Can someone recommend a good resource for getting a neglected bike back into riding condition? What tools I need, what sort of parts I should check if they need replacement, so on?
Youtube channel of the company park tool has some great videos for repairing almost anything on bikes.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzaZ1sPWEuZN-I8_XT6AH8g
Used their videos when I started to work at a bicycle shop to teach myself how to repair some things and I still do rewatch some of the videos occasionally when I need to refresh my mind.
Just want to add some things. You should also visit https://www.sheldonbrown.com for more detailed informations. Good tools are helpful, its better to spend more money for quality. A repair stand, even diy, makes things easier.
Is it an older bike (vintage) or some that was purchased in the last 5-10 years?
If you don’t have any tools, I’d personally suggest getting a bike tool set, which should cover much of what you might need. I would normally just buy whatever tools I need for the task as hand, and build up slowly, but it can be annoying if you don’t have something.
Tools are an investment, so if you don’t plan on doing bike repair after this one is done, it may be cheaper to send to a local bike shop to get worked on.
The youtube channels RJ the bike guy (vintage bikes) and Park Tool are some of the best I’ve used. But I’ll often search for info and see what several channels say, since some techniques can differ slightly.
@Showroom7561 It’s a ~25 year old entry level Schwinn which my parents bought me when I was younger. It’s been in various storage places for at least ten years at this point. I’m going all in on this as it’s time to stop talking about how I ought to be biking to various nearby stores. It’s time for action.
I’m okay with buying tools and have a solid collection of home repair things plus a lot of electronics tools, but nothing bike specific outside a bike pump. I’m having trouble with finding a good guide though.
Good for you!! I restored my son’s 30 year old MTB last year after he outgrew it, and had ridden it all winter and for all errands… put something like 1100km on it, and it wasn’t even my main bike!
This past week, I did end up buying a larger frame (also 30 year old) MTB that I spent a few days working on, and it rides like a dream now. I’m going to be using this bike a lot!
I hope you enjoy that Schwinn! RJ The Bike Guy is absolutely the place to learn about vintage bike repair, as he covers stuff you’ll likely see in your bike. But Park Tool is also very concise and will be a huge asset.
Good luck!!
One of my biggest bicycle mistakes was selling the 90s Schwinn Frontier my parents bought me when i was a kid because the components were rusty and I wanted something with skinny tires. That bike could take a lot of punishment and would have made a great commuting and touring bike.
Well the first question is, if you throw lube on the chain (and everything that touches the chain like all the gears) and put air in the tires and then take it for a spin, what feels wrong? The brakes? The shifters? Do the tires hold air? Are the brakes dragging even when you don’t touch them? Can you shift through all the gears without unseating the chain? Those are in my experience the common afflictions of a neglected bike, but if its been kept dry it might be surprisingly rideable.
@SirNuke See if there’s a local bike project near you. There’s one near me that accepts donated bikes and refurbishes and sells them for fairly cheap or uses them for parts. They have all kinds of tools and workspace that you can use to work on your own stuff.
If you’re more into YouTube video tutorials, check out RJ the bike guy
Good suggestions here. I also found “rj the bike guy” on YouTube to be pretty good. He has a few videos of getting trash bikes back to ridable state
Park Tools is an excellent resource, as others have mentioned. In addition to the videos, I can highly recommend the Park Tools Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repairs.
