Hey guys I used to ride my dad’s old specialized crossroads a lot but after popping a tire and damaging the wheels I left the bike to sit for close to 10+ years. I was planning on fixing it up myself but after stripping it down I’ve been busy so I planned on getting it repaired at a reputable independent repair shop in my area.
The bike has a shimano alivio mc16 derailleur and crankset with a sram twist gear shifter.
Now the repair shop quoted me with parts and labour about $571 (Canadian pesos) this includes 2 new wheels and tires, new chain, new brakes, brake and shifting cables, as well as reassembling and cleaning the bike.
It’s a steep price but after looking up the cost of a new bike I’m conflicted. What’re your thoughts on this? Personally I’d love to do it myself if I had the time but that wouldn’t be until the winter.
by CaptainMuffins_
6 Comments
Definitely not worth it to me unless I had plenty of money to burn.
I read your post. It warmed the cockles of my heart.
I think the sentimental value of this bike is… Priceless.
If money is no object, let the LBS do it.
However,
If I went through the rest of the year knowing that, come winter, I **GET TO** fix up my dad’s old bike, it would put a spring in my step.
This bike was like $300 new. Even accounting for inflation it isn’t worth having them fix it. Sell it and buy another bike or fix it yourself.
You can buy a whole new bike for $600CAD, or better yet, a similarly aged secondhand and fixed up bike for half the price. Personally I would pick up something else, and put aside the money saved for tools and parts come winter. You’ve waited 10 years, what’s another 6 months?
That’s a nice bike too. Vintage Crossroads aren’t anything fancy, but are decent frames and easy to work on. A friend built one up as their gravel bike for a while, $600 wheelset and modern drivetrain, and rode it like one would ride any mainline modern gravel bike without complaints.
Join your local bike coop, and you can use their tools so you don’t have to buy them yourself.
Worth it for sentimental value, surely. Otherwise, probably not.
Best bet would be as a project of your own. Trawl the marketplace looking for similar hybrids to get good parts. They’re pretty cheap. I bought a Giant Cypress that had barely been used for $50. I used those parts to refresh a much older Giant Nutra. Looking for a parts bike… you can be open to women’s frames and XS frames that often go pretty cheap.
Does a bear shit in the woods?