Re-Furbishing Old 10 Speed

[wannaduacentury]

Yes Stella, the tires, brake cables, br pads, chain etc need to be repl. The gears need cleaning and such. I've sat on the bike and w/ the seat lowered it would fit me( I'm 5 ft 8) . It's a 10 speed Spalding I think, black atleast 20 -25 yrs old. I can't see it go to waste it it can be fixed up. I do have 3 other bikes,one's a 25 yrold 3-speed I've had since I was 9, a Schwinn mtn bike for dd and I have a 2005 Trek Hybrid. I just love bikes, no matter what their age

[DebW]

I think the bottom line would be the quality of the crankset. If it's got cotter pins or a department-store variety one-piece crank, I would be reluctant to invest much in it. If a quality 3 piece cotterless crank with alloy arms and rings then it would be worth it. Five-speed freewheels are still obtainable in a few places, but mainly with a 14-28 range. Make sure you have or can get the freewheel puller.

[stella]

Yes Stella, the tires, brake cables, br pads, chain etc need to be repl. The gears need cleaning and such. I've sat on the bike and w/ the seat lowered it would fit me( I'm 5 ft 8) . It's a 10 speed Spalding I think, black atleast 20 -25 yrs old. I can't see it go to waste it it can be fixed up. I do have 3 other bikes,one's a 25 yrold 3-speed I've had since I was 9, a Schwinn mtn bike for dd and I have a 2005 Trek Hybrid. I just love bikes, no matter what their age

re: loving bikes regardless of age: I hear that one! My beater bike is an old batavus from 1970. I rehabbed much of it myself. the wheels are fine, the frame is fine. brought the cheapest tires, cheap (but safe) brake pads. cost me about $30 total to fix it up so that it is in safe/usable condition.

If you trust your lbs, they will tell you whether it is worth fixing up or not. the shop I go to, they are honest and not trying to sell me new. I hope your lbs is like this, as well.

It can't hurt to get an assessment.

Debw brings up a good point, as well re: dept store bikes and cranksets.

[wannaduacentury]

Those are great ideas ladies. I probably going to let it slide b/c dh doesn't want to fool w/it. He said fix up the 3 speed instead, which I'll do next week. All it needs is brake cables and new pads. My mom wants to ride it, it was my old bike I got for Christmas when I was 9 The old 10 speed is most likely a dept store variety. Like the mtn bike I bought for my dd, I'll get her a nice one when she's older and can take care of it properly, in the meantime this will do.