Hi, I have no mechanical skills, but I love funky stuff. I found this site today while looking for a valuable source to solve an bike parts/engineering problem for me, but after looking over the work you guys do I feel like I should have an art question, cause that's what you guys produce. From classic to craaazy--all awesome. So even though my issue is mundane and now I feel bad asking, I'll go ahead: I have a stock rarely used Gary Fisher Big Sur MTB from about 1996 that I'm too old and too scared to use on mountains anymore. These days I just need to climb a small hill to the local tavern and back. I checked prices and a new Wal-Mart "comfort" bike goes for about $150 up to $400 for a bottom line bike store bike. That's a lot of money for a knock-around-the-neighborhood bike. Then I had a brainwave. Why I've got a quality old bike right here, so I thought I'd convert it into a comfortable bike with big sit up tall handle bars and squishy seat, soft pedals for barefoot ridin' and heck, maybe even a kickstand. I'm thinking I'd get out for under $100. But the bike shop guy says that handlebars have changed sizes and may not fit, that I'd need a new riser and longer stem tube and new cables that alone would run $150! --the price of a brand-new crappy bike at Wal-Mart. So my question is: can a guy with no mechanical skills--in fact reverse mechanical skills if that is even a thing--order the right cheap stuff off of Amazon and actually put it on without breaking out a welder? I found a couple of years-old posts about converting a mountain bike to a comfort bike on this forum that were over my head. Should I move this post to where the mountain bike-to-comfortable bike people hang out? Is anyone there kind enough to take the time to help a mechanical moron? Sorry so long, and thanks for whatever pointers or wisdom you can pass along. Most of all, keep those creative wheels turning! Wow.
No skills, funky love, need help
- Thread starter gilzmo
- Start date
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gilzmo,
Welcome!
Probably best thing for you is to start a build thread, and post some pictures of your bike.
As you start working on the bike feel free to ask questions. Many people here will step up to help!
Welcome!
Probably best thing for you is to start a build thread, and post some pictures of your bike.
As you start working on the bike feel free to ask questions. Many people here will step up to help!
Older type parts are available, assuming you can measure length and diameter. Don't have experience with threadless forks, but I'd bet they're out there. If you're not handy with tools, I'd stay away from new box store bikes. Now days a lot of them come needing service and proper re-assembly and adjustment, or worse. Here's a couple of sources for low cost parts, some one else may chime in with some other thoughts or sources. http://www.niagaracycle.com/
http://www.bikepartsusa.com/Bike-Parts-srk/Bike-Stem-drk/
http://www.bikepartsusa.com/Bike-Parts-srk/Bike-Stem-drk/
If your Big Sur still has the original stem and handlebars, it'll take a regular 1" (25.4mm) handlebar; most common size for cruiserish/high-rise bars is 1" at the clamp. You may or may not want a longer stem; best bet is to put on the new bars and see if it's comfy or not. If you rise the bars, you will need new cables and housing, but you can get new, decent stuff for cheep--and your bike is almost certainly due for new cables anyway. Pedals and saddles vary in price, but stuff like you're after are rarely expensive. Just remember that you'll need pedals with a 9/16" spindle, and make sure whatever saddle you get has a single rail (meaning one rail on each side.) All this stuff is easy; you won't need a lot of special tools; just some metric allens, a decent cable-cutter, and possibly a pedal wrench, although you can see if your pedals allow enough space to get a standard 15mm wrench in there. You'll also want some grease and some chainlube. (You'll need more if you start to really ride the bike a lot and decide to do a full tune-up/repack...but cross that bridge when you get there...)
Taking pictures helps a LOT. Take pictures of your bike as it sits now; close up detailed pics of all the parts you'll need to change or work on will help you if you get stuck, and need to see how it's supposed to work and what it's supposed to look like. If you get really stuck, post those pics on here so we can better assist you.
I think your goals are easily within reach of your $100 budget for parts; add a bit more for tools.
Welcome to RRB; i'm sure you'll have fun here.
