Bike needs help

stephaniedragotta

I'm very new to biking and I just signed up for a run/bike/run race in three weeks. I was given a Fuji Allegro bike. Ive ridden it a few times. Gears shift, but they are very clicky and not consistent. Brakes seem okay. The chain is very rusty and the tires are worn. I'm definitely going to get new tires but what else should i do prior to my race? I dont want to spend a lot of money and if possible id like to "DIY". I do plan on riding the bike weekly but for only like 30 minutes at a time. I don't need anything fancy, just want to get in the exercise. Should I replace the chain? The gears? The brakes? any advice would be great because I don't know anything about the maintenance of a bike.

BobScarle

The bike looks quite old and because you say the chain is rusty, it has probably stood for a while. You will need to get new tyres and tubes as they could well have perished. I would certainly get a new chain. After fitting you can then look at the gears. I would not touch them until the chain is sorted.

captain_tiara

And if it has stood for a long time the cables are probably equally rusty so the gears & brakes won't be so easy to sort out. Probably.

Moonbiker

Looks like is in good condition flat pedals reflectors & dork disc, so maybe chain & cables will be ok as suggest pervious owner did a low milage maybe?

Rust can be cleaned off a chain unless its really bad.

How to check the chain needs replacing:

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

See the Measuring Chain Wear bit.

Looks like a decent bike what groupset & gearing does it have?

(U can count the teeth or it might say on the rings)

Moonbiker

Oh if you buy new tyres check if it needs 700c or 27 inch wheel size ones

iron-clover

My first road bike was an old touring style bike from the '70s, with components that look similar to yours. The bad news is that a lot of the old components, especially the rear wheels, can be a real pain to replace, and the side pull brakes were horrendous to adjust properly... I also found that mine required lots of tlc to keep running smoothly as everything was so knackered!
On the bright side, the gears were incredibly easy to adjust as they weren't indexed.

However, you can replace the chain fairly easily, and you can still get 27" tyres. If you can't clean the chain with a metal brush, then you should think about a new chain, as it'll wear out the rest of the components fairly quickly. If your chain is badly rusted then even a wire brush wont help as the rollers will have rusted and so your chain will wear out quickly, by 'stretching'. Definitely lubricate the chain and keep it as clean as you can- it will work more efficiently and last longer.

If it's been outside for a while, definitely think about new tryes/ tubes- rubber can go hard and brittle in sunlight over a long time, if this is the case you might not have too much grip, and a new set of tyres and tubes will make it feel a lot nicer for minimal cost.
Try to match the right width though, as I remember snapping several tyre levers trying to get a tyre of a different width onto one of the old size wheels (still rated as 27" though!). You'll see on the tyres that they are rated as 27x??, where the ?? is the width. If you are lucky enough to have 700c wheels, then you don't have to worry about the width within reason.

Brakes:
Do they work? Can you pull the lever until it reaches the bars? If you can, you need to tighten them up (bring the pads closer to the rims) or replace the cables if you can feel them stretching a lot. Old cables stretch over time due to the pull when you use the brakes, but luckily new cables are cheap and last a long time.

Other than that, keep your tyres inflated to their recommended inflation, which will allow them to roll nicely (a cheap track pump will be your best friend!)

I wouldn't bother swapping out too many components, as if you find you enjoy cycling you'll probably be buying a modern machine and you won't be able to use them as spares for the new machine.

simon_masterson

If you get some oil on that chain, there may be some life left in it. Freewheels generally last ages so that's probably fine too, even if you were to put a new chain on it. I can't see how many sprockets you have (6?), but though options are getting a little thin on the ground, new production freewheels from Shimano and Sunrace are good quality and shift well.

And as above, do check tyre size. I suspect 700c but it could be 27".

In general it's a good idea to check out and regrease all moving parts on old bikes - bottom bracket, wheel bearings, seatpost (though you'll probably want to adjust it anyway), stem... Apart from anything else, problems with these are worth catching early.

simon_masterson

iron-clover wrote:

I wouldn't bother swapping out too many components, as if you find you enjoy cycling you'll probably be buying a modern machine and you won't be able to use them as spares for the new machine.

Rubbish. Maintained properly, old bikes can run at least as well as modern ones, and generally cheaper (eg more durable chains and freewheels that are cheaper anyway). Replacement parts where needed can be had very cheaply on eBay and forums. 27" tyres are pretty much limited to 27x1 1/4.

My 40 year old main bike is reliability itself, despite daily use in all weathers. Has a couple of original parts, too.

iron-clover

Simon Masterson wrote:

iron-clover wrote:

I wouldn't bother swapping out too many components, as if you find you enjoy cycling you'll probably be buying a modern machine and you won't be able to use them as spares for the new machine.

Rubbish. Maintained properly, old bikes can run at least as well as modern ones, and generally cheaper (eg more durable chains and freewheels that are cheaper anyway). Replacement parts where needed can be had very cheaply on eBay and forums. 27" tyres are pretty much limited to 27x1 1/4.

My 40 year old main bike is reliability itself, despite daily use in all weathers. Has a couple of original parts, too.

This is true, *if* they are maintained properly.
I had two second hand bikes from this era and the cost of spare parts alone was about 5 times the cost of the bikes themselves- and then there's the tools for bottom bracket, pedals etc.

Don't get me wrong- I loved those bikes, but from personal experience having one in a distressed state (as the OP's appears to be) isn't the most convenient for a beginner to maintain.
The older parts are more fun to work on now I've got the knowledge and tools (who doesn't find servicing their bearing races satisfying) but as a newbie it turned into a nightmare.

And I don't argue that modern bikes are cheap to maintain either, but a well looked after new bike will have the parts wear out in a more even spread to begin with, which allows the appropriate tools and skills to be built over time. It took a little over 3 years of hard riding to get to the point of replacing every moving part of my once new bike with relatively cheap components, which eased me in much more gently!

stephaniedragotta

Thanks for the help everyone! I went to Nashbar and purchased tires (couldn't find tubes in the right size). There were only two options for tires and they were cheap so hopefully they will be okay. The rim said ( 27" x 1 1/8" ) so that's the size tire I bought. I went ahead and bought a new chain and cog. The cog has 6 sprockets so I bought a 6 speed chain. Not really sure what I'm doing!

I spent $70 on everything, so that's not too bad considering the bike was free. I don't think im going to hassle with the gears just yet.