Buying something I shouldn't ...

[d_douglas]

I helped a buddy buy a cheap bike a decade ago for zipping around town and later for hauling his son in a trailer. He doesn't need it anymore. (He bought a modern commuter) and said he thought it was worth $100.

I don't need it but I want it :) It's a late 80s steel Fisher MTB - and I would make it a SS for cruising th neighbour hoods with my kids.

No need for this but nostalgia is clouding my judgement!

[ispy]

Would you hesitate if he *gave* it to you?

[Louis]

I thought you were going to show us something like this. ;)

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d8/ae/dd/d8aeddccfa9aa2ec9e239de148cbc425.jpg

[alancw3]

wouldn't hesitate for $100 if it is your size. heck two quality tires now cost that much.

looks like a really long stem though.

[uber]

If you can afford it and it is likely to bring you joy, do it.
If you were wrong and decided to sell it, you may get some
or all of your investment back. Good luck

[Tickdoc]

I helped a buddy buy a cheap bike a decade ago for zipping around town and later for hauling his son in a trailer. He doesn't need it anymore. (He bought a modern commuter) and said he thought it was worth $100.

I don't need it but I want it :) It's a late 80s steel Fisher MTB - and I would make it a SS for cruising th neighbour hoods with my kids.

No need for this but nostalgia is clouding my judgement!

since when do we buy bike $hit based on need? That is a cool old bike that would be fun to own and find enough use to justify a benjamin, imo.

[d_douglas]

I rode I a few times when I bought it for him and the fit is good. I might but some cruiser bar on there or the Surly flat bar that's in my spare parts bin.

I am certain that I would recover costs if I flipped it after using it for a year. I don't think he used it much. I know the paint is pretty chipped up, but it's decent. I covet the saddle - it might go on my daily commuter.

In terms of making it SS, the cheapest thing is to just buy a spacer kit for the cassette (no wait, it might be a threaded system) and use the old derailleur or a cheap tensioner.

If the hub is threaded, does it mean I can install a SS cog and a tensioner? I actually think the spacing is. 130mm - it's that old. I would love to use an ENO rear hub to make it look clean, but putting $200 into a. $100 bike may not be a wise move.

The headset/stem/fork is. 1.25, which means few options for replacement. I think it's ok, but if it isn't, then I've got that to think about.

Still , I love it.

[pbarry]

That's early 90s, pretty sure. Should be 7s freehub and easier to get a good SS chainline. $100 is fair. You won't regret it.

[Ken Robb]

I agree that a bike with a 1.25" fork is unlikely to not have a cassette in back. Why go to any trouble/expense to get rid of gears if they are working? Even as a kid in Chicago where hills were almost non-existant I was glad to have Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub. L-N-H. N(ormal) was the usual gear but High was great to capitalize on tailwinds and Low was a blessing into headwinds. "The Windy City" has some basis in fact. :-)

[Ronsonic]

I've had Fetch the Wonder Bike for about 20 years now. She's an '88 HooKooEKoo with the U brake under the chain stays. Mostly lives with fenders and a rack and a pair of Kenda K-Rads that I really, really like for mostly road, some dirt riding.

Get the bike and ride the heck out of it.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-ryUjH227RI/SmJxms31GwI/AAAAAAAAAGA/34n_m_kkP7c/s1600/Fetch+003.jpg

[protorio]

That looks like a fun townie, ready for a big front basket...

[d_douglas]

Well, I got the bike :)

It's pretty great. It's press in bb bearing are shot, but fixable. The paint is pretty beat and there's several spots of exposed metal , esp around the seat collar .

How do I prep a frame if I were to rattlecan paint it another colour? How do I strip the red (which I don't like to be honest)?

Any simple intructions would be appreciated..

[Ronsonic]

Like painting anything else except the prep work is a pain because of the tubes and joints and narrow little crannies. It's called "painting" but 97% of the time and effort are spent sanding and scrubbing.

I've rattle-canned before but if I want a quality result giving the powder coater guy money is a better deal. At least if I value my time at better than $1.17 an hour.

[stephenmarklay]

I helped a buddy buy a cheap bike a decade ago for zipping around town and later for hauling his son in a trailer. He doesn't need it anymore. (He bought a modern commuter) and said he thought it was worth $100.

I don't need it but I want it :) It's a late 80s steel Fisher MTB - and I would make it a SS for cruising th neighbour hoods with my kids.

No need for this but nostalgia is clouding my judgement!

Perfect.

[d_douglas]

Like painting anything else except the prep work is a pain because of the tubes and joints and narrow little crannies. It's called "painting" but 97% of the time and effort are spent sanding and scrubbing.

I've rattle-canned before but if I want a quality result giving the powder coater guy money is a better deal. At least if I value my time at better than $1.17 an hour.



Yes, agreed in the powdercoaters. I was just thinking it was a few hours of sanding, a primer and then a blast of a crazy colour, but perhaps it isn't that straight forward. I used a good PC guy for my Vicious and it was $120 frame and fork. Too much for this bike :)

What do I use to remove the paint? What grit? I kind of want to do it before I have the bearings replaced, as they press into the frame.

Also to te comment about the stem - you are right - it's 155mm :) I thought it was about 135mm, but I was wrong.

[Ken Robb]

When I look at the photo I wonder if the fork is a 1" that someone stuck and adapter in to use a 1 1/8" or 1 1/4" stem?

[HenryA]

Get some automotive touch-up,paint that matches and prep the chipped spots carefully. Dab a bit of the touch-up paint on each spot. A tiny bit at a time. Then ride it. Do not spend any more money on it. Just ride it. It'll be perfect.

[Ronsonic]

Yes, agreed in the powdercoaters. I was just thinking it was a few hours of sanding, a primer and then a blast of a crazy colour, but perhaps it isn't that straight forward. I used a good PC guy for my Vicious and it was $120 frame and fork. Too much for this bike :)

What do I use to remove the paint? What grit? I kind of want to do it before I have the bearings replaced, as they press into the frame.


Don't remove the paint. If you start that you'll have to finish it. Scrub it, sand it smooth, fill the dings, sand some more. I'd probably start with 150 and finish with 220 or 300. Then spray over it.

If you really want to get rid of the old paint use a stripper, the Jasco airframe stripper has worked great for me in the past.