Should I take this free bike?
September 11, 2015 11:35 AM Subscribe
My parents offered me the bike from my teen years that is still sitting in their garage (late 90s Specialized Hard Rock, if I'm remembering correctly). It was minimally used by me and my brother and it's probably been sitting around for about 10 years. What kind of work would it take to get it usable for a bike commute of ~5 miles each way? Would that work be worth it, or should I look into other bikes?
I have not touched a bike since I gave this bike to my brother (I am a lady person, but the bike is unisex). In the last year or so the idea of biking rather than driving for part of my commute has become more appealing to me, so I was already thinking about looking into a new bike, then this offer came up.
Presumably, I still know how to ride a bike, but I really have no idea where to begin on getting this bike back into running shape, or if it's even the right kind of bike for what I would be using it for.
Assuming it does work for my purposes, what do I do next? Do I take it to a bike store? What do I ask them to do? Don't assume I have any bike- specific knowledge beyond how to change a tire, but I am pretty handy, so if there are things I could do myself, I'd love to hear them.
I have not touched a bike since I gave this bike to my brother (I am a lady person, but the bike is unisex). In the last year or so the idea of biking rather than driving for part of my commute has become more appealing to me, so I was already thinking about looking into a new bike, then this offer came up.
Presumably, I still know how to ride a bike, but I really have no idea where to begin on getting this bike back into running shape, or if it's even the right kind of bike for what I would be using it for.
Assuming it does work for my purposes, what do I do next? Do I take it to a bike store? What do I ask them to do? Don't assume I have any bike- specific knowledge beyond how to change a tire, but I am pretty handy, so if there are things I could do myself, I'd love to hear them.
That's a fine bike and would be great for that commute with a quick tune-up (assuming the frame is the right size for you.) Upgrades to consider for road use would be replacing the suspension fork (if it has one) with a rigid fork, and replacing the knobby mountain bike tires with skinnier slick tires.
If you have a bike co-op in your town you should take it there and talk to them, they can probably hook you up with cheap parts and show you how to do the work yourself if you're so inclined.
posted by contraption at 11:50 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you have a bike co-op in your town you should take it there and talk to them, they can probably hook you up with cheap parts and show you how to do the work yourself if you're so inclined.
posted by contraption at 11:50 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hard Rocks of that vintage were pretty decent bikes, with huge economies of scale built in (and no suspension forks to add weight, complexity, and bring down the other component quality). In addition to the bits that OmieWise suggests, the saddle has probably disintegrated over the years.
There are still thousands of these about, so while it won't look like the coolest bike ever, it also is a bit less likely to get stolen. Go for it!
posted by scruss at 11:51 AM on September 11, 2015
There are still thousands of these about, so while it won't look like the coolest bike ever, it also is a bit less likely to get stolen. Go for it!
posted by scruss at 11:51 AM on September 11, 2015
If the local bike store is any good, they should be able to know what the bike needs just from looking at it, with little direction from you. Just a tune-up can be between $20-$50 at my local bike shop, depending on the needs. They might even have a bike maintenance class you could attend so you can get an idea of what you can do yourself, too. (In my experience, the bike maintenance class mostly gave me familiarity and confidence in handling my bike and prying off the tire, greasing the chain, etc. Which is in itself valuable.)
Also in my experience, the first bike you use for a while lasts about a year or so. As in, if you use it regularly, the next year (or riding season, anyway), you'll have ideas on what you want your next bike to be and have by then.
posted by jillithd at 11:51 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also in my experience, the first bike you use for a while lasts about a year or so. As in, if you use it regularly, the next year (or riding season, anyway), you'll have ideas on what you want your next bike to be and have by then.
posted by jillithd at 11:51 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mrs Foodgeek commuted 7 miles each way on a specialized hardrock for several years. I'd swap the tires, tubes and brake pads and start riding it.
posted by foodgeek at 11:53 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by foodgeek at 11:53 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Have the bike shop do a general tune-up/refresh and have them measure you to be sure the bike is the right fit for you.
posted by Riverine at 12:02 PM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Riverine at 12:02 PM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
I work on these all the time. They're quality frames, but every bearing will need to be replaced at some point, no matter what (bicycles, cars, skateboards, space shuttles, whatever). Any competent mechanic should be able to look it over for you. A freshly tuned Hard Rock with a rack and some good tires for commuting (Vittoria Randonneur Cross, Continental Town and Country, etc) is a fine thing.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:14 PM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:14 PM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, just to also weigh in on the road worthiness of the thing: I put slicks on one and rode it as a courier for two years on shitty downtown streets (DC), with nary a problem. I kept it tuned, but that was it.
posted by OmieWise at 12:33 PM on September 11, 2015
posted by OmieWise at 12:33 PM on September 11, 2015
Late 90s Specialized frames were quite good. After that much time sitting, pretty much everything other than the frame, cranks, seatpost, and possibly rims will be suspect, but if you strip it down to those components and rebuild from there you will end up with a better bike than you would probably get by walking into a bike store with the same amount of money and buying something new. I'd budget ~$300 for new parts, and seriously consider a single-speed conversion.
