fix old bike or get a new one Hybrid or Folding bike

jay213

Hi,

I'm wondering if I should buy a new bike or fix my old one. Right now I'll mainly be making short journeys of a couple of miles each way and probably around some parks. When I go uni I might think about riding it there but I'm not too sure yet as I haven't rid the route and looking at a cycle route calculator it will take about an hour going from Tottenham to Hendon and that's passing through Muswell Hill which has a big massive hill. I would also be carrying things so would like a pannier and probably mud guards.

The old bike that I have is a MUDDYFOX VICE FRONT SUSPENSION BIKE that I bought in early 2011, it was on sale for £125. It ended up the back wheel was always rubbing against the brake which made it hard to ride. I attempted to fix it by turning it upside down and adjusting the brakes (V-type I think) but when spinning the wheel it kept rubbing. The wheel is bent / wobbles when spinned. I couldn't fix it so since last year due to space it's been in the garden uncovered so has gained rusty chain and other bits.

I was thinking of getting this hybrid bike Carrera Subway Hybrid Bike 2011/2012 when it was on offer for £250 http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_810603_langId_-1_categoryId_165534 but then they put the price up to £280 which put me off a bit as I'm not sure if it's good value for this bike. I see with Road bikes that there is a recommended value option such as the Triban 3 - Road Bike B'TWIN but I don't see a highly recommended hybrid bike. Are there any?

One of the reasons I don't want an really expensive bike is I'm afraid that it might get nicked.

I've also today thought about a folding bike after seeing a thread on here earlier but I'm not sure they would cope with 10 miles and hills well, does anyone have any experience with cycling long distances with a folding bike? One of the benefits would be storage as a full size bike takes up a bit of space.

MS1950

jay213 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm wondering if I should buy a new bike or fix my old one. Right now I'll mainly be making short journeys of a couple of miles each way and probably around some parks. When I go uni I might think about riding it there but I'm not too sure yet as I haven't rid the route and looking at a cycle route calculator it will take about an hour going from Tottenham to Hendon and that's passing through Muswell Hill which has a big massive hill. I would also be carrying things so would like a pannier and probably mud guards.

The old bike that I have is a MUDDYFOX VICE FRONT SUSPENSION BIKE that I bought in early 2011, it was on sale for £125. It ended up the back wheel was always rubbing against the brake which made it hard to ride. I attempted to fix it by turning it upside down and adjusting the brakes (V-type I think) but when spinning the wheel it kept rubbing. The wheel is bent / wobbles when spinned. I couldn't fix it so since last year due to space it's been in the garden uncovered so has gained rusty chain and other bits.

I was thinking of getting this hybrid bike Carrera Subway Hybrid Bike 2011/2012 when it was on offer for £250 http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_810603_langId_-1_categoryId_165534 but then they put the price up to £280 which put me off a bit as I'm not sure if it's good value for this bike. I see with Road bikes that there is a recommended value option such as the Triban 3 - Road Bike B'TWIN but I don't see a highly recommended hybrid bike. Are there any?

One of the reasons I don't want an really expensive bike is I'm afraid that it might get nicked.

I've also today thought about a folding bike after seeing a thread on here earlier but I'm not sure they would cope with 10 miles and hills well, does anyone have any experience with cycling long distances with a folding bike? One of the benefits would be storage as a full size bike takes up a bit of space.

Well your existing bike is still being sold for £250.00 by Sportsdirect:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/muddyfox-vice-mountain-bike-mens-932034

I'd say take the back wheel to a local (proper) bike shop and get it straightened (a lot cheaper than spending another £250.00).

Then clean it up & oil it - it's got an alloy frame and 24 gears so should easily cope with the 10 miles and hills that you mention.

dandelionclock30

I agree with the above,a bike shop should,nt charge much for setting a brake and truing a wheel. My guess is about £20.00.
If the back wheel is a right off, then you can pick another up cheaply enough. If your doing a commute then I would think about getting slicks which are road tyres for the bike and a really decent D Lock because bike theft is rampant from Universities.
No way would I leave a nice bike on a campus ever.

joolsybools

Yep, fixing up your old one sounds like the way forward, folders aren't much good for (big) hills.

jay213

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try and take it to a shop tomorrow that I've passed once. Not sure if I should just take the wheel or the whole bike.

If I oil the chain and the other bits hopefully it should be okay. Maybe I should get a bike cover too for when I leave it in the garden.

Weird_Nev

Take the whole bike, they can offer advice o it's general condition.

True wheel at a local bike shop: £20
Learn how to adjust brakes properly: Free, bar your time. (hint - the barrel adjuster on the lever makes small adjsutments, adjust the cable clamp o nthe V-brake itself for major adjustments, 5mm spanner in the back of the brake blocks to get them hitting the rim nice and square on, slight toe in at the leading edge)
New Chain: £20
WD40 and a smidge of oil and some grease for the cables: Free (you must have some knocking about)

If you're serious: Pair of slick city tyres, about 1.5inch width (26") - About £20-£30 from wiggle.co.uk - makes a huge difference on tarmac.

For £60-£80 you can have your bike back on the road and more than capable of doing 10 miles in comfort and safety.

Resurrect your old bike and learn how to take care of it. That's the money saving way, and as a student you need to make the most of your resources.

Unless you NEED to take the bike on a train or store it under your desk, avoid folders. They're expensive for what you get, heavier, less stable because of smaller wheels, and less efficient to ride because their design is compromised to make them fold. Parts are also more expensive.

armyknife

jay213 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try and take it to a shop tomorrow that I've passed once. Not sure if I should just take the wheel or the whole bike.

