Hey folks! My beloved Cannondale is nearly unrideable at this point. Can anyone help me decide if this should be revived or if my money and time are better spent getting a new to me used touring bike?
I’ve been told it’s made in USA, early 90s? I bought it in 2011 from the original owner and since then it’s seen many, many miles and adventures with me.
But it needs brakes (and/or rims and hubs) and a new chain. But the cassette and chainrings are super old so those might need replacing if I get a new chain. The twist shift is kinda busted so probably would need new ones, especially if I also need new deraileurs. Basically in my mind it needs a total rebuild aside from the frame/bars/fork?
Doesn’t sound worth it to me. What are your thoughts about next steps here?
by fleasnavidad
8 Comments
Stop riding immediately and mail me that Ritchey crank for safety inspection.
Sounds like time to me. With that much to replace and so much older technology, parts will be harder to come by too. Probably not worth it. Looks like that chain has a bad kink too.
If you dont rebuild it, someone else would like to.
Brakes, chainrings, cassette, chain: worth it. If it really needs rims and hubs too, maybe best to pass it on to someone else who wants to rebuild it themselves. I would certainly rebuild a bike like this but only if I did the work. It will be an expensive job at the shop. Compare the cost of rebuilding vs a new bike. This frame is, IMO, about as good as any entry level aluminum bike frame on the market troday.
You can probably get all the replacement parts you are thinking for a few hundred bucks
You 100% need a new chain lol
Depends on the problems with the shifter but sometimes wd-40 while shifting solves many problems. You have to lube it after as wd-40 isn’t lubricant but it’s real cheap to find out
Honestly if you like the bike you could salvage it easily, and unless the derailluers are bent or not working no reason to replace them either
But if you want a new bike get a new one! But that bike has tons of life and not a ton of work to get it in tip top shape
It’s a great old bike. Parts are available secondhand for almost everything, and you don’t need to buy high end when buying new.
You could get that bike running like a dream for$100-$200, and a new bike of equivalent quality will be $500+, and you’ll still need to learn how to service it and replace parts over time.
Might as well learn how to service your own bike now, and on a bike that’s not crazy fancy while you’re learning.
Good luck on your maintenance journey, this era of Trek is beloved for a reason – they’re robust and very easy to work on, before all the stupid stuff like 12-speed cassettes, hydraulic disc brakes, and electronic shifting overtook so much of the bike world.
If the bike fits, you like it and you’re willing to do your own labor. I’d fix it up. Could be as little as 100$ in parts depending on what can be reused. Minimum chain, cables and housing, brake pads. Check and repack hubs and bottom bracket. From there cassette and chainrings if needed. Maybe new shifter(s). Like someone else said might just need cleaned up to work again.
Does it actually need hubs? Unless they’re rusted completely out it’s usually just a grease change and some new balls.
If you have to ask, you shouldn’t be asking… *hint* fix it, man, and continue to ride it.
A bike isn’t ‘just a bike’, it’s a part of you, and if you want to lose a part of you then go ahead, I can’t help you. But I wouldn’t if I was you… 😉