'new' bike
mr_eddy
Posts: 830
Ok so I recently asked peoples thoughts on some of the cheap road bikes you can get (viking Clubmaster etc). I need a bike to be able to go on a handful of bike rides my mates have planned and my current SS whilst lovely is not up to the hills. I thought a cheap road bike would be fine given the short distances involved (30 miles max) and the fact it would be used maybe 5 or 6 times a year.
I am no racer, my mates are certainly not racers we just like to do a few sumer rides each year whilst the weather is not so rubbish so there is no call for anything high end.
I decided to go and have a look at a Viking in the flesh so to speak, I had a quick test spin and I can't believe how cheaply they are made. The frame on the one I tested had a unique ability to made of a type of Alu that rides like pig iron. Even for a cheap bike it really was nasty! I know you get what you pay for but this was taking the p*ss.
So to that end and in complete contrast on my initial plan I have bought a second hand bike on eBay namely a Giant Speeder from late 80's poss early 90's, it was a bit of a gamble as I have not test ridden but its the correct size for me plus it only cost £52 all in and I love retro race bikes.
I was also bidding on a lovely Viking 979 alu lugged but that ended up going for over £200.
my 'new' Giant has a fair few scrapes on the paint work but the mechanicals seems good, the tyres and tubes are brand new and the wheels are Mavic's that run straight and true so I am quite happy. The gruppo is Shimmy 400EX 12spd with down tube shifters (indexed don't ya know) and a Biopace chainset - very retro!
My question relates to service etc, I want to make sure its ready to go so what sort of things should I be looking at replacing / servicing prior to first ride ?
So far I am thinking new gear and brake cables, new brake pads and switch out the boggo pedals to my SPD's. The headset and BB seem solid with no play so gonna probably leave them in place, is there anything else I should do ?
Also the paint work has seen better days and whilst I would love to strip it down and give it a proper spray job I have to be realistic. I have no spray booth , no place to prep the bike and no where to hang it in addition I reckon the cost of 2-3 cans of spray paint plus a couple more of laquer and the extra money on paint stripper, wire brush etc would outweigh the £50 I paid for the bike. To that end I am thinking of painting it with a brush and some hammerite - I have a whole tin of black hammerite in the shed, i would strip most of the bits of and tape up the downtube shifters.
I know you will see the brush marks but it is defo better than the chipped and scratched paint job at the mo. Should I be weary of this type of paint job ? Anything I should watch out for ?
Thanks
I am no racer, my mates are certainly not racers we just like to do a few sumer rides each year whilst the weather is not so rubbish so there is no call for anything high end.
I decided to go and have a look at a Viking in the flesh so to speak, I had a quick test spin and I can't believe how cheaply they are made. The frame on the one I tested had a unique ability to made of a type of Alu that rides like pig iron. Even for a cheap bike it really was nasty! I know you get what you pay for but this was taking the p*ss.
So to that end and in complete contrast on my initial plan I have bought a second hand bike on eBay namely a Giant Speeder from late 80's poss early 90's, it was a bit of a gamble as I have not test ridden but its the correct size for me plus it only cost £52 all in and I love retro race bikes.
I was also bidding on a lovely Viking 979 alu lugged but that ended up going for over £200.
my 'new' Giant has a fair few scrapes on the paint work but the mechanicals seems good, the tyres and tubes are brand new and the wheels are Mavic's that run straight and true so I am quite happy. The gruppo is Shimmy 400EX 12spd with down tube shifters (indexed don't ya know) and a Biopace chainset - very retro!
My question relates to service etc, I want to make sure its ready to go so what sort of things should I be looking at replacing / servicing prior to first ride ?
So far I am thinking new gear and brake cables, new brake pads and switch out the boggo pedals to my SPD's. The headset and BB seem solid with no play so gonna probably leave them in place, is there anything else I should do ?
Also the paint work has seen better days and whilst I would love to strip it down and give it a proper spray job I have to be realistic. I have no spray booth , no place to prep the bike and no where to hang it in addition I reckon the cost of 2-3 cans of spray paint plus a couple more of laquer and the extra money on paint stripper, wire brush etc would outweigh the £50 I paid for the bike. To that end I am thinking of painting it with a brush and some hammerite - I have a whole tin of black hammerite in the shed, i would strip most of the bits of and tape up the downtube shifters.
I know you will see the brush marks but it is defo better than the chipped and scratched paint job at the mo. Should I be weary of this type of paint job ? Anything I should watch out for ?
Thanks
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