novocaine
Established Member
One more thing. Buy a lid. To cheap not to bother with one these days.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HEOOEND/o ... mtb-helmet
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HEOOEND/o ... mtb-helmet
How much for a decent mountain/road bike.
- Thread starter Bm101
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novocaine
Established Member
dang nabit.
I don't have a cat to kick.
was thinking about buying myself one at that price.
for 400 quid the 16" is still a bargain and at 5'6" is pretty close to correct size for you. but for the same money you can upgrade to the next level and get the rd600 with 2x10 deore and better forks.
https://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/colle ... ntain-bike
still, it's 400 quid so yer, no comment.
I don't have a cat to kick.
was thinking about buying myself one at that price.
for 400 quid the 16" is still a bargain and at 5'6" is pretty close to correct size for you. but for the same money you can upgrade to the next level and get the rd600 with 2x10 deore and better forks.
https://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/colle ... ntain-bike
still, it's 400 quid so yer, no comment.
Ok. Been on the See Saw of Indecision too long. Starting to get irritating.
I have decided to do up the Balance on the rationale that, long term I probably want a hybrid. I can't find a new hybrid I can afford atm. The shelves are bare. It appears I well and truly missed the boat. And I want a bike I can go out on. Rather than drop £400 on the Parkers MTB and risk regretting it later I'm going to skip ebay and Gumtree and buy the parts to do up my bike. It's a surprisingly light frame, old kit but good kit and I'm certainly not at the level to tell the difference yet. Plan being... all goes well knock a bit of new unaccustomed lockdown deadweight off, up the cardio, feel better, get fitter. Sometime in the future when the world returns to more normal patterns then look at spending more on a decent modern bike that I want/need.
Soooo.
I've mostly followed Novocaine's list.
Bumped it up a bit by adding the charge spoon saddle that MikeG mentioned because I never got on with the old one and I have the internet now. Also some parts were sold out so had to replace with slightly more expensive components.
Apart from the saddle the only major change is the fact that I need to replace the gripshifts. The rubber is not just grubby, if you poke it it's become elastic and nasty. Beyond saving.
I found these: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-gx-11-spe ... shift-set/
I know they are 11 speed. ... Stupid Question: Can I use them anyway? #-o I know. Really. I'm sorry.
I'm not a great fan of grip shifters. (Remember Grifters! ) 8) I'm very much open to educated answers. And weblinks. Particularly to Wiggle or Amazon as I have baskets open at each. I know the £100 price limit has been broken (by me)but that balance between real world advantage to an amateur and latest/greatest still stands.
Am I better just going to new handles and gear shifters like, thumb operated or replacing with a modern alternative?
Sorry to be a pest fellas.
Treading water here.
Chris
I have decided to do up the Balance on the rationale that, long term I probably want a hybrid. I can't find a new hybrid I can afford atm. The shelves are bare. It appears I well and truly missed the boat. And I want a bike I can go out on. Rather than drop £400 on the Parkers MTB and risk regretting it later I'm going to skip ebay and Gumtree and buy the parts to do up my bike. It's a surprisingly light frame, old kit but good kit and I'm certainly not at the level to tell the difference yet. Plan being... all goes well knock a bit of new unaccustomed lockdown deadweight off, up the cardio, feel better, get fitter. Sometime in the future when the world returns to more normal patterns then look at spending more on a decent modern bike that I want/need.
Soooo.
I've mostly followed Novocaine's list.
Bumped it up a bit by adding the charge spoon saddle that MikeG mentioned because I never got on with the old one and I have the internet now.
Also some parts were sold out so had to replace with slightly more expensive components.Apart from the saddle the only major change is the fact that I need to replace the gripshifts. The rubber is not just grubby, if you poke it it's become elastic and nasty. Beyond saving.
I found these: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-gx-11-spe ... shift-set/
I know they are 11 speed. ... Stupid Question: Can I use them anyway? #-o I know. Really. I'm sorry.
I'm not a great fan of grip shifters. (Remember Grifters! ) 8) I'm very much open to educated answers. And weblinks. Particularly to Wiggle or Amazon as I have baskets open at each. I know the £100 price limit has been broken (by me)but that balance between real world advantage to an amateur and latest/greatest still stands.
Am I better just going to new handles and gear shifters like, thumb operated or replacing with a modern alternative?
Sorry to be a pest fellas.
