The Biking Thread

[Dogsinplastic]

Still no scantily clad ladies, but some cool pic none the less.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Old bike mojo (just kidding) though they can be a pain since it's getting hard to find parts for older bikes like that. I have an early 80's custom build too and even at the bike exchange I have trouble finding parts. But if it's already up to date there won't be a problem.

Look forward to seeing pictures

Here you go! copied over from a thread in the vintage section of the bike forums forum.

From 10 feet, looks lovely!

Let's look closer:

vv There is a little braze on to hold this pump there, but it obviously vibrates on the seat tube.

I figured out the bar and stem are SR Suntour. The brakes are Dia Compe Gran Compe, and only the levers are 80's 105. Overall, a nice bike, but pretty nicked up in terms of paint, and a few mechanical things to clean up. Will have to see if these rims have have a bead. I heard some of this era Weinmanns did not.

More:

Note the rounded off lower pully wheel.

corrosion on the sprockets/cassette.

Will have to drop that stem a bit too. Though I will also look for a longer replacement.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Also, if you guys have any idea/opinion/guess on a value, considering condition, please chime in. I want to be fair to her, and to me. A good condition bike with paint in good shape is reportedly worth $500, based on the vintage section of that other forum. This one seems a bit more beat up than that. Though still a nice bike when it gets cleaned up. No show/collector value though, I would think.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I think I have a handle on value. I am coming up with $350-450 based on condition, and based on the opinions of some folks at the Bikeforums.net that do the vintage thing, and know Davidsons. When I have time, I will post a little more of the history of this thing. I think it will be a fun project, and an even better ride!

 

[Tig]

I think I have a handle on value. I am coming up with $350-450 based on condition, and based on the opinions of some folks at the Bikeforums.net that do the vintage thing, and know Davidsons. When I have time, I will post a little more of the history of this thing. I think it will be a fun project, and an even better ride!

Yeah, $400-$450 sounds about right. Condition is a factor. I'm guessing he used Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL tubing.

If it were mine, I'd replace the chain along with the lower jockey pulley. The tires look pretty new in the photos, but check for dry rot or cracks anyway. I'd take the wheels off and feel the hub bearings for side to side slop, and while spinning for grit/catching (possible lack of grease), and over tightening. I'd also check (first, feel) the bottom bracket (without the chain wrapped around the chain ring) and headset bearings and lube or replace if needed.

 

[nuke_diver]

Wow I'd never guess an old bike is worth that much. Maybe I should be a bit more careful with mine though because it was a custom build from a bike shop that no one here will have heard of I might be ok.

Yeah that lower jockey looks pretty bad. Mine is 35 years old with thousands of miles on it and doesn't look near that bad. Same with the chain. I'm surprised the wheels are 700's, are they replacements? I'd probably break it down and do a through cleaning and lubing. Most of the stuff looks cosmetic but doing that will tell you for sure. Along with what Tig said, he's more of an expert than I am.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Wow I'd never guess an old bike is worth that much. Maybe I should be a bit more careful with mine though because it was a custom build from a bike shop that no one here will have heard of I might be ok.

Yeah that lower jockey looks pretty bad. Mine is 35 years old with thousands of miles on it and doesn't look near that bad. Same with the chain. I'm surprised the wheels are 700's, are they replacements? I'd probably break it down and do a through cleaning and lubing. Most of the stuff looks cosmetic but doing that will tell you for sure. Along with what Tig said, he's more of an expert than I am.

So, I was just at a bike fitting shop in town (the Powerhouse, bike fitting, bikes, and beer pub with good eats, run by Billy Olson, a former mountain bike racer and vintage bike afficianado fighting Parkinsons) and they took a look and said that was how the lower pully was on that Sachs Huret model (duopar eco model). Interesting. The wheels are indeed 700s. Check the stamp on the rim, and the label on the old Specialized Touring II 700 x 32 tires. The good news is that Billy said after riding it around the bike fits me great and he would not change a thing, other than the ladies avocet, perhaps a wider bar, and the tires after riding them a while longer and watching them. Regular maintenance such as cleaning, greasing, lubing excepted. Will do a chain stretch check too. Just because. And do all the stuff @Tig says.

 

[nuke_diver]

I never would have guessed that's the way the jockey wheel is supposed to look but then again I have had 3 bikes with gears in my life so what do I know

Something to consider with the chain (and if Tig or someone else can give more information I'd love to hear it). I have been told that the chain and gears wear together so if the chain is old, replacing it alone can cause a lot of issues because of the mismatch now between the new unworn chain and the gears. I have heard people changing chains every 1500 miles (which is nutty IMO) to minimize that. I also think that the older chains seem to be more robust (my old steel bike is still on it's original chain 35 years on now). But you can see why I am interested in hearing from the experts. I have been told by a LBS that if I was to change the chain on my steel I would likely need to changes the cassette and possible the crankset. So I figure I might as well continue to ride with the original until it breaks completely (I ride ~50 miles/week on that bike, about 17 miles a ride 3 times a week)

 

[rickenvox]

Something to consider with the chain (and if Tig or someone else can give more information I'd love to hear it). I have been told that the chain and gears wear together so if the chain is old, replacing it alone can cause a lot of issues because of the mismatch now between the new unworn chain and the gears. I have heard people changing chains every 1500 miles (which is nutty IMO) to minimize that. I also think that the older chains seem to be more robust (my old steel bike is still on it's original chain 35 years on now). But you can see why I am interested in hearing from the experts. I have been told by a LBS that if I was to change the chain on my steel I would likely need to changes the cassette and possible the crankset. So I figure I might as well continue to ride with the original until it breaks completely (I ride ~50 miles/week on that bike, about 17 miles a ride 3 times a week)

If you're cruising on an old bike I don't think the chain wear will matter much. If you race or log a lot of miles; 1) your chain will stretch out much faster, 2) a stretched out chain can affect your performance and cause shifter issues 3) and changing it every 6 months or at least once a year is probably reasonable in that circumstance (road racers train around 300 miles a week on the low side).

