this an intelligent road to be going down, or should I just bank the cash and buy a new bike and consider the Fuji a lesson in misguided frugality?

EDIT: One more thing--I've been encouraged/discouraged a lot by reading over at oldtenspeedgallery.com. Lots of old bikes, good and bad, and a good dose of humor.

Sorry I didn't see your question earlier Shoreman. I just went through this same process and I'm not sure I would recommend it.

My story: I started with a mid 80s frame from Craigslist, including forks, seatpost, stem, and handlebars.

Everything else I ordered new at the best prices I could find: wheels (constructed), drivetrain, brakes and levers, etc.

The good
I have the bike I built and it looks like I want it to.

The bad
-Had to cold-set the forks and rear of frame to fit a contemporary hub with an 8-speed cartridge.
-Drop-outs on the fork actually were too narrow (inside) to fit the hub's axel so those had to be ground down a mm or two.
-700c tires needed for cantilever brakes (of course not made for disc brakes) which doesn't leave enough clearance for fenders.
-Rear derailleur cable has to run funny because the bike wasn't made for both front and rear gearing, I don't think. If it was, I cannot figure out how they originally ran all of the cables (could be that there was only a coaster brake).
-Eyelets on the rear of the frame do not appear to fit "normal" sized screws so I can't fit a rack on the rear. By "normal" I mean anything I could find at the hardware store--anything!

In the end, it's going on Craigslist in the hope I can break even. I like the bike, but it's been too much frustration. A nice new bike from Trek would have cost half as much and will fit fenders and a rack. It will look just as nice (if not singular) and will ride nice. Plus I'll have money left over, with a little addition to the pot, to buy a new mountain bike too.

I would recommend against it except as a bit of (expensive) fun. I was a good learning experience, but was frustrated by the frame. You could run into the same problems. YMMW, of course.

b

I don't go to the mountains often, but when I do it's with this:

My BMX that I just got done building recently.
Fit S2 Frame
Odyssey Lumberjack Bars
Stolen Clutch Stem
Stolen Money Grips
Stolen Vortex Fork
Stolen Team Grips
Stolen 25T Sprocket
Stolen Half Link Chain
Stolen Team Cranks
Odyssey Euro BB
Odyssey Twisted PC Pedals
Stolen Roulette Hubs 36H laced to Stolen Roulette Rims on Tioga 2.25" Tires Front/Rear (9T Driver)
Stolen Thermalite Post
Stolen PC Seat (Soon to be changed with Animal Seat)


Frame was obtained through a Craigslist trade for my old R/C car. Parts were bought as a package. Love it except the rear tire may be too fat for me to run a brake, but we shall see. Frame isn't the lightest in the world but the geometry is perfect and it will probably last me forever. As soon as I get a new seat the bike will be complete.

Is there an alternative to road bike shorts that leave a little more to the imagination?

I want to get something like that but I don't feel comfortable wearing spandex out in public.

wear the bike shorts and put some light running shorts on top

Originally Posted by ms244

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Is there an alternative to road bike shorts that leave a little more to the imagination?

I want to get something like that but I don't feel comfortable wearing spandex out in public.

What's do you mean?

Originally Posted by gomestar

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I don't go to the mountains often, but when I do it's with this:

nice superlights

Originally Posted by steviecakes

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My BMX that I just got done building recently.
Fit S2 Frame
Odyssey Lumberjack Bars
Stolen Clutch Stem
Stolen Money Grips
Stolen Vortex Fork
Stolen Team Grips
Stolen 25T Sprocket
Stolen Half Link Chain
Stolen Team Cranks
Odyssey Euro BB
Odyssey Twisted PC Pedals
Stolen Roulette Hubs 36H laced to Stolen Roulette Rims on Tioga 2.25" Tires Front/Rear (9T Driver)
Stolen Thermalite Post
Stolen PC Seat (Soon to be changed with Animal Seat)

Damn, you stole a lot of gear for your bike.

Originally Posted by rdawson808

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Sorry I didn't see your question earlier Shoreman. I just went through this same process and I'm not sure I would recommend it. My story: I started with a mid 80s frame from Craigslist, including forks, seatpost, stem, and handlebars. ... I would recommend against it except as a bit of (expensive) fun. I was a good learning experience, but was frustrated by the frame. You could run into the same problems. YMMW, of course. b
Wow. That's a shame, that pic you posted seemed like a neat frame. This is pretty much exactly what I'm afraid of--reminds me of an old VW I had that I put a good deal of money into (more than it was worth, but arguably cheaper than taking out a new car loan) and in the end I just gave up and sold it at a huge loss. On the other hand I MAY use it (like you said) as a learning experience, if I can try to do the work myself.

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

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On the other hand I MAY use it (like you said) as a learning experience, if I can try to do the work myself.

If you have the money and don't mind losing some of your investment, I think it is worth it actually. A good learning experience.

b

Originally Posted by rdawson808

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If you have the money and don't mind losing some of your investment, I think it is worth it actually. A good learning experience.

b

+1. If you're into bikes, you should try to build up at least one bike in your life. Once you've done it, like riding a...umm...bike, you'll never forget it.