(Like OmieWise, I also rode a 90s Hard Rock as a bike courier.)
posted by 256 at 12:37 PM on September 11, 2015
(Like OmieWise, I also rode a 90s Hard Rock as a bike courier.)
posted by 256 at 12:37 PM on September 11, 2015
Yeah I think it'll be fine and I also think you should replace, at the least, the tires and tubes. Get skinnier tires with minimal or no tread, not mountain bike style tires.
At the very least have them spot check everything else: brakes, shifters, cables, bearings. Probably most of it will be fine.
Bike shops around here have a pretty comprehensive tuneup at about $100, but maybe less if you just want the basic-basics. I would put the price of replacement tubes/tires at $100 *max*, maybe only half that depending.
I'd probably recommend getting the stuff you need to change a flat and learning how to do it. You'll get a flat eventually. That would be:
tire levers
a spare tube or 2
something to blow up tires with (co2 inflator or a small pump)
a bag to put it all in (get one of those bags that attaches to the bike seat in the back)
Most bike shops have classes to show how to change a tire. It's a piece of cake.
posted by RustyBrooks at 12:39 PM on September 11, 2015
At the very least have them spot check everything else: brakes, shifters, cables, bearings. Probably most of it will be fine.
Bike shops around here have a pretty comprehensive tuneup at about $100, but maybe less if you just want the basic-basics. I would put the price of replacement tubes/tires at $100 *max*, maybe only half that depending.
I'd probably recommend getting the stuff you need to change a flat and learning how to do it. You'll get a flat eventually. That would be:
tire levers
a spare tube or 2
something to blow up tires with (co2 inflator or a small pump)
a bag to put it all in (get one of those bags that attaches to the bike seat in the back)
Most bike shops have classes to show how to change a tire. It's a piece of cake.
posted by RustyBrooks at 12:39 PM on September 11, 2015
Take it to the bike shop and ask for a tune up. I'd replace the saddle and depending on what you plan to carry you might want a rack or panniers. I would get some gatorskins tires because I hate to change tires. You do need to know how to change a tire, lube a chain, check your brakes. I went to a bike repair class at REI that was for women who were novice riders. It was super helpful to me when I wasn't familiar with bike maintenance.
Also, you need a new helmet. Helmets only last for five years (or one crash!). Even if you have your old helmet you need a new one.
posted by 26.2 at 12:57 PM on September 11, 2015
Also, you need a new helmet. Helmets only last for five years (or one crash!). Even if you have your old helmet you need a new one.
posted by 26.2 at 12:57 PM on September 11, 2015
Great advice in this thread. I'd agree that it would be fine to get a tune up at your local shop and consider a slick tire. In addition to the tires listed above, I really enjoy the Panaracer Pasela.
That said, if getting a new bike would make you happy, go ahead and do that.
posted by advicepig at 1:21 PM on September 11, 2015
That said, if getting a new bike would make you happy, go ahead and do that.
posted by advicepig at 1:21 PM on September 11, 2015
Ha, I also have a 1998 Specialized Hard Rock (bright yellow Sport edition) and it is a great bike! I rode it regularly for many years, but then it sat barely used, indoors, for almost a decade. This spring I finally decided to start riding again, and paid maybe $80 at the local bike shop for a full tune up that included new tubes and one new gear shifter. If your parents' garage is relatively dry and you don't have rust issues, the bike should be fine after a minimal amount of work/expense.
posted by Jemstar at 1:36 PM on September 11, 2015
posted by Jemstar at 1:36 PM on September 11, 2015
What I would do is check it over to make sure everything is sound, replace at least the tubes (because the rubber disintegrates & you'll get flats very quickly if you don't), adjust the brakes & the seat to my height, and start riding it. Since you've got to take the tires off anyway, you may as well replace them if they're designed for off-road; smoother tires will behave better on pavement & reduce friction. If you are not that familiar with bike repair, find a decent bike shop & ask them to go over it to make sure it is safe to ride; they can also tell you if it is appropriate to your height. Once you decide you're really going to be riding it a lot, you can invest some time in learning to do the kind of serious maintenance (like repacking bearings) that others have suggested, but I wouldn't let that scare me off.
posted by mr vino at 2:48 PM on September 11, 2015
posted by mr vino at 2:48 PM on September 11, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I live in one of the bikeiest areas of NorCal, but until recently I had always loathed riding bikes, so this whole feeling of being interested in them is really new for me.
posted by Francies at 3:05 PM on September 11, 2015
posted by Francies at 3:05 PM on September 11, 2015
If the bikey area you live in is San Francisco, the Bike Kitchen (.org) is an amazing resource with trained staff, friendly volunteers, and every kind of tool and used replacement part you might need. Those 90s mountain bikes are tanks.
posted by migurski at 5:08 PM on September 11, 2015
posted by migurski at 5:08 PM on September 11, 2015
late 90s Specialized Hard Rock
oh god. mrs_goldfish has one of those. I hates it. So does everyone who has been forced by circumstance to borrow it. That frame is HEAVY. Sitting on it has always felt weird and uncomfortable and WRONG, and neither adjustments nor a new, wider saddle changed this -- it's some fundamental angular thing. (Do get a nice wide saddle, though, whether you're a cis lady person or not.)
mrs_goldfish loves her bike even though it is heavy and she is asthmatic and her standard for what counts as a hill on her 10-minute commute is much lower than I believe it would be if she weren't riding a bike that feels like it's made of cast iron. In evaluating her decision to keep the bike (and even move it cross-country), you should know that she is sentimentally attached to the friendly thrifty network through which it came into her clutches. And also that she is a hoarder. And geek. Old school bike geeks love this bike.
