my old bike

northernstar007

hi all can anyone tell me whats best
i've had my bike about 25 yrs old its a specialized hardrock
ive just started going back on it 5 min bike ride shops and back, today went other side of village aprox 1.5mls eachway, gears are moving (2 levers) but a bit clicky
the frame itself is still rock solid by looking at it, the tyres are cracked on the tread, brakes stopping but need greased 
now what do i do, i want to carry on what i am doing now maybe in winter do a little cpl of miles off track, will a standard service at say halfords cover all the parts or will these be extra 
also am i chasing good money after bad, or shall i take it do a idy shop
give me a run down guys i love this bike 

Nasqueron

A service at a place like Halfords is asking for them to upsell loads of stuff, an honest assessment at a local bike shop is probably better

It's unlikely a service would include new tyres but fixing gears, servicing brakes etc would be, accessories like brake pads would be extra

TBH I'd give it a good clean and degrease the gears then go on YouTube and look at the videos from GCN, Park Tools etc for how to do basic checks on the gears and brakes - a lot of it can be done with just allen keys 

Rodders53

Tyres and tubes (or tubeless tyres if applicable) at 25 years old will be best replaced and won't be covered in any typical bike service.

Similarly all the greases and/or oils will be well past their best and need removing / re-doing with fresh on the chain and gears etc.,.  

Do not use Halfrauds or similar large chain - find a reputable local shop.  Or DIY if you have the tools and skills.  All the above will be labour intensive (so expensive) and the parts relatively cheap.

martindow

There are volunteer places in some towns who will do minor repairs and advise on what is needed in exchange for a donation.  Here's one in Reading for instance

https://www.readingbicyclekitchen.org/

They have no vested interest in upselling and are run by enthusiasts to encourage cycling in their area.  Might be worth a google to see what is in your area.

bouicca21

Look for a local Dr Bike session and see what they advise.  Your local independent bike shop will also tell you whether the bike is worth spending out on.  As others have said avoid the big chains like H@lfords.

unless you have the time and skills to diy it will be expensive.  When I first got back into cycling I took an old bike that hadn’t been used for 10-15 years to get it serviced.  Was told that servicing it would cost as much as buying a cheapish second hand and that even so the cheapish secondhand one would be way better.  Of course that old bike wasn’t anywhere as good as a specialised hardrock, but I suspect the cost of getting it back in shape will be similarly high.

northernstar007

ive just watched a video on youtube about a service, and a fair bit to do
basic childhood learning how to repair a puncture so new tyre and innertube wont be a problem to change
watching the video sounds as the all the cables will need changing, new pedals, new brake pads and maybe a new chain, ive got a full set of allen keys, i'm going to have to out lay for grease etc for such a small job
ive only looked at prices for new tyres and innertubes, has anyone got a rough idea what im looking at and anymore tools required and how easy is it setting new brake and gear cables up

if i put this into a shop i think i would be looking at £000s for labour alone so if i can do it myself and then put it in for a service is what im looking to do but setting the gears up is where i could get stuck

Nasqueron

northernstar007 said:

ive just watched a video on youtube about a service, and a fair bit to do
basic childhood learning how to repair a puncture so new tyre and innertube wont be a problem to change
watching the video sounds as the all the cables will need changing, new pedals, new brake pads and maybe a new chain, ive got a full set of allen keys, i'm going to have to out lay for grease etc for such a small job
ive only looked at prices for new tyres and innertubes, has anyone got a rough idea what im looking at and anymore tools required and how easy is it setting new brake and gear cables up

if i put this into a shop i think i would be looking at £000s for labour alone so if i can do it myself and then put it in for a service is what im looking to do but setting the gears up is where i could get stuck

Indexing is probably the easiest job out of that - the park tools one I think is the one I remember, is the easiest to follow - just wind out the screws completely and start afresh, then adjust down, tweak the cables. Routing the cables is much more effort!

ThisIsWeird

northernstar007 said:

ive just watched a video on youtube about a service, and a fair bit to do
basic childhood learning how to repair a puncture so new tyre and innertube wont be a problem to change
watching the video sounds as the all the cables will need changing, new pedals, new brake pads and maybe a new chain, ive got a full set of allen keys, i'm going to have to out lay for grease etc for such a small job
ive only looked at prices for new tyres and innertubes, has anyone got a rough idea what im looking at and anymore tools required and how easy is it setting new brake and gear cables up

if i put this into a shop i think i would be looking at £000s for labour alone so if i can do it myself and then put it in for a service is what im looking to do but setting the gears up is where i could get stuck

Hi Northern.

I'm in a similar situation - keeping older bikes running - although I can manage maintenance and repairs and enjoy giving a new-to-me bike a good going over. 

There's three aspects to what you want to do; one is to get new parts, another is to have them fitted for you!, and the third is to clean and lube and maintain everything else; the cables, chain gear, and bearings.

For the first, there are ways to save a lot of money. For the second, there's the advice given before. The third, well I reckon you can do a lot of that yourself. And should hopefully be easy to find someone to do so if not.