Taking pictures helps a LOT. Take pictures of your bike as it sits now; close up detailed pics of all the parts you'll need to change or work on will help you if you get stuck, and need to see how it's supposed to work and what it's supposed to look like. If you get really stuck, post those pics on here so we can better assist you.
I think your goals are easily within reach of your $100 budget for parts; add a bit more for tools.
Welcome to RRB; i'm sure you'll have fun here.
Wald 803, man, I swear by it!
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/wald-steel-handlebar-803-5-25-27-1-black
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/wald-steel-handlebar-803-5-25-27-1-black
Welcome aboard!
@Bicycle808 is spot on the money and knows what he is talking about!
Kick up a thread in the builds section and lets see what we can do!
Luke.
@Bicycle808 is spot on the money and knows what he is talking about!
Kick up a thread in the builds section and lets see what we can do!
Luke.
The Renaissance Man
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Like everyone has said, you can do most of this work and learn as you go. You're at the right place to get lots of help. Also, Google is your friend. There is plenty of information on how to do things out there on the web. For example, you're pedals have both left and right handed threads. You will need to know which is left and which is right or you will not be able to remove them and could possibly damage them if you guess wrong. I did a quick search and found this link. http://www.condorcycles.com/workshop/how-to-remove-pedals.html I'm sure there is much more out there on the subject, this was just the first one that I clicked on.
Also, it's a good idea to use the right language when you need info. Here's an image that will help you to identify the correct terminology of bike parts so that you can communicate clearly.
Good luck and have fun!
Also, it's a good idea to use the right language when you need info. Here's an image that will help you to identify the correct terminology of bike parts so that you can communicate clearly.
Good luck and have fun!
Also RRB has a great resource in the "how to" section...
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?forums/how-to.3/
And The Sheldon Brown Bicycle Technical Information Site is a great place to learn...
http://sheldonbrown.com/
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?forums/how-to.3/
And The Sheldon Brown Bicycle Technical Information Site is a great place to learn...
http://sheldonbrown.com/
You guys are G-R-E-A-T! Believe it or not, I had done tons of Googling on this, got a lot of bits and pieces of info from a lot of different places, and slowly started drowning in information to the point of giving up. You guys pulled me out of the rabbit hole. From the encouragement and links from Horsefarmer and LuketheJoker, to the wisdom on new-bikes-need-work from deorman, to the specific tips/links on brake threading from RenaissanceMan and the invaluable big picture/little picture post from Bicycle808, you guys have answered all my questions--I think. Hey, I believe I can do this! I know this isn't a sexy project, and thank you all so much for taking the time to help. Gotta get my camera and start taking pics! Thanks again, guys.
As has been said you will be able to do it yourself pretty easily, the seat, pedals and bars are just bolt ons, with regards to the cables you could get your local bike shop to supply and fit them and give the bike a tune up at the same time, though with a decent manual or online resources you could do this too, and if it comes to it just get someone to tune it if you are struggling. I recently reinstalled the front derailleur on my tourer and couldn't get the cable adjustment right so just paid about $40-50 for a service.
You might want to get the saddle you have to a comfortable height and work out the bar height that you want from there (sit on the bike and hold your hands where they are comfortable and then just look for bars to suit.
If the bike hasn't been used in a while you might also want to pump up the tyres and see what sort of condition they are in and whether the tubes hold air.
I have a scrapper I ride occasionally and the tyres are full of cracks so I know that I need to replace them but am willing to take the risk for the distances I go on it.
A good source of parts can be rubbish tips and also roadside rubbish collections.
You might want to get the saddle you have to a comfortable height and work out the bar height that you want from there (sit on the bike and hold your hands where they are comfortable and then just look for bars to suit.
If the bike hasn't been used in a while you might also want to pump up the tyres and see what sort of condition they are in and whether the tubes hold air.
I have a scrapper I ride occasionally and the tyres are full of cracks so I know that I need to replace them but am willing to take the risk for the distances I go on it.
A good source of parts can be rubbish tips and also roadside rubbish collections.