If I oil the chain and the other bits hopefully it should be okay. Maybe I should get a bike cover too for when I leave it in the garden.

They had perfectly useable ones in poundland a while back.

jay213

I went to the bike shop earlier and asked about getting the wheel trued. He had a quick look and said that it was too far gone to get trued. I asked how much a new wheel would be he said it would be £45 with nut tightening bolts. I asked the quick release price and he said £60. I asked about other things I might need doing like the chain, brakes etc he said it would be £45 plus parts to do a service. Do the prices seem reasonable? He wasn't a friendly chap at all, seemed like I was bothering him asking him any questions.

I then cycled to halfords to ask them about truing the wheel. The guy said that the wheel was quite bad but it could be trued to probably about 90% and the brakes could be put a bit looser. That would cost £10.99 I think he said. I asked them how much a new wheel would be, one guy said about £30 but the other guy said because it has 8 gears (8 something?) that it would be around £50

I asked about getting a service for my bike for the other parts he said it would probably need a full service which would be £50 plus parts, he mentioned that they do an intermediate one for £29.99 I think. He said he would know after putting it on the rack. He had a quick feel on the chain and said it might need replacing and all the cables aswell. He said it may be around £60 -£70 for the servicing plus parts depending on when he looks at it. He also mentioned the cassette afterwards. I would have to take it there later this week as it was full today.

When riding the bike I also noticed that the bit where the pedals turns and the 3 different big gears are slightly wobbles as well, my brother mentioned this might be the bearings are these expensive?

If I was to buy a new back wheel online what would I have to look for?

26" MTB wheel with 8 gears? I had a quick look on evanscycles but they don't look like they have the gear bit attached, from what I just learnt is that bit called the cassette? does that mean I have to take the old one off the rear wheel and place it on the new wheel?

Do you think I could do all this stuff following guides or is it better just to get one of the shops to do it? or should I look into getting another bike if it's going to end up costing a lot to fix up.

MS1950

jay213 wrote: »

Do you think I could do all this stuff following guides or is it better just to get one of the shops to do it? or should I look into getting another bike if it's going to end up costing a lot to fix up.

To be honest the only thing you probably couldn't do yourself is straightening the wheel as its a bit of an art and you need a special rig.

All the rest (plus ongoing maintenance) you should be able to do.

You could get something like Haynes Bike Book (the same people who do the car manuals) it has step by step pictures of how to do most things:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bike-Book-Complete-Bicycle-Maintenance/dp/0857331183/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373998390&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Bike+Book

dandelionclock30

Hi, fitting a wheel is easy. You will be able to do that and fit a new brake, the key is to take your time and not to panic/talk yourself out of it.
You tube also have videos on bike fixing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXzkL-6pxiQ
Also the Edinburgh Bike Company, do classes in bike maintenance for about £45.00. If I was really stuck,I would buy the stuff and fit it at one of their classes.They showed me how to build a bike from scratch. Or have you got a cycling collective near you that runs cheap classes?. Where I live theres a place that will help you fix your bike for a few pounds. You can also buy the bits off them and its run by volunteers.
Have you got a market near you that has a bike stall? You will be able to pick up bits cheaper there.

MS1950

jay213 wrote: »

He had a quick feel on the chain and said it might need replacing and all the cables as well. He said it may be around £60 -£70 for the servicing plus parts depending on when he looks at it. He also mentioned the cassette afterwards. I would have to take it there later this week as it was full today.

When riding the bike I also noticed that the bit where the pedals turns and the 3 different big gears are slightly wobbles as well, my brother mentioned this might be the bearings are these expensive?

If I was to buy a new back wheel online what would I have to look for?

26" MTB wheel with 8 gears? I had a quick look on evanscycles but they don't look like they have the gear bit attached, from what I just learnt is that bit called the cassette? does that mean I have to take the old one off the rear wheel and place it on the new wheel?

Do you think I could do all this stuff following guides or is it better just to get one of the shops to do it? or should I look into getting another bike if it's going to end up costing a lot to fix up.

Further thoughts on your bike.

I am a bit sceptical about what you say Halfords told you about what needs doing to your bike - as you said it's only 2 years old & it's difficult to see how the chain, cables (and cassette?) all need replacing.

As for a 'wobbly' front chain wheel - again after 2 years it shouldn't be bearings but tightening & adjusting.

Your main problem is your rear wheel. Are you certain it can't be straightened - it would need to have had quite a knock for that to be the case (i.e. more than just riding) - is the rim dented anywhere? (possibly 'Mr grumpy' in the 1st bike shop you went to just wanted to sell you a new wheel?).

But if it definitely can't be straightened then you will need to replace it with something like one of these - plain or black depending on what is on there at the moment:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/sports-leisure/dp/B00366271K

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alloy-Shimano-Mountain-Wheel-TWR114BK/dp/B00BPB1NUY/ref=pd_cp_sg_1

You would then need to swap the 8 speed cassette from you current back wheel to the new wheel (+ tyre & tube) - you might need to get a bike shop to do that as it requires special tools to remove the cassette (although the tools (chain whip & cassette remover) are relatively cheap - particularly somewhere like eBay):

http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Rear-Cassette

As for all the rest, as I said in my previous post, you should be able to do it yourself - either with the help of a bike book or online guides.