I was poor then, as well, that's why she looks like this. I love her and I'm still poor, but she's starting to scare me. Any help with (non) routine check up shot I missed or cheap upgrades, I'm down. Any (easy, cheap) way to make sure my shitty kilo tt doesn't fall apart in my hands? Especially bc I might be passing it on to my 15 year old son.
by DannyHero
7 Comments
As you can tell by the bus, I don’t give up! Lol
Stripped/rusted bolts, tires, tubes, bartape, and send it
If you’re near FL I have some stuff you can have for free
Give it a full tune-up once or twice a year by a competent bike shop, replace any worn out expendables. Kept properly adjusted, nothing else should wear out, ever. If you want to save money, learn how to overhaul all the bearings, and tune the bike yourself.
She looks fine to me. If you want to baby her I would get a new drivetrain (chainring, cog, and chain) and replace any rusted/worn bolts and screws. If your son’s gonna get it I might offer to replace the stem and bars for him. I know when I was that age I liked a more upright riding position. Regardless of what you do I would add a front brake.
Being poor is kind of what bike messengers do best.
1. Check the frame all around for cracks. If the frame is solid, great. Keep on going.
2. Bottom bracket. That’s a place for upgrade that you’ll feel.
3. Rear hub/freewheel. Another high quality target for upgrade. It will make a difference.
4. Check the wheels for wear and tear. If they’re still good to go, no need to replace.
Better tires and bar setup, otherwise no notes
4000 miles isn’t that much. Have a shop check it. At this point, it’s ready for an overhaul, which basically means repacking ball bearing races with new grease (this also means installing new ball bearings), checking fastener torques, checking chain & gear wear (replacing worn components), and new tires and tubes if needed. FG/SS bikes need less maintenance, wear drive train components more slowly, and have fewer parts to replace when the time comes, so they’re less expensive to own/operate than multi-gear bikes. Competent shop can advise you.