Bike is broke. But I knew that when I bought it.

(Long rambling post about my new-to-me bike that I bought off of Craigslist.  Consider yourself warned.)

I know, I’m reusing a picture from a couple of days ago.

I have had a desire to try cycling for a while.  I have even gone so far as to go to my local bike shops and talk to the staff, learning and pricing.  First off, $1300 for a base line Trek Road bike?  I don’t even know if I LIKE cycling!!!!    I can get a motorcycle for that – it has two wheels AND propels itself!!!!   After my sticker shock wore off, I tried to get my ancient 1980’s 10 speed working, but it seems to pop tires.  I couldn’t figure out which spoke was causing the problem, and had an issue spending the money that would be required to actually get it really road worthy. IT needed new cables, new brakes, wheels trued, new handle bar wraps, seat replaced, and a full tune up.  I’m not dropping a couple of hundred bucks on a 20 year old bike that cost a third of that at the time.

I went to my old stand by, and decided to start watching Craigslist for a bike.  Let me just say, I love Craigslist.  I have bought smart phones, laptops, motorcycles, treadmills, workout equipment and even a pebble smart watch.  I found that whatever you are after WILL show up on Craigslist eventually, at a price you like – if you wait long enough,and respond fast enough.  (Or have your wife respond, as some people are more likely to respond to women.)

So, I picked up a 2003 Trek 2000 Road bike off of Craigslist for $50.  The advertisement stated that it needed a new rear derailleur and chain, but included clip-less pedals, spare tubes and tires.  In the weeks time from when he posted it, to when he actually sold it to me – he had bought the missing parts,  He got them on, and when you move the pedals the wheels turn, but if you try to ride it – the chain pops off the back.  Even though I am mechanically inept, I decided to take a look and see what I could figure out.  I quickly realized that the rear derailleur won’t allow it to shift to the biggest gears, and it happily shoves the chain off of the bottom gear.  With the help of YouTube, I found out how to adjust it – but it didn’t resolve the issue.  With the encouragement of my Facebook friends – I brought the bike to the Crofton Bike Doctor to have it looked at. (Back when I was trying to learn about road-bikes, they spent 30 minutes explaining modern bikes to me, even though they knew I was only spending 4 bucks on a tube.  The other “LBS” was under the impression I was buying a bike – and they were rude.  So, Crofton Bike Doctor wins my business!

The staff at the bike doctor immediately noticed somethings I hadn’t.  Like the fact that the brake pads on the back didn’t match.  He also recommended that the handle bar tape that was falling off-  be replaced, but he talked me out of the expensive stuff to another brand.  Tune up was 79 bucks, plus the extras would bring it to a bit over $100. Not too bad.  This price was of course dependent on the various issues the mechanic might find when he went over it, but he would call me then.

I think this was the first phone call.

And he called me… And Called me again… And then questioned if it was worth it. 🙂 The list he gave me over the phone included:

Bottom Bracket Bent (What the heck is a bottom bracket?) another $15 in parts, and $15 in labor.  Sure, why not.

2nd Call:
-Bottom Ring needs to be replaced (What the heck is a bottom ring?)
-Chain Ring needs to be replaced (What the heck is a chain ring?)
-The rear cartridge has 9 gears, but the derailleur and chain are for 7 gears.  The shifter in the

The 2nd phone call?

front is also for 7 gears.  (I think he meant the handlebar shifter/brake – which had been replaced, which was odd to me as the gears are actually on the frame)
-Brake Hoods need to be replaced as one was ripped up, and the other was missing (previous owner had wrapped it in tape)

His estimate at this point, with the tune up – was over $400.  Not in this month’s budget, but still far less than a new bike.  The nice thing – is there was no charge for the estimate.

Since this is 2014, I immediately posted on Facebook.  The common response was along the lines of “Grab a Wrench!!!” – Which is funny since I am mechanically inept.  But I love working on broken things, because they are already broken. If it doesn’t work BEFORE you work on it, and it doesn’t work AFTER you work on it… Hey! No loss!

My new reading material.

A friend was nice enough to recommend some books for me to help me learn about Bicycle maintenance – so I have my starting point!

I almost forgot the quote.
This was on top of the $114 previously quoted for the tune up, brake pads and handlebar wrap.
I have no idea if this is a good price or not.

About Robinson

I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.