For the first, things like brake blocks are cheap to buy from a retailer, say on eBay or Amazon, or even your local bike shop. Tubes too - I just bought a pair of 700-35 inner tubes for less than £7 delivered - 'ETC' make, but good feedback https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135188671441 . DO fit new tubes with your tyre swap. Tyres can cost quite a bit if you buy them new from a retailer, so don't; they are next-to-now't if bought near-new (often new-new) on Facebook Mp - and that's where I suggest you look first.

When refurb'ing my recently-bought "needs work" Trek 7.4 (£30), I sold the near-new skinny Gatorskins that were on them for £20 (and that was a bargain for the purchaser - it wasn't even someone local, and they paid for me to post them!). I found a pair of brand new 700-47 Schwalbe Road Cruisers for £15 nearby - ok, they turned out to be too big for the forks - cough - so I sold them on and bought a pair of brand new Kenda 35's for £15, from just 2 miles away. This weekend, I'll be picking up a pair of lightly-used Kerricks for my son's 'new' bike for a £iver.  And quite possibly a pair of brand new 26" tyres for my wife's bike for another £iver.

Have a look! 

If you are going to be using your bike pretty exclusively on roads and fairly smooth trails, then the 'road-cruiser'-type tyres are ideal; they have a smooth central ridge - so low rolling resistance - but with some reassuring tread to the sides without being lumpy. I hate 'slicks', and equally 'knobblies'; one is too scary, and the other too rough-feeling.

Go for a decent tyre width - your bike will take 47s and above, I suspect? Anything 40-ish up would be good, as they'll cope nicely with potholes and kerbs.

Then, who's going to fix it all?! The suggestions above - a DrBike, or a community-based outfit staffed by volunteers who will do the tricky work for you for a contribution - sound like good options. Or use a local Facebook page to ask for an enthusiast to do ditto; a keen young cyclist will probably be very experienced in bike maintenance, and be happy to do this work for pocket money.

Swapping tyres is a breeze. Lub'ing cables and chains is ditto. Just an hour by a young enthusiast should see this done to a very good level. If your bike warrants it, then slackening off the wheel axles and greasing the bearings is more involved, so make sure the yoof knows exactly what they are doing if you entertain this - or use a pro. Ditto for headstock bearings, and the crank can be the most awkward (I've taken to undoing the screw underneath which holds the plastic cable guide in place, and injecting grease in through there instead - I'm guessing it gets to the bearings?!

Make sure your bike is set up to your correct height - is it comfy?

Finally, keep a constant eye out on Mp for alternative bikes - there are astonishing bargains out there. My Trek was the snip of the year - yes it needed a few new spokes, and it has a number of bashes, but what a bike; it cost many £100s new.

Does your bike have suspension? If so, unless it's a high-end bike, look for one that doesn't - it's just extra weight, summat major to go wrong, and serves no purpose on a road bike.

Username03725

Bikes are a collection of very simple engineering concepts. Treat each one individually and learn as you go. None of it is rocket science.

Tyres & tubes: at that age bin them anyway and replace with new ones of the correct size. A set of tyre levers and a bargain track pump should be enough.

Brake Cables: undo them at the brakes end and pull them out - if they've been sitting for that long you may as well replace them. Note which type of nipple they have - pear or more likely barrel, and notice the routing to get the new ones back in. Wipe some oil along each cables length prior to fitting them - a bit in the palm of your hand is a good way of doing this. Dribble oil inside the outer cable as well then refit the cable, being careful not to kink it or unwind the individual strands when you  push it through the various holes & entry points. If you have to try a couple of times that's fine, it's still cheaper than paying Halfords to do it.

Brakes: same as tyres & cables, bin the blocks and replace them with like for like. Take photos of the order of the washers (flat and conical if applicable) that hold them to the brake callipers. Line then up so that the blocks run on the fullest part of the rims and don't stray towards the tyre or the spokes. Easiest way to get them parallel is to pull the brake levers on whilst holding them in place with your fingers, then tighten them up. A Multi-tool with Allen Keys and maybe a 10mm spanner should be enough here.

Gears: similar approach to the brake cables. Make sure the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur are spinning freely - clean and lube as necessary, and that the chain is clean & lightly oiled. Setting up the gears is largely trial & error at first but as long as you're careful to set the limit screws to prevent the mech going into the spokes and to stop the chain falling off and going between highest (smallest) gear and the frame you'll get there with the aid of the many YT vids. Tools will be a crosshead screwdriver, Allen Key or small spanner for the cable clamp.

Once you've got that far looking after it and setting it up to suit your own build will follow easily. Good luck, enjoy.

northernstar007

everyone thanks so much for the info keep it coming
i'm a 1 of original parts on everything so, i will be changing brake and gear cables, looking at them they are pre cut to the correct size inc outer sleave with some metal bracket fitted to the cable to fit into the brake caliper, will i have to buy originals direct from specialized 
same with new brake pad
it was so much easier when we were kids on bmx & grifters

and when i do change everything, i will be making a video of every cable and fittings incase i need to look back on

Nasqueron

GCN did a video recently where they were refurbing the cheapest road bike they could buy without spending much - there was some charity place in Bath I think that had spare parts for ancient bikes of various kinds just lying in racks plus ebay etc - they even got a brake block with a weird custom fit long bolt