Treading water here.
Chris
novocaine
Established Member
Its a 7 speed cassette so, nope.
Can you pull the back wheel off and take a picture of the cassette? Hopefully its a freehub which means you can bang an 8 or 9 speed cassette on and change to shimano alivio or similar. 11 speed needs a different freehub, no way you can sqush it on without a new rear wheel which is all but impossible with 26" now. You'd also need to change the cranks as the chain ring wouldn't work.
The charge spoon is a worthwhile upgrade, its the saddle i have on the mtb bike.
All this talk of hybrids, you do realise that most mtb have the same size wheels as a hybrid these days and often a much more comfortable geometry )at least for me, my FIL dissagrees but hes 70). Stick a set of 47c slick tyres on a 650b (27.5) anf you get 90% of the benefit of a hybrid with 60% of the benefit of a mtb. Same goes with a 29".
Can you pull the back wheel off and take a picture of the cassette? Hopefully its a freehub which means you can bang an 8 or 9 speed cassette on and change to shimano alivio or similar. 11 speed needs a different freehub, no way you can sqush it on without a new rear wheel which is all but impossible with 26" now. You'd also need to change the cranks as the chain ring wouldn't work.
The charge spoon is a worthwhile upgrade, its the saddle i have on the mtb bike.
All this talk of hybrids, you do realise that most mtb have the same size wheels as a hybrid these days and often a much more comfortable geometry )at least for me, my FIL dissagrees but hes 70). Stick a set of 47c slick tyres on a 650b (27.5) anf you get 90% of the benefit of a hybrid with 60% of the benefit of a mtb. Same goes with a 29".
Trevanion
Greatest Of All Time
I don't like to hijack a thread but something has been itching my brain a bit. I'm not the most well versed on bikes and frankly accumulated time on one in my entire life is probably only a couple of hours but I passed a bloke on a bike today and it looked proper weird and proper hard work, looked a bit like a mountain bike very big wheels with 3" or so wide tyres and he seemed to really be struggling to pedal it along the road.
Is it some kind of new-fangled self-torture device I'm not aware of? :?
Is it some kind of new-fangled self-torture device I'm not aware of? :?
novocaine
Established Member
Fatbike. Made for snow and beachesm thee was a passing fad for them a while back. Never bought into it myself.
Bm, if your getting anywhere near the 200 mark cut you losses. This would be a better way to sink your cash.
https://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/colle ... kking-bike
11 in stock in an 18" as of posting. Stick 20 quid on for that spoon.
Ita got some draw backs that the other bikes didnt have (freewheel, steel forks, 1 1/8 headset, some compromise on components) but its better than finding you spent 200 quid and you haven't got to end of it becuase other bits break.
Edit to add, its a blooming hybrid. Ive got a set of throw overs ill sell you for a tenner plus postage.
also note,im suggesting an 18" in a hybrid rather than 16" becuase you dont need the standover ad much on a hybrid style of bike
Bm, if your getting anywhere near the 200 mark cut you losses. This would be a better way to sink your cash.
https://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/colle ... kking-bike
11 in stock in an 18" as of posting. Stick 20 quid on for that spoon.
Ita got some draw backs that the other bikes didnt have (freewheel, steel forks, 1 1/8 headset, some compromise on components) but its better than finding you spent 200 quid and you haven't got to end of it becuase other bits break.
Edit to add, its a blooming hybrid. Ive got a set of throw overs ill sell you for a tenner plus postage.
also note,im suggesting an 18" in a hybrid rather than 16" becuase you dont need the standover ad much on a hybrid style of bike
scooby
Established Member
scooby
Established Member
Pm me your address. i dont want anything, its been stuck in a box for 6 years. its about time it got some use.
novocaine
Established Member
That was fun, I'm glad its all sorted.
reckon you've got yourself a bargain and whilst it isn't a hybrid per-say it's a similar wheel size and I reckon you'll find the tyres on there are fine for the time being.
the saddles a WTB rocket, I have the very very old version of that saddle that ran for some ridiculous amount of time and found it really good, but without sounding to weirdo, my buttocks and yours are not the same.
