Worth getting bike repaired?

YoungBaker

Hi there. This is a post half asking for advice and half ranting!

I won a brand new mountain bike around a year ago through my work, which I have never used for various reasons and was storing at my parents house.

I am now interested in getting out on it, and went today to collect it only to find my dad has apparently been using it a fair amount and has pretty much wrecked it.

The bike chain is rusted (turns out he has been storing it outside) and broke and so needs a whole new chain. In addition, he has somehow completely ripped all the back tyre and the inside tubing. The gears are also a bit rusty but I could live with that.

The bike probably isnt worth anymore than £100 and I could easily pick another up for £80-£100, but wondering if you guys think its even worth getting it repaired if I had to get a whole new back tyre and tubing, and chain as I have no idea what this will cost.

Thanks

fivetide

Get some three in one oil and rub the chain down a bit. Might come up nice if it is just surface rust.

If you can whip the wheel out yourself you might save a bit on tyre fitting as well.

5t.

YoungBaker

The wheel is out so that should help, the chain is snapped as well as rusted sorry meant to include that.

Oldfatgrumpy

After looking for 1 minute on ebay, I'd guess you should be able to get all 3 parts for £20 or so.

red_eye

what bike is it? with bike parts you pretty much get what you pay for.
My exprenece with cheap parts is that they tend not to last long, tho it depends on what kind of riding and how often you ride

bazster

"Getting" it repaired? Fitting tyres is easy-peasy, can be done in ten minutes. Barely harder than fixing a puncture.

You can fix a puncture, right? If not, what are you going to do when you get one? Walk? Call a taxi? If yes, then you can fit a tyre.

Ditto chains, doddle to fit.

And as above, parts are cheap enough.

andygb

!!! Bazster says, this is all simple work and quite cheap for transport (which also gets you fit). If the chain is knackered then you probably need a rear block (set of sprockets, freewheel - whatever you wish to call it).
Tyres are simple.
You may want to change the brake cables and clean the whole bike, because doing all these tasks will give you a bike which feels better than new.