Scrap or repair my old bike?

[phil-b]

I have an old (not sure how old exactly) 26inch wheel Carrera Vengeance. for the most part it is still serviceable but does need some TLC. I cant decide it is worth spending any time or money on it

I would use it for leisure/fittness and the odd ride to the shop. so wont get used as a mountain bike mostly used on roads and cycle paths. So performance is not required it just needs to be safe and reliable and comfortable.

it has hydraulic disc brakes that would need new pads and oil.

it would need new tyres (road tyres rather than mtb tyres)

needs new grips and bar ends

it will need some light also

it has a rock shox dart front fork that is not quite right. the feel very bouncey when riding and the adjusment knob is shaped off. I dont know if they can be fixed or locked out or maybe replaced (maybe a ridgid fork replacment can be found for a low cost.

I think £100-£200 would make it right but I still can ot decied if it is worth it. The front fork is a big question mark on the project

 

[Threevok]

When you consider that they are only £380 new anyway, spending £200 on it may be overkill.

Unless it holds any sentimental value, I would strip all the parts (if any) you may need in the future (or could sell) and discard the rest. You may get a few bob for the frame too

 

[phil-b]

When you consider that they are only £380 new anyway, spending £200 on it may be overkill.

Unless it holds any sentimental value, I would strip all the parts (if any) you may need in the future (or could sell) and discard the rest. You may get a few bob for the frame too

I think you maybe right.
It does not hold any sentimental value it just seems like a waste to throw it away when there is essentally not much wrong with it. but when a new set of tyres cost more ths the bike is worth you have to question it.

 

[Threevok]

I think you maybe right.
It does not hold any sentimental value it just seems like a waste to throw it away when there is essentally not much wrong with it. but when a new set of tyres cost more ths the bike is worth you have to question it.

You could always donate it, or free to good home

 

[Andy in Germany]

As Is there a bike recycling workshop near you? If there's not much wrong with it they'll be happy to take a donation.

 

[Gillstay]

Why not make it better than it was and enjoy doing it. I have a Specialised that I put much better tyres on, better wheels and grips and now better brakes.
All the bits I get cheap as and when they crop up, but its making a great bike I have enjoyed creating. And bits are cheap right now !

It may now be worth it, but we buy a sofa and don't look at it in those terms.

A new bike could be viewed as just a waste, when you have a good one.

 

[phil-b]

Why not make it better than it was and enjoy doing it. I have a Specialised that I put much better tyres on, better wheels and grips and now better brakes.
All the bits I get cheap as and when they crop up, but its making a great bike I have enjoyed creating. And bits are cheap right now !

It may now be worth it, but we buy a sofa and don't look at it in those terms.

A new bike could be viewed as just a waste, when you have a good one.

That was my first though. I do enjoy tinkering with things. my price esimate did include buying a few tools I would need that I dont already own. I think you can get parts cheap if you know what to look for but I dont

 

[Gillstay]

That was my first though. I do enjoy tinkering with things. my price esimate did include buying a few tools I would need that I dont already own. I think you can get parts cheap if you know what to look for but I dont

Neither did I when I started. But the information and good advice is to be found. When you find and fit a top notch BBK that you got for a song it feels great. One good bike I did up, I gave to a mate who was getting a bit tubby, he has now given it his son and they have both loved it. I got given that frame. Its win win win.

 

[phil-b]

Neither did I when I started. But the information and good advice is to be found. When you find and fit a top notch BBK that you got for a song it feels great. One good bike I did up, I gave to a mate who was getting a bit tubby, he has now given it his son and they have both loved it. I got given that frame. Its win win win.

there are a few things I can do to it without having to buy new parts such as getting the gears shifting properly. So I will give that a go anyway. I might learn something about bike maintainance and if I screw thigs up I have not lost anything. if that goes well I might concider the rest. I guess I can do it in stages and spread the cost also. If at any point it looks like a lemon I can just stop there

 

[silva]

It's like anything, a new OS new problems, a new job new problems, a new bike new problems.
It's better to have a old bike with known problems than a new bike with unknown, and usually the newer, the more fatal they get, the decades trend to throw away. In a nearby city, Belgium, Gand, there is a trend towards bulky plastic frames, 2 kinds, one is blue, one is green. They appear more numerous every week. Sometimes half of a parking lot is full of that plastic, and when wind gets in, despite they appear bulky/heavry they're all blown on their side. It looks like the parking lot has been vandalized, but it's just the wind lol.

 

[Punkawallah]

Swap the brakes for cable operated and the forks for rigid?
Flea bay can sort you out for not a lot.

 

[phil-b]

Swap the brakes for cable operated and the forks for rigid?
Flea bay can sort you out for not a lot.

The front fork is the make or break item for this bike.

A 26inch wheel front ridgid fork that can take a disk break seems to be rare. I am not going to have a v break front and a disc rear.
Im am also seeing comments that ridid front forks could work out to be shorter than the susspenion type and that would not be great.

Margins are tight for this bike. Im still on the fence if its worth spending anything on it. I did spend quite a bit of time giving it a deep clean. If I do end up looking for a new bike It would eed to be a higher quality oe ext time. but the 26inch wheel mtb format is a thing of the past but I quite like that type of setup

 

[C R]

The front fork is the make or break item for this bike.

A 26inch wheel front ridgid fork that can take a disk break seems to be rare. I am not going to have a v break front and a disc rear.
Im am also seeing comments that ridid front forks could work out to be shorter than the susspenion type and that would not be great.

Margins are tight for this bike. Im still on the fence if its worth spending anything on it. I did spend quite a bit of time giving it a deep clean. If I do end up looking for a new bike It would eed to be a higher quality oe ext time. but the 26inch wheel mtb format is a thing of the past but I quite like that type of setup

The fork would have to be suspension corrected to compensate for the height of the suspension.

There are adaptors available to mount disc brake calipers on a rim brake fork. You can find them on e bay easily, but I am not sure I would trust them.

 

[Punkawallah]

Do you have mounts for rim brakes front and back? In any event, I agree it’s easily to descend gradually into a money pit.

 

[fossyant]

there are a few things I can do to it without having to buy new parts such as getting the gears shifting properly. So I will give that a go anyway. I might learn something about bike maintainance and if I screw thigs up I have not lost anything. if that goes well I might concider the rest. I guess I can do it in stages and spread the cost also. If at any point it looks like a lemon I can just stop there

I'd give it a good service and clean - maybe change the cables etc. They are fairly decent hard tails - my son's had one about 10 years now ! If you want a new bike, get another rather than scrap, and keep both for slightly different purposes. This is from someone who has five, and 3 of those are 30 years and more old, and ridden regular, the old MTB is used every day for commuting.