Free Charge spoon, take it quick, that's a really nice offer of Scooby. they haven't really changed the design of it in 15 years, it's made by Velo who also make a large number of other saddles for considerable more money. the design is robust, mainly because they nicked the ideas from other saddle designs :O. (selle italia springs to mind).
it's going to come in a nice big box. open it carefully, put the wheels on (qr so easy enough) add pedals (left one turns the wrong way) bars in the stem, with 4 bolts, that only need 15nm, do them up even so the gap on top of the bars matches the gap on the bottom.
check you tyre pressure then hop on and take it for a spin. think you'll be amazed at the difference between old and new.
now remove that rusty chain from the balance, whip of the wheels and bar and wrap it careful like in all the packaging that came on the new bike. place it gentle in the box and store it somewhere for that day you realise you've joined the weirdos who like bikes and want to restore it as a "project". trust me, it can be a slippery slope if that bug gets you, you reckon the weirdy beardy plane restores are odd, wait till you find yourself in a cycle museum discussing the merits of 1979 carlton over a dawes galaxy of similar ilk and walking away from the museum with parts :shock: . Can you imagine doing that in the natural history museum?
have fun and obviously, the obligatory pictures when your all up and running.
reckon you've got yourself a bargain and whilst it isn't a hybrid per-say it's a similar wheel size and I reckon you'll find the tyres on there are fine for the time being.
the saddles a WTB rocket, I have the very very old version of that saddle that ran for some ridiculous amount of time and found it really good, but without sounding to weirdo, my buttocks and yours are not the same.
Free Charge spoon, take it quick, that's a really nice offer of Scooby. they haven't really changed the design of it in 15 years, it's made by Velo who also make a large number of other saddles for considerable more money. the design is robust, mainly because they nicked the ideas from other saddle designs :O. (selle italia springs to mind).
it's going to come in a nice big box. open it carefully, put the wheels on (qr so easy enough) add pedals (left one turns the wrong way
) bars in the stem, with 4 bolts, that only need 15nm, do them up even so the gap on top of the bars matches the gap on the bottom. check you tyre pressure then hop on and take it for a spin. think you'll be amazed at the difference between old and new.
now remove that rusty chain from the balance, whip of the wheels and bar and wrap it careful like in all the packaging that came on the new bike. place it gentle in the box and store it somewhere for that day you realise you've joined the weirdos who like bikes and want to restore it as a "project". trust me, it can be a slippery slope if that bug gets you, you reckon the weirdy beardy plane restores are odd, wait till you find yourself in a cycle museum discussing the merits of 1979 carlton over a dawes galaxy of similar ilk and walking away from the museum with parts :shock: . Can you imagine doing that in the natural history museum?
have fun and obviously, the obligatory pictures when your all up and running.
loftyhermes
Established Member
Not sure if it's of any interest but I've just read that the Govt are giving £50 vouchers to fix old bikes.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/lates ... =4#cycling
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/lates ... =4#cycling
Well just to prove all the advice gets heeded one way or t'other and say thanks all for very welcome help and shared knowledge but especially to Novocaine and Scooby.
I present: The Arseless Horse.
Loving it. Did a skid today. For no reason but feel like I was 8 again on my Bmx Burner. Couple of nearby young lasses in vest tops gushed. One fainted I was so cool. :roll: Been battling the dizzy, extreme descents of the canal towpaths but I have to say I'm raising a sweat and loving being back on a bike. How did I let it slip away for ten years?
Took my lad (10) on an early ride Saturday, and we had a great morning looking at all the birds down by the river Lea. Just lovely. Did an Endo. My lad thinks I'm Barry Sheen. Or he would if he was born in the 70's.
The saddle Scooby so kindly sent me arrived today and went on the Arseless straight off. It's nearly the same shape as the original but wow, it's undeniably far more comfortable so many many thanks Scooby. From me and any my posterior. =D>
As an aside .... I got home from work and the box/bike delivery was just leaning aginst the side of the house. There was a delivery note saying as much. I was livid. But then I got to thinking... you know...what if... then I heard My Mum's voice in my head so I still have just the one bike. Honesty doesn't pay but you sleep well at night from having to work hard to pay the mortgage. :roll: Cheers Mum.
Really pleased with the riddick but I do need to sort out the high end gear changes. Not quite there. Ticking a bit. Will google and adjust.
Modern turn on turn off suspension on front forks is just a revelation.
Thanks again everyone.
Regards as always.
Chris
I present: The Arseless Horse.
