26
votes
How to tell when it's time to give up on tires?
For reference - tire parts names.
The "Anti-puncture strip" and "bead protection tape" are not found on most tires.
Bead, casing, sidewall, and tread are the most common ...
- 24.4k
19
votes
Accepted
Learning how to build a bike: Is it better to buy a used bike and disassemble it?
Messing with a used bike will teach you a lot (mostly through mistakes, but that's how the process works). There definitely is a huge advantage of having hands on experience figuring out how to adjust ...
- 75.9k
18
votes
Accepted
What photos should I include in an ad of a bike?
Short version: As many as you can.
Slightly longer version:
I always include an overall photo from drive-train and non-drive-train side. In addition to that one of the cockpit and close ups of the ...
- 881
16
votes
Accepted
How to tell when it's time to give up on tires?
This is a great question and there are actually some good ways of approaching it.
Inconveniently, you need to see the tire installed and inflated to have high certainty that it's good for reuse. Until ...
- 88.2k
14
votes
Learning how to build a bike: Is it better to buy a used bike and disassemble it?
A used bike won’t teach you how to build a bike from the ground up but they are often in need of serious maintenance.
On a worn down and beaten bicycle you’ll likely have to replace:
Chain (sometimes ...
- 29.4k
11
votes
Can anyone identify the model/year of this Montgomery Ward bicycle?
This is a vintage Montgomery Ward, reverse pedal brake, now I could be wrong on this but the serial number C71967 that is on the rear stays is manufacture date, C=March, 71=1971, 967=where it was made,...
- 111
10
votes
Accepted
What is this ... electrical bike's setup? Is there a particular brand or model name for this? how to replace its battery?
It looks to be an older Currie Electro Drive, they were originally made in 1996 i believe. I don't know much to anything else about them though other than that is one and they exist.
Here is the ...
- 9,352
9
votes
Accepted
Is buying a used bike bad if you are not expert?
I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but be prepared to repair stuff.
Things even a novice should be able to check:
Frame and fork without damage (i.e. no cracks or dents, nothing bent). Small paint chips ...
- 29.4k
8
votes
What photos should I include in an ad of a bike?
You should have at least a good quality drive side picture:
Bike perpendicular to the camera view and centered in the shot
Well lit
Against a plain, light colored background without any thing else in ...
- 75.9k
8
votes
What are the times and costs involved in assembling a rideable bicycle from a salvaged frame?
This is the classic "how long is a piece of string" question, where almost any answer is valid.
At one end you have a frame. And enough skills and time to assemble a bike, along with the ...
- 131k
8
votes
Reasons NOT to buy a used groupset
Twenty-plus year old STIs that really and truly have much life left are rare and expensive.
The 7700 STIs are much more serviceable than most, hypothetically. They allow some make-one-good-one-from-...
- 88.2k
7
votes
Can anyone identify the model/year of this Montgomery Ward bicycle?
I have had this same exact bike (same color, reflectors, grips, etc) since I got it used in 1972 or 3. Still using it. Love it. I put 800-1000 miles on it each year in Key West. Also have been from DC ...
- 71
7
votes
Chips in carbon frame - how worried should I be?
These appear to be paint chips in areas of the bike where rock strikes are common. I don't see any evidence of delamination--a separation of the carbon fiber weave and thus carbon fiber damage. ...
- 11.3k
7
votes
Chips in carbon frame - how worried should I be?
I agree with Jeff that you are most likely looking at paint chips. The thing to look for in surface damage is torn fibers. To recap, carbon fiber is made from sheets of carbon fiber that are ...
- 36k
6
votes
Learning how to build a bike: Is it better to buy a used bike and disassemble it?
What are your thoughts on the subject? Should I buy a used and disassemble it, or start from scratch?
Buy a reasonable condition bike, ride it, and maintain it yourself. After few years, you will ...
- 21.3k
6
votes
I want an old road bike to fix up that goes fast. Where do I start?
I have a similar outlook on bike purchasing - something nice enough to ride but cheap enough to afford.
First question - do you have a chance of keeping up with an expensive bike assuming equal ...
- 24.4k
5
votes
Accepted
How do so many bicycles end up in the canals of Amsterdam?
Why do you think they aren't recycled? EU legislation is pretty strict on what can go in landfill and it would be very surprising if the bikes fished out of the canals aren't recycled (i.e., melted ...
- 17.1k
5
votes
Learning how to build a bike: Is it better to buy a used bike and disassemble it?
Disassembling a lot of bikes is a great way to learn how to use bike tools. This is exactly how I learned to build bikes. The place I learned is a non-profit organization that takes in a lot of used ...
- 241
5
votes
Commuting road bike build
I can't give product recommendations as those are off topic here.
On a tight budget you should consider buying a complete bike. Building a bike up from components is generally more expensive than ...
- 75.9k
5
votes
How to tell when it's time to give up on tires?
This is tough to answer as it'll be different for different types of tires.
For my riding styles, a tire is shot when the side walls won't stop weeping (all bikes), when the knobs stop hooking up (MTB)...
- 4,670
4
votes
Learning how to build a bike: Is it better to buy a used bike and disassemble it?
I would recommend building up a bike from scratch. Disassembling a super cheap bike isn't going to teach you much as the standards and interfaces used on those are going to be quite different from a ...
- 17.4k
4
votes
Paint bicycle keeping stickers
To repaint metal, you'll have to strip the current coating. This means you'll have to remove the stickers as well. It is unreasonable to attempt to reuse them, just as it would be silly (or at least ...
- 14.4k
4
votes
What are the times and costs involved in assembling a rideable bicycle from a salvaged frame?
I've finished a bike to nearly your exact specifications. I came into a Trek navigator 300 frame that I've converted as my "Grocery Touring" bike. Although I've taken curbed bikes and ...
- 549
4
votes
Possible damage in carbon fork of used road bike I'm about to buy
To me it looks like a very shoddy job of quality control initially, or a poor repair that has been painted to match the bike. I'd suggest comparing the paint on both sides of the fork to see if there'...
- 131k
3
votes
Learning how to build a bike: Is it better to buy a used bike and disassemble it?
Other answers makes a lot of sense to me, and I post this one just to expose an other possibility you may want to consider.
In my opinion (and experience), if you want to learn something, you may want ...
- 322
3
votes
Paint bicycle keeping stickers
It would be practically impossible to paint the white part of the frame and fork without painting over the blue decals (stickers)
Bikes (and cars) have a primer coat, color coat and clear coat of ...
- 75.9k
3
votes
How can you recognize a department store bike?
Since I am presently the victim of a department-store bike, I can add one indicator that a used bike came from such a place: In the time it has been owned, its operability will have declined more ...
- 621
3
votes
What photos should I include in an ad of a bike?
When I take photos of my bike, I particularly focus on the following:
Front and rear brakes, showing the pad thickness as well as alignment with the wheel and forks to show set-up of the pads. Also, ...
- 1,043
3
votes
I want an old road bike to fix up that goes fast. Where do I start?
In the 70s we didn't have high pressure clincher tires. I ran tubular tires for that reason, then got out of cycling around 1980. When I got back into cycling five years ago I dusted off the old ...
- 2,708
3
votes
Reasons NOT to buy a used groupset
A current 105 will almost surely be much better. A lot of improvement happened in those two decades. Even 105 is now 11 speed. Even though the top manufacturing processes with the stringiest ...
- 17.4k
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