Hey all. I bought this bike for 30$ yesterday, and I want to bring it back to life in one of these two ways:
1. As a single speed city/commuter bike
2. Chinese (or second-hand) budget 1×11 / 2×11 groupset loaner groad bike
I’m mostly leaning towards the second option. What I think needs to be replaced:
– Back wheel (maybe change front wheel while at it)
– Entire group set including cassette, chainring and cranks but excluding rim brakes
– Saddle
Essentially, I will only reuse the frame, fork, seatpost and drop bars. What pitfalls should I be aware of in the process? I also want to repaint the frame; currently collecting prices from some local powder coates, but if too expensive I might DIY it.
Ihadasecondquestion on
I love seeing people actually bother with old frames, I hope you post updates of your build. I don’t have any practical advice though, not much of a bike mechanic
flym4n on
As long as you fix the bar, saddle and levers angle I’ll be at peace. Sorry no practical advice, besides have you checked the bottom bracket ?
semperubisububi1112 on
How many speeds is the existing cassette? Older bikes had a shorter freehub (34.9mm?) which will fit up to 10 speed cassette but not an 11 speed and bless you use a mountain bike cassette
Beautiful-Tourist979 on
Where I live I’ve spent 170 on a similar bike in much, much worse condition. You will be fine
UltimateGammer on
Take it apart and clean everything.
I’d bet you’d find that a lot of it is still in really good nick and just needed the old grease removing and a fresh lick of grease.
Pitfalls are cracks in the frame/ wheel rims. It means it’s off to the scrappy.
Comfortable-Way5091 on
Look for frame cracks, bent frame, seized seatpost and stem. Bent derailleur mount.
Not all those are a deal breaker, but can take a lot of work to fix.
Mr_Tester_ on
Good suggestion here, If you are looking to balance cost, time, complexity and value you are gaining out of your upgrades. I would recommend a simple plan, prioritize your upgrades and rough costs. My first bike restore/rebuild quickly became a money pit as I half researched options and had to solve for mistakes along the way (like some have mentioned, bought tires that fit the frame, but didn’t fit the calipers)
If you prioritize your upgrades, it’s fun to chip away a little at a time on the project. I would also recommend researching the specific upgrades you are doing. ParkTool and Sheldon Brown are great resources. Take some time to understand what you are getting into, this will save minor frustrations along the way.
Good luck and enjoy the project!
ILoveHottubs on
I would start by swapping out that group set and bottom bracket. If you’re going to use it for commuting I’d recommend a single chainring and a cassette with fewer speeds, possibly even just one.
Swap out that stem and maybe put some different bars on it. Take off that dork disk as well. It won’t do you any good if you tune your group set anyway and it looks stupid.
The rest would just be little personal touches to make it your own.
9 Comments
Hey all. I bought this bike for 30$ yesterday, and I want to bring it back to life in one of these two ways:
1. As a single speed city/commuter bike
2. Chinese (or second-hand) budget 1×11 / 2×11 groupset loaner groad bike
I’m mostly leaning towards the second option. What I think needs to be replaced:
– Back wheel (maybe change front wheel while at it)
– Entire group set including cassette, chainring and cranks but excluding rim brakes
– Saddle
Essentially, I will only reuse the frame, fork, seatpost and drop bars. What pitfalls should I be aware of in the process? I also want to repaint the frame; currently collecting prices from some local powder coates, but if too expensive I might DIY it.
I love seeing people actually bother with old frames, I hope you post updates of your build. I don’t have any practical advice though, not much of a bike mechanic
As long as you fix the bar, saddle and levers angle I’ll be at peace. Sorry no practical advice, besides have you checked the bottom bracket ?
How many speeds is the existing cassette? Older bikes had a shorter freehub (34.9mm?) which will fit up to 10 speed cassette but not an 11 speed and bless you use a mountain bike cassette
Where I live I’ve spent 170 on a similar bike in much, much worse condition. You will be fine
Take it apart and clean everything.
I’d bet you’d find that a lot of it is still in really good nick and just needed the old grease removing and a fresh lick of grease.
Pitfalls are cracks in the frame/ wheel rims. It means it’s off to the scrappy.
Look for frame cracks, bent frame, seized seatpost and stem. Bent derailleur mount.
Not all those are a deal breaker, but can take a lot of work to fix.
Good suggestion here, If you are looking to balance cost, time, complexity and value you are gaining out of your upgrades. I would recommend a simple plan, prioritize your upgrades and rough costs. My first bike restore/rebuild quickly became a money pit as I half researched options and had to solve for mistakes along the way (like some have mentioned, bought tires that fit the frame, but didn’t fit the calipers)
If you prioritize your upgrades, it’s fun to chip away a little at a time on the project. I would also recommend researching the specific upgrades you are doing. ParkTool and Sheldon Brown are great resources. Take some time to understand what you are getting into, this will save minor frustrations along the way.
Good luck and enjoy the project!
I would start by swapping out that group set and bottom bracket. If you’re going to use it for commuting I’d recommend a single chainring and a cassette with fewer speeds, possibly even just one.
Swap out that stem and maybe put some different bars on it. Take off that dork disk as well. It won’t do you any good if you tune your group set anyway and it looks stupid.
The rest would just be little personal touches to make it your own.