You do need to know how to change a tire, lube a chain, check your brakes.
You'll surely enjoy acquiring that knowledge, but don't wait to bike on that account. (I've bike commuted for ten years, and am still a bike-mechanics-virgin.) It's your riding techniques that will get you killed (or not).
you need a new helmet. Helmets only last for five years (or one crash!). Even if you have your old helmet you need a new one.
Your old helmet is toast for sure. Whether you NEED a helmet is a matter of ethical, statistical, and philosophic debate. I will say that mrs_goldfish would herself be dead for sure if she hadn't been wearing a helmet when she got doored. Hers was five years old, but still way better than nothing: it shattered, taking most of the impact. One of the concussion specialists we got to know over the next six months told us they recommend everyone replace helmets yearly. You may wish to note that even though mrs_goldfish was sent on an ambulance ride to the nearest brain surgeon, HER LATE 90S HARD ROCK SPECIALIZED BIKE WAS 100% FINE.
Here is the takeaway: mrs_goldfish wouldn't have got doored if she had taken the lane. Start equipping yourself (it never ends) with skills to use while actually riding. (Like helmets, this equipment is entangled in cultural debates featuring various social organizations.) Such equipment includes all sorts of adroitness and finesse, from physical grace to rage-defusing etiquette. Before you ride, do at least scan the diagrams in this quick guide to traffic savvy for bicyclists.
Apologies if I've made bike commuting sound scary! Bike commuting pumps up lovely lovely endorphins, makes you more alert at work (they've done studies!), and increases your life expectancy -- everyone notices the (rare) fatal bike crashes, but when people die of far more common cardiovascular causes, their death isn't conventionally associated with NOT riding a bicycle. So yeah, death is everywhere, but: go ride your badass bike, says mrs_back_in_the_saddle_goldfish.
posted by feral_goldfish at 5:48 PM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
oh god. mrs_goldfish has one of those. I hates it. So does everyone who has been forced by circumstance to borrow it. That frame is HEAVY. Sitting on it has always felt weird and uncomfortable and WRONG, and neither adjustments nor a new, wider saddle changed this -- it's some fundamental angular thing. (Do get a nice wide saddle, though, whether you're a cis lady person or not.)
mrs_goldfish loves her bike even though it is heavy and she is asthmatic and her standard for what counts as a hill on her 10-minute commute is much lower than I believe it would be if she weren't riding a bike that feels like it's made of cast iron. In evaluating her decision to keep the bike (and even move it cross-country), you should know that she is sentimentally attached to the friendly thrifty network through which it came into her clutches. And also that she is a hoarder. And geek. Old school bike geeks love this bike.
You do need to know how to change a tire, lube a chain, check your brakes.
You'll surely enjoy acquiring that knowledge, but don't wait to bike on that account. (I've bike commuted for ten years, and am still a bike-mechanics-virgin.) It's your riding techniques that will get you killed (or not).
you need a new helmet. Helmets only last for five years (or one crash!). Even if you have your old helmet you need a new one.
Your old helmet is toast for sure. Whether you NEED a helmet is a matter of ethical, statistical, and philosophic debate. I will say that mrs_goldfish would herself be dead for sure if she hadn't been wearing a helmet when she got doored. Hers was five years old, but still way better than nothing: it shattered, taking most of the impact. One of the concussion specialists we got to know over the next six months told us they recommend everyone replace helmets yearly. You may wish to note that even though mrs_goldfish was sent on an ambulance ride to the nearest brain surgeon, HER LATE 90S HARD ROCK SPECIALIZED BIKE WAS 100% FINE.
Here is the takeaway: mrs_goldfish wouldn't have got doored if she had taken the lane. Start equipping yourself (it never ends) with skills to use while actually riding. (Like helmets, this equipment is entangled in cultural debates featuring various social organizations.) Such equipment includes all sorts of adroitness and finesse, from physical grace to rage-defusing etiquette. Before you ride, do at least scan the diagrams in this quick guide to traffic savvy for bicyclists.
Apologies if I've made bike commuting sound scary! Bike commuting pumps up lovely lovely endorphins, makes you more alert at work (they've done studies!), and increases your life expectancy -- everyone notices the (rare) fatal bike crashes, but when people die of far more common cardiovascular causes, their death isn't conventionally associated with NOT riding a bicycle. So yeah, death is everywhere, but: go ride your badass bike, says mrs_back_in_the_saddle_goldfish.
posted by feral_goldfish at 5:48 PM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
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I would guess the cost would be about half the price of a comparable beater used bike. It won't be the bike of your dreams, but that would cost much more I think.
posted by OmieWise at 11:39 AM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]