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Just out of curiosity, what’s your favorite free or discounted bike product you’ve ever gotten? Whether you’ve won it, bought it used, bought it new but on sale or at an auction or gotten it wholesale?
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In ’06 I was just about to lay out big bucks for a new seat but ran across a ‘WTB speed V’ at a swap meet in Reno for $5- that seat is now on its second bike.
My best score so far however has been a Specialized RockHopper off of Craigslist for $300- not a scratch and 32 miles on the Cateye odometer. Still one of the better bikes Ive owned and the resting place for the afore mentioned WTB seat 😃
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I’ve bought my wife and children bikes over Christmas, but had nothing myself. Found a 1998 or so Trek Y3 at a junk bike/lawnmover place. Pretty good shape, but the shifters need adjusting. When I pump the rear derailer, often there is no resistance. I have to lift it up a bit to "catch". Planning on taking it to the LBS for a check-up. It gets me rolling for little cash! Took it to Santos last week and had a great ride. Now, when I get the cash for a new bike, I’ll appreciate it much more! 😃
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"Kranskop_Rider" wrote
– but the shifters need adjusting. When I pump the rear derailer, often there is no resistance. I have to lift it up a bit to "catch". Planning on taking it to the LBS for a check-up.
Nice score!
At the LBS, if your derailer needs more work than a simple adjustment, dont be afraid to ask them if they have used one in a spare parts bin somewhere they’d sell you for a couple bucks vs. buying a new one. Another cheap way to make an old bike feel new is a couple bucks on new cables.
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Definitely a score.
Reading your description it sounds like the shifter is not working right. These early rapidfire shifters get gummy sometimes – especially if the bike has been sitting. Usually when you push on the lever to shift to a larger cog the lever will have no resistance for all or most of the throw – then catch and sort of work normally.
Most bike shops will tell you the shifter is toast and try to get you to replace it. But there is a easy/cheap way to try to get it working before you go that route.
Get a can of spray lube – my favorite for this task is tri-flow – and spray the heck out of the inside of the shifter (it’s gonna be a little messy have something to catch the dripping splattering lube on). You don’t have to take it apart – look for a little hole or dust cap to remove to replace the cable. Give it a good 20 or 30 seconds of spray then try to operate the shifter – it may free right up. Otherwise let it sit overnight and try it again. I have squeezed lots of extra life out of lots of shifters this way. 8 and 9 speed road STI levers can be saved the same way. Another mechanic I knew swore by blowing the tri-flow out with compressed air – Talk about a big mess!
Congrats on your bike.
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Thanks for the tip! I finally got a chance to try the cleaner/lubricant tonight and it worked easily! It’s not 100% (it changes more than one gear if I push the shifter all the way, and sometimes after jumping 2 gears, it will shift on it’s own a minute later), but it’s much more reliable, and definately a great value for $50.
Hoping to head out to Santos again Monday, since I have the day off, it’ll be much more enjoyable being able to shift when I want!
Thanks again!
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