How much would it cost to replace the derailleur and chain? Which do I even buy? I’m very new to bikes. I could most likely do it myself as I work on cars but also don’t mind dropping it off 🙂
Let me know if this is a good deal! Thanks!
by croutontwan
6 Comments
You’d have to inspect it to see what is actually needed. “Derailleur” might also mean old seized derailleur cable, “chain” might mean rusty chain or rusty chain and worn-out freewheel. There might be other bikes out there at the $100 level that have a functioning drivetrain. If you “drop it off” see if you can arrange to get it inspected/estimate before buying the bike.
Is it your size? Bike is for someone 6ft tall or so. It’s from the mid-80s, a low-end Raleigh.
The fact the seller is just selling it looking like that means they didn’t bother to maintain it much. Probably more problems than are visible.
If you don’t know much about bikes I’d totally pass on this because you’re gonna end up spending like $300+ more on it and it’s throwing good money after bad.
ALSO a basket on those cheap pletscher racks is a nightmare, swaying all over the place. Made from the softest aluminum ever.
Probably under $50 for a cassette and chain. If the wheels need more than just greasing the bearings I would buy a cheap new set for about 120. If the bottom bracket is bad, that’s another 15 or so. Chainring let’s say 25. New cables and housings will make it feel a lot more snappy on the controls. Approximate new part prices. Looks like a fun bike to build, I’d say the price is good.
These old steel road bikes are pretty bulletproof and simple to repair even if it needs work a lot of the simple stuff doesn’t use special tools so if you’ve got an Allen key set and can watch a few YouTube videos it’s gonna do right by you. Also if you run into trouble r/bike wrench is a great resource so long as you don’t mind some of the commenters poking fun at you 🙂 as for price it’s so cheap and people will tell you it isn’t worth it but even the most garbage new bikes are around the 200 dollar mark and these old Raleigh’s were sturdy and can upgraded to the moon and back these are also new enough that most of the parts are standard ISO if I remember right. So no weird bottom bracket threading or headset weirdness. So yeah it’s not a collectors item but these rarely come up for less than 50 bucks so I see no harm in paying that also keep in mind that the price of the used market is wildly shifted based upon where you live.
If you don’t want to sift through the ads, and want to get a bike that is ready from the get go, I recommend Cambridge Used Bicycles. You’d pay more than on CL or FB Market, but you’d get a bike right for your size and proportions, and that is ready to ride. [https://www.cambridgeusedbicycles.com/used-bikes](https://www.cambridgeusedbicycles.com/used-bikes)
Also Broadway Bicycle has refurbished bicycles ready to ride, and would get you a bike that fits. [https://broadwaybicycleschool.com/](https://broadwaybicycleschool.com/)
And if you buy one that needs fixing up: [https://somervillebikekitchen.org/](https://somervillebikekitchen.org/)