If you don't race but have a newer high performance bike with 20 speeds (2 x 10) and modern shifters then having a chain in top shape is also important. You'll notice issues much more on newer gear with tighter tolerances.

Replacing your cogs every time you replace a chain is ridiculous. Bike shops try to sell that idea a lot, of course because it's more money for them. But replace your cogs and rings every couple of years (4 chain replacements if you replace chains every 6 months) is not a bad idea, because yes they wear with the chain, teeth spacing is off after time with a stretched chain.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, I looked at some Sachs-Huret Ecos on ebay and call bullshit on what that shop said about that pulley wheel being in good shape. The pulley wheels look normal in all I found. I found one for cheap that has some issue with the spring, (may just need reassembly) that I can either use if I fix it, or scavenge for parts for this one, that I know works other than the pulley wheel being too worn.

I change my SRAM chain every summer on my bike. About one chain per summer. It doesn't get ridden during winter, so no extra chain for that season. The chain on the old touring bike seems much thicker. But I think I will change it when the Sachs-Huret gets rehabed. I may see if I can fit a freewheel with another gear in there too. That derailleur had a lot of range. Will keep the bar end shifters though. To replace, I might as well start over.

 

[nuke_diver]

Thanks rickenvox. No I don't race, have never raced and am too old to consider racing IMO. On my CAAD-3 I have nearly 10K miles on the original chain and it seems fine but that seems sort of in line with your 6 months to a year for a racer. I do about 50 miles on that bike and another 50 on my old bike. I supposed I will have to bit the bullet one day and replace the chain on both and see what new problems I get (particularly with the old one).

 

[rickenvox]

Thanks rickenvox. No I don't race, have never raced and am too old to consider racing IMO. On my CAAD-3 I have nearly 10K miles on the original chain and it seems fine but that seems sort of in line with your 6 months to a year for a racer. I do about 50 miles on that bike and another 50 on my old bike. I supposed I will have to bit the bullet one day and replace the chain on both and see what new problems I get (particularly with the old one).

Having said all that, I did just buy a 1971 Peugeot at a garage sale up the street for $40 (I posted a picture in one of these threads). It probably has the original chain from 1971, the original owner didn't ride it much. I don't foresee myself replacing that chain anytime soon (or possibly ever). It's my cruise around town bike.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Gonna go ride my purple mountain bike with my neighbor as he tries out his new Motobecane (asian build, bikes direct) that he just put together. Looks like a pretty decent bike! Not too heavy, XT pretty much throughout, with race face cranks, WTB rims (good enough), etc.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

It was a pretty day today, and I felt like taking pics on the commute home. Kinda showing off, I know. So, here you go.

Heading out toward Sun Valley from Ketchum to add on a little hill and some scenery over the Elkhorn area.

The big bad bald one. (Bald Mountain as seen from Dollar)

Remains of the half-pipe still hanging out on Dollar. Takes a lot of snow to make that thing.

At the top.

Cruising down through Elkhorn. You can see "The Bowls" of Bald mountain peeking through.

The Big Wood River is running high and muddy! It will be a bit before fly fishing starts. This about mid-valley, mid-commute.

A little detour through the Valley Club north of Hailey. Breaks up the ride nicely, and gets me out of the headwind when there is one.

Nearing Hailey. Often a big headwind here. You can see how this used to be the railroad.

Nearly home. The northern outskirts of Hailey.

11-ish miles one way. About 500 feet elevation gain in the morning and descent in the evening. Pretty nice commuting!

 

[Tig]

Wow!

 

[nuke_diver]

Nice commute SVL! Mine was never so pretty or as hilly (about 250' downhill going to work and uphill coming back so elevation gained only coming home). It's still the ride to the gym more or less. We are only so green for about a month around here too

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Nice commute SVL! Mine was never so pretty or as hilly (about 250' downhill going to work and uphill coming back so elevation gained only coming home). It's still the ride to the gym more or less. We are only so green for about a month around here too

yeah. the 500 feet is the overall gain/descent. You can add on more climbing, as I did going over Elkhorn, or by adding any number of side roads, depending on time and desire. I am enjoying this nicely built steel frame bike that can hold a rack. I am trying not too lug the laptop as much, as that takes enjoyment out of it. But it can handle it if I need to.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Commuted on @Tig 's old bike today. Great day for it and so much fun! I love the blued Davidson for what it is, and I love this bike for what it is, which is strong and fast feeling and acting, and quiet. I love the Rubino Pro 25's on it. Very nice day for a bike commute! Traveled light today with a small backpack. No laptop and 500 pounds of files and whatnot. And yes, the river is still running high.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

So this happens in my town on a Thursday.



Mountain bikes dragging burning logs down main street on a beautiful evening, with Sierra Nevada being served in the street. Pretty darn fun.