Loving it. Did a skid today. For no reason but feel like I was 8 again on my Bmx Burner. Couple of nearby young lasses in vest tops gushed. One fainted I was so cool. :roll: Been battling the dizzy, extreme descents of the canal towpaths but I have to say I'm raising a sweat and loving being back on a bike. How did I let it slip away for ten years?
Took my lad (10) on an early ride Saturday, and we had a great morning looking at all the birds down by the river Lea. Just lovely. Did an Endo. My lad thinks I'm Barry Sheen. Or he would if he was born in the 70's.
The saddle Scooby so kindly sent me arrived today and went on the Arseless straight off. It's nearly the same shape as the original but wow, it's undeniably far more comfortable so many many thanks Scooby. From me and any my posterior. =D>
As an aside .... I got home from work and the box/bike delivery was just leaning aginst the side of the house. There was a delivery note saying as much. I was livid. But then I got to thinking... you know...what if... then I heard My Mum's voice in my head so I still have just the one bike.
Honesty doesn't pay but you sleep well at night from having to work hard to pay the mortgage. :roll: Cheers Mum.Really pleased with the riddick but I do need to sort out the high end gear changes. Not quite there. Ticking a bit. Will google and adjust.
Modern turn on turn off suspension on front forks is just a revelation.
Thanks again everyone.
Regards as always.
Chris
novocaine
Established Member
my that is a nice looking bike.
everyone knows chicks dig skids. as for endos, they need to be followed up with a skid.
really glad it fit the bill and you are enjoying it. modern suspension, even budget orientated is another world. I still love my 1999 z5's and my 2001 jnr T but they can't put a stamp against the air fork on my bike that cost considerably less.
as for the gears, it could be cable stretch (they all do that) which is easy enough to iron out, drop it down to the small cog, make sure the upper jockey wheel (little wheels on the derailleur/ mech) is in line (look from the back) with it, remove the slack from the cable using the barrel adjuster on the cable (on the rear mech for an altus). count how many turns you make, just in case you pineapple it up and have to return to a known goodish spot. click it up a gear, if it shifts without an problem then shift to the next cog up, if it shifts without a problem you're done. if it doesn't quite shift add a half turn to the barrel adjuster and repeat. once it shifts through those 3 it should shift through them all.
if it's still a bit wooly as it goes through the gears then I'm afraid it's a bent hanger and a trip to a bike shop. you can make your own alignment tool but you need to find a 10x1mm bolt (hint, it's the same as most 10mm rear axles) a few nuts to suit and a 350mm length of 3/4 or 1" box section. I know this because that is what mines made from and I know it works as I was using it only yesterday to tweak one of the road bikes that got a bit friendly with a mini recently.
everyone knows chicks dig skids. as for endos, they need to be followed up with a skid.
really glad it fit the bill and you are enjoying it. modern suspension, even budget orientated is another world. I still love my 1999 z5's and my 2001 jnr T but they can't put a stamp against the air fork on my bike that cost considerably less.
as for the gears, it could be cable stretch (they all do that) which is easy enough to iron out, drop it down to the small cog, make sure the upper jockey wheel (little wheels on the derailleur/ mech) is in line (look from the back) with it, remove the slack from the cable using the barrel adjuster on the cable (on the rear mech for an altus). count how many turns you make, just in case you pineapple it up and have to return to a known goodish spot
. click it up a gear, if it shifts without an problem then shift to the next cog up, if it shifts without a problem you're done. if it doesn't quite shift add a half turn to the barrel adjuster and repeat. once it shifts through those 3 it should shift through them all. if it's still a bit wooly as it goes through the gears then I'm afraid it's a bent hanger and a trip to a bike shop. you can make your own alignment tool but you need to find a 10x1mm bolt (hint, it's the same as most 10mm rear axles) a few nuts to suit and a 350mm length of 3/4 or 1" box section. I know this because that is what mines made from and I know it works as I was using it only yesterday to tweak one of the road bikes that got a bit friendly with a mini recently.
scooby
Established Member
You’re welcome Chris, glad it turned up ok. Welcome to the healthiest addiction possible, its a slippery slope.
I see further mods and extra bikes on the horizon. :mrgreen:
I see further mods and extra bikes on the horizon. :mrgreen:
scooby
Established Member
in addition to novocaines excellent advice, have a look at the GCN youtube channel. Theres quite a lot of setup and repair vids on there.
