Worth repairing?

Question

I’m a complete noob getting back into cycling after 15 years of not riding. And loving it!

But I bought a bike about 4 years ago and started using it and now it’s got a heap of problems, which I've listed below:

• The chain seems to slip in anything but high gears
• It looks like the crank arm is breaking
• Front brakes are out of alignment
• Back brakes are screaching loudly
• There is rust on the brake line
• Tiny bit of rust on front spokes

I like the idea of fixing it up as I really like the frame and back suspension. I also just like the idea of building it a bit myself and understanding the parts and such.

The problem is I'm worried it will be way more expensive than just forking out $250 on some decent used bike. I'm also worried about it being too complicated for me.

Answer 1

To start off, the crank arm isn't breaking, it's quite definitely already broken.

As to repairs - this bike seems to be what would commonly be called a 'BSO' (Bicycle shaped object). I definitely wouldn't spend anything trying to repair it, and would look to spend the money on a replacement.

Answer 2

Your bike is a low-end entry level bike from the 2000's. If you want to fix it, good-new parts could add up quickly. So look around for one or more donor bikes of similar vintage and see what you can find.

It is becoming common for most cities to have a "recycle station" at their rubbish dump, where usable stuff can be had for cheap. In mine, the bike rack often has a hundred low-end bikes like yours for $5-$20 each.

I'd still recommend a new chain and cassette/freewheel though.

Also remember to budget for tools - there are specific bike tools that you will need, like a crank puller, chain tool, and a freehub or cassette lockring tool. You may have a Bike Cooperative in your area which can assist as well, search and ask around.

Answer 3

Define "worth it."

If you're wondering if it's financially worth it, the answer is probably not. It'll probably cost you as much or more to replace the parts that need to be replaced as it would to just buy a new bike. .

If you're wondering if it's worth it as a learning exercise, definitely. If you're going to be doing your own regular maintenance, you'll deal with brake, shifting, and chain issues more than anything else. That broken crank arm is a nice learning experience too. They don't break often, but cranks and bottom brackets (the part that the crank is attached to) can come loose, which requires removal, regreasing, and reassembly. Without a good picture, I'd guess that your spokes could be cleaned up rather than replaced, but if you need to replace them that's another good learning exercise.

Whichever route you go, try to support your local bike shop. Your new bike and/or parts will cost a bit more, but that extra bit of cash will get you a ton of advice at no extra charge.

Answer 4

The bike looks quite smart from a distance but the cheapest possible no-name components have been used to get this bike into a price category when it was new.

Some of the replacement parts you might need will be cheap, chains from £5, freewheels from £12 etc, but you may end up replacing alot of the components to get it functioning to a good standard.

A more simple rigid bike built with recognisable name brand components (even if they are bottom tier) will be alot more reliable and easier to work on over time; probably more satisfying/rewarding to ride too.

Of course, it's your choice. You will find there are many bike shops that won't work on bikes of this quality as labour & parts costs can quickly spiral over the value of the bike. If you are doing all the work yourself, the reward is getting use out of the time and money you put in to it so you may find it a rewarding project.

The cranks are steel covered with plastic and it looks like the plastic has shrunk and cracked. It should be ok to ride if still properly attached. The brakes can be balanced wit the little spring adjuster screws or the long-type springs can be bent slightly to increase or decrease the tension.

Answer 5

Don't ride it as is, that left hand crank is broken and dangerous.

You say you enjoy riding. Bike maintenance is an essential skill unless you enjoy spending a fortune at the LBS getting minor and easy bike repairs done.

The state of this bike fits into the minor and easy repairs. Most other questions are focusing on the cost to turn it into a premium bike, rather than a bike that is rideable. I suggest it is easy to get this bike back to safe and ridable for $250. I presume you have basic tools, if not, add $50 for a cheap tool kit with everything you need. $20 for a set of tools if you all ready have things lie screwdriver/spanners/hex keys.

You will need - left hand crank arm for a square taper bottom bracket. Donor bike will do, $20 new.

Brake pads - Avoid cheap one, maybe $10. Brake cables - Inners only a couple of bucks, splash out on new inner and outer $10.

Chain - $10 New Freewheel/cassette $20. Shifter cables - Inners only a couple of bucks, splash out on new inner and outer $10.

Cleaners / oil etc.

As you can see, the cost of bring this up to standard comes in at less than $250 including buying tools. The real cost of this will be your time. Do you have anyone you can call on who is well versed in bike mechanics (helps but not essential)? Are you reasonably DIY capable. There are some very good resources for learning this basic maintance - I suggest start at Park tool, and here (don't hesitate to ask if you cannot find an existing question and answer)

Answer 6

The problem is I'm worried it will be way more expensive than just forking out $250

Good that you set a price. Then think about how much value has your time (either in term of lost time, or in investment towards building certain skills).

Let's start with the negative aspects.

I can see easily 3 to 4 weekends spent on fixing the bike. So much time because usually the learning by doing on bicycle works like that:

• get the required part for cheap or even for free (Friday);
• realize you miss a certain tool (Saturday);
• get the tool (a friend on the other side of the town for free, flea market next saturday, local used stuff for just 5$ ... you know, all the possible sources) (Tuesday);
• watch yt to understand how the tool works (Tuesday eve, and Wednesday);
• discovering that the "new" piece does not work/is not compatible (Friday, and Saturday giving a second try after rewatching yt)
• Repeat for each item on your list ...

I see easily spending 5-10$ per each part, plus 5-10 per ea. tools, buiyng them on the fly (it is very annoying when you discover you miss the hex-key with size 9, while having the complete series from 4 to 32, and when you buy the good quality "9" for 15$ at the convenience store, you suddenly remember where you left the hex-key "9" six months ago)

Plus, there is a big disadvantage in working on a bike with many things and with no experience: usually the bike is not rideable!

On the other hand, I can see easily at least 3 to 4 weekends spent on learning things about the bike (thanks @aaron cicali). But the bike is still not rideable for these weeks !

So let's assume you have enough space in your basement and proceed like this:

1. Fix the emergency first: buy a decent rigid (no suspended fork, no suspension) bike for X$ (X in the range 150-200). Yes, you can go offroad and do anything with that one. And it is only a temporary bike, so don't worry about being a no-frill bike;
2. scout the internet for a bicycle in despair/to be fixed, possibly with less rust than yours. Price range: <50, possibly <20, if you are lucky for free;
3. get ready for the transplant: take off all you need from the scrap bicycle you just bought (if you do not have space in your basement: get rid of the frame, recycling it); 3b. try to remove the fork from the donor bicycle. It can be an interesting experience to see "what is inside" ... 3c. you can use the 150-200$ bike to run all the errands you need to get the tools to perform point 3;
4. after 3 or 4 weeks of repair, you will have one working bicycle (the one you bought for 150-200$) and maybe another one. But you will have learned a thing or two about bicycle maintenance :) !

P.s.: by getting your hand dirty, you will discover that a bike mechanic asking XY$ to fix a puncture is a lot of money, BUT it is usually not unreasonable.

Answer 7

I hear they still make things called "books" that contain a wealth of bike repair information, including step-by-step instructions on how to identify what sort of components you have and how to service and repair them. You can also keep them open by your bike work area, they don't run out of power, and don't stop functioning when you spill oil or beer on them.

In the US, for mountain bikes, I've found "Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" to be a big help and very affordable. I believe the latest edition is from 2018, but the previous 2010 edition may also be useful if you have a 2009 or earlier era bike like I do.