Monday, October 26, 2009

NEXT Mountain Bike Refurbish


Hello and Welcome.
I found this entry level NEXT Mountain Bike last week at one of my favorite Thrift Stores. It had a flat tire on the rear. Also a slight wobble in the rear wheel. And the Saddle was ripped. And the linear pull brakes, were set-up improperly. The kick-stand was loose. After getting it home I noticed a wobble in the front wheel as well (also slight) But! (and there is always a but)the bike appeared to be barely ridden. The finish although dirty looked great. Also the tires had all the little nubs, that always gets my attention. Then I noticed the derailleurs were Shimano and the "like new" tires were KENDA. No kinks in any of the cables (that`s always nice). The crank was not loose or tight, No play or grind in the threaded headset. The handlebars and brake levers were not scraped up. Although the bar-ends were a little scraped up. I replaced them with a pair I had scavenged off a parts bike. I had recently picked up a good saddle at one of my Thrift Stores that would be a nice fit for this bike. So not a lot of money spent there.($6.00 for a $25.00 saddle) I knew I had some good inner-tubes laying around. And the wheels trued-up easily (on the bike). Sometimes I will let the air out of the tires and true them on the bike,using the brake shoes as a guide. I only do this if the wobble is slight, and only on mountain and cruiser type bikes. Also both derailleurs needed to be adjusted. That went real well as they were in really nice condition. Afterwards I took it for a ride and everything was fine except the saddle which was pitched up a little. This is a good thing to mention. When I mounted the bike on the repair stand I did not level it up. And when I mounted the saddle I did not compensate for that. And so it was pitched upward. So I guess is the lesson here is. When you put a bike on the old Park Tool PCS 9 Stand for repairs, level it up. Especially if you are going to be mounting a new WTB Saddle. ooops! I think I have maybe three or four hours into this bike. And not a lot of out-of-pocket money. I think it came out pretty good and will make someone a good inexpensive bike. Until next tine, Please ride safely and remember to always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

4 comments:

  1. Hugh,

    Great job! You are putting a bike back on the road in better condition than when it left the store.

    Edward S.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks,
    And you hit the nail right on the head!
    (in my opinion)Department store bikes for the most part are poorly assembled. And usually not tuned at all. The consumer should not have to spend 600.00 + just to get brakes and derailleurs that are set up correctly. And don`t even get me started on Cranks and Head-Sets!...lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great bike. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

 
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