Tommy got himself a new toy!

[Tommygunn]

My dad picked up a touring bike for me at GoodWill today. $30.

Pretty amazing. Only things wrong is the back breaks sweek, the grips leave your hands black, and the chain skips every rotation or so. I only have a cell phone pic, which I'll get up in the next few minutes.

So yeah. I'm pretty stoaked.

[IconBasser]

neat. bike riding is always fun, especially when camping.

[Tommygunn]

Its a lemans. Dont know if thats good or bad. If its bad I'll prolly spray paint it pink. I'm going to spray paint it pink.

[syciprider]

Google sheldon brown and read up on how to fix your problems.

[EricF]

Originally Posted by syciprider

Google sheldon brown and read up on how to fix your problems.

^ This.

[warwick.hoy]

Is it "Lemans" or a "Centurion Lemans"? From what I gathered it may be a Nishiki made bike,...(MIJ) and was respectable in it's time.

[warwick.hoy]

Also,...feel free to convert into a fixie and be a douchebag hipster do us all a favor and don't convert it into a fixie.

[Tommygunn]

Not sure. I'll check in a second. But it seems to be really well made. Its problems are just from being old. But easily fixable.



I forgot to post my only pic.

[bassteban]

Hate to break it to you, but those crankarms are junk- also, a quick look at that loose chain tells me the rear derailleur may be worn out(the tensioning spring specifically). The issue w/many bikes like this is that there are several smallish problems that add up to a far greater expense than the end product is worth(see- horse w/broken leg)- there's a reason this thing was $30. It may be doable, though- I'll come back & walk you through some potential deal-breakers later- gotta get #1 son to violin lesson right now.

[Tommygunn]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Hate to break it to you, but those crankarms are junk- also, a quick look at that loose chain tells me the rear derailleur may be worn out(the tensioning spring specifically). The issue w/many bikes like this is that there are several smallish problems that add up to a far greater expense than the end product is worth(see- horse w/broken leg)- there's a reason this thing was $30. It may be doable, though- I'll come back & walk you through some potential deal-breakers later- gotta get #1 son to violin lesson right now.

I'm thinkin thats why its skipping actually. But I got it into a gear (no set gears on the little flips, they just slide up and down) that it doesn't click. Its like 6th gear or something. Not too slow and, but not fast enough. Its a good speed for cruzin round the neighborhood tho.

[warwick.hoy]

HOLY CRAP That chain is slack,...just turn it into a fixie and sell it some douchebag hipster.

[Ziltoid]

Or he could turn it in a fixie and ride it, just don't go all hipster.

[warwick.hoy]

Originally Posted by Ziltoid

Or he could turn it in a fixie and ride it, just don't go all hipster.

nononononono,...only douchebag hipsters ride fixies. Oh stereotypes are sooooo fun,....

[Ziltoid]

just sayn, thought it was funny

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best...245698782.html

[basstotheface]

What? No dont paint it pink. Just dont.

[bassteban]

The cranks will very likely have little to do w/any skipping- I'm just saying those crankarms are weaker than Liberace's drivers' left wrist. The shifters are *friction* as opposed to *indexed*
If you can take some decent pics of the drive side we might be able to stop the skipping. That said, when the chain skips it's often because it's simply worn out- that is to say, stretched to the point that it will jump over the teeth of the gears when you pedal hard because it won't stay settled into place between the teeth. A worn chain often indicates worn gears, which for that bike will be a bee-yawtch to find. Are you getting the *horse* analogy yet..?

[Ziltoid]

Won't a worn chain also mean a worn cassette and perhaps a worn rear der~ ?

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by Ziltoid

Won't a worn chain also mean a worn cassette and perhaps a worn rear der~ ?

That's what I was saying about the gears- although this bike will not have a cassette but a freewheel; the chainrings will be equally archaic. If ANYTHING needs replacing it will be like trying to find an exact replacement tuner for an obscure Teisco-type bass from the 60s. And again- the drooping chain IME says *tired/shot derailleur*

[Ziltoid]

Fixie time!

[Tommygunn]

I'm think in its chain size actually. The arm wont bo back anymore, and in person it is like the longest ass chain I've ever seen.

The dudes at my local bike shop are really cool and if it's a tiny fix they'll do it for free or I can just ask them and they'll tell me (so I can take a stab myself), but I'm going to run it by there tomorrow.

(West End Bikes in Memorial, for anybody who lives in town)