Limited technical knowhow prob means I should dump!

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runner

Guru
Location
Bristol
My third bike is an old genesis day 01 dating from 2006. I used as a first computing bike and it was fun with its fast shift 8 speed and triple chain....it's now in desperate need of lots of care and attention and prob money as I have somewhat limited technical skills.....so should I attempt to strip? and slowly buy bits (at my leisure) and put together with advice from my LBS (I practically live beside it) and utube....here are some sads pic....on a positive the frame was a nice aluminium...but brakes are dodgy, bottom braket loose, chain rusted, cogs rusted...need I go on....
F868CA1F-1CBA-41D6-BF7E-7AC4EA28F5AE_zps7dofkna7.jpg

8C5392F4-6076-48A2-985A-B0B96D5667DB_zpsuhlxe0cw.jpg

E45C1948-7428-4D7E-88F0-718196AF8C26_zpsnsjjelgt.jpg

057C3148-F22C-49EC-A113-B4B4B42F8A99_zpsikz9mvqh.jpg

36DEEF8A-9607-451F-9364-CA62BB1ADCED_zpsyaa65rel.jpg

BE12924D-9252-4142-8961-B6A7DB5BC055_zpsjq9w0glo.jpg
 
Location
Loch side.
That hurt my eyes.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
What's wrong/broken with it? Looks pretty grubby
 

S.Giles

Guest
It's in far better condition than was my bike before I rebuilt it. As others have said, make a project out of it and learn as you go. The following are a few tips that I picked up while doing my bike:

Replace any rusted machine screws (ie, bolts) with stainless steel ones. You'll need to measure the existing ones and order SS replacements from Ebay. (Goodness knows why bike manufacturers haven't adopted SS machine screws as a standard.)

Don't assume that a part is no good just because it has a little light rust on it. Evaluate it after cleaning it with white spirits and a re-lube rather than discarding it immediately.

Try to resist the temptation to replace anything for purely aesthetic reasons - a part with a scratch on it will often work just as well as one without.

Service all the bearings, including new ball-bearings and re-grease. Replace all cables (with SS ones).

I really doubt that that bike needs very much money spending on it at all. It'll look wonderful after a strip-down, service and re-assembly has been done. Do budget plenty of time though, especially if you're learning as you go.

Steve
 
Looks perfectly sound to me, even the teeth on the middle chainring don't look that bad. You might just get away with a new cassette and new chain, and a new bb. Brakes tend not to wear out, but probably just need new pads and adjustment. Best to replace cables too. How are the wheels ?
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
Leave the rusty bits in vinegar for a day or so, maybe a week, and clean them with a brush. They may look better than you thought. Or they may look all spalled and pitted, but you can always replace at that point.
 
Location
Loch side.
It's in far better condition than was my bike before I rebuilt it. As others have said, make a project out of it and learn as you go. The following are a few tips that I picked up while doing my bike:

Replace any rusted machine screws (ie, bolts) with stainless steel ones. You'll need to measure the existing ones and order SS replacements from Ebay. (Goodness knows why bike manufacturers haven't adopted SS machine screws as a standard.)

Many places on a bicycle require high tensile bolts and stainless cannot be hi-ten and vice versa. Examples are saddle clamp bolts, stem bolts, seatpost clamp bolts, brake disc bolts, crank pinch bolts. That's all that comes to mind right now. Hi-ten is spec'd for a few reasons:

1) Users always over tighten their bolts and damage from overtightening doesn't show up immediately but whilst you're riding. I can convince you.....Imagine a stem bolt failing.
2) Many bolts are under large cyclical stresses, for instance saddle clamp and stem bolts. Given the wrong steel, they will eventually fail from stress cracks developing in the thread of the bolt.

Having said that, I'm with you on the stainless screw thing. I can't stand rusty chainring bolts, headset prelod bolts etc and have replaced where I can with stainless. The trick with stainless is to carefully torque them to spec and ruthlessly replace them from time to time.

On the other hand, the weight weenie trend has seen a large aftermarket for replacement bolts made from aluminium and titanium. Both these materials are weaker than steel but in many cases, titanium is fine. For instance, as a derailer pulley bolt, a disc brake bolt of even as a stem bolt if there are four of them.

Alumimium is just rubbish for the job, I can't think of a single legit application for such bolts.
 
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