Help my fat behind ride a bike again

Break off of the minor rant thread.

My early 90s diamond back hasn't been ridden since high school. I graduated in 2000 (should have been 99 but i dropped out for a minute). I don't remember what kind of shape it was in, though we can assume ran when parked. 

Its been stored in sheds, carports and garages since. 

I have ordered a fat guy seat for it, as my .1 mile ride today showed tha the seat i have hurts my ass. 

The shifters dont work on this. Im incredibly rusty on bicycle maintenance and repair,  as its been 20+ years. ..

Anyone have a good writeup/tutorial/service manual? Im assuming that there is such. Im hoping to not throw any additional money at this bike in the effort to get in better shape. 

Shimano shifters tend to have grease in them that solidifies when it sits for a long time. Try blasting with wd-40 and pulling on the cables while ratcheting to coerce the pawls into motion. Park tools website has vids on basically everything. 

Can you go into more detail besides "shifters dont' work"

They are stuck?  No feeling/disconnected?  Throws the chain? Not calibrated?

On something that has been sitting that long, I would try and clean and move every part manually before diagnosing any system-level issues.  You can make yourself a little funnel out of something that goes around the cable and noses into the sheathing to try and feed WD-40 down inside it.  Do that and move the cable back and forth as suggested above.

That seat looks uncomfortable

you have 2 options, really- 

Option 1-  Spend $50 and have a shop overhaul/tune it up.  Thats the real easy button. 

But, since you're on GRM, and probably a DIY'er, here's how I'd start the rebuild. 

- Buy a new chain, you'll need a chain breaker to remove that one.  This will be mandatory, as that chain is not saveable.

- Remove the drivetrain components and soak them in degreaser, and relube with mineral oil to start.  Use a dedicated chain lube once you start putting it back together.  At this point you'll be able to tell if you have a lost cause or not.  if it works, great, continue onto brakes.  Repeat step above.

But, being very honest, your best bet is to let the pros handle it.  Bike shops are cheap for the miracles they can perform on that thing.  It's a relic, but one worthy of some TLC and saving. 

One last note-  I hate the 'my seat is uncomfortable' thing.  Fact is ALL bike seats are going to hurt for the first few rides out.  Your cocxix is not accustomed to that type of abuse, and needs time to, basically, form calluses.  It takes time, patience, and a little bit of pain, but it gets better, I promise!  The same super huge gel padded seat is gonna be the exact same way, I assure you. 

You'll need to buy brake pads & probably tires. The rubber dries out and so no matter how well you clean the rims, adjust the brakes, etc. they won't work well. It's like trying to stop the bike with wood blocks rubbing the rim. Tires also dry out so grip is reduced and blow out more likely. The foam in bike seats deteriorates over time as well, 20 years is well beyond it's useful life.

The reality is that it's probably not worth fixing up that bike. It's an entry level bike shop bike that got used and then neglected. It also looks like a 16" frame in the pic so it may be too small for you as an adult (seat post is way up) and so you'll never be comfortable on it and therefore less likely to use it. Buy a new bike?

So, brass tacks: is it worth saving,  or should i be looking at a cheap Walmart bike? Realistically speaking about the money. 

Also, plesse keep the feedback coming!

Chain isn't siezed, and wasn't even before i started soaking it. 

The shifters: rear works sometimes,  but definitely not smoothly or onto all sprockets,  front doesn't seem to do anything. Feels ljje the cable isn't even hooked up, but manually yanking on the slack in the cable while working the handlebar end i can tell it actually is. 

Is there a preferred readily available lube these days? I dont have a bike shop local that i know of, so tjink automotive supply wise. As far as chain goes, its been lubed with garage door lube....

In reply to NOT A TA :

The seat post was that high because i robbed the seat off to test my fit on the mongoose. Decided not to put it back on yet on the diamond back 

I would keep that over a walmart bike just because of the vintage factor.

Tubes, tires and chain is about all you should need to get it working.  Everything else is cleaning and elbow grease.

Do you have an ultrasonic cleaner?  They are magic for this type of work.

It is well worth saving. Even the best new walmart bike is much worse quality than that. DB was still a solid brand then. The repair advice here is spot on, a lot of the older drivetrain stuff can be made to work decently, but replace the chain. If you really get back into riding you can upgrade stuff if it gives you trouble.

Check out the Park Tools website. They have a ton of online tutorial and how-to repair videos, and there's decent coverage for older stuff as well as the latest and greatest. 

If you plan on getting in shape on a bike buy yourself some pants with some padding in them, if you don't like to rock the skin tight look there are some mountain bike style cargo shorts that'll have some padding in them. I've been there, simple truth is getting in shape is uncomfortable at first because you're out of shape. 

Try a heat gun on shifter cables.  If it's the grease like was suggested above then heat sometimes get them freed up.  WD 40 and PB will get them moving but washes away the factory grease

Justjim75 said:

Try a heat gun on shifter cables.  If it's the grease like was suggested above then heat sometimes get them freed up.  WD 40 and PB will get them moving but washes away the factory grease

There is no factory grease in the shifter cables that the bike came with from the factory. To be sure the front shifter cable is free pull the short section of cable housing out of the braze on cable stop on the down tube which will pull the derailleur at the same time. Then see if the cable housing slides on the inner wire and lube with a thin lube like Tri-flow  (WD40 in a pinch) if the housing will slide

I worked on hundreds of similar bikes sold by nearby competitors when they were new. Owned a big bike shop for 25 years. I would not recommend spending any money on that bike, it's a money pit at this point. Bicycles are one of those things where everything needs to be functioning correctly and fit you properly or you're less likely to use it. That bike wouldn't fulfill those requirements without spending more than half of what it cost new from what I can see in the pics and what has been mentioned and at that point it's time for a new bike unless it's a collectible model which that one will never be.

In reply to NOT A TA :

At this point,  functional enough for neighborhood riding is the goal. Im not above buying a new bike, but don't want to spend the money if i cant find joy in it. Walking is enough drudgery by itself, and its free. 

Does thatmake sense to someone other than me?

Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) said:

Its been stored in sheds, carports and garages since. 

 

Anyone have a good writeup/tutorial/service manual? Im assuming that there is such. Im hoping to not throw any additional money at this bike in the effort to get in better shape. 

w00t, Dad Bike!

I'm assuming that's a 26" wheel bike?  There's definitely a whole segment of people that are in to restoring old '90's mtn bikes; and/or convert them to singlespeed, gravel bike, etc.  26" isn't as common anymore.

Walmart bikes are a lot better than they used to be... check out "kevcentral" for some background on that.

if you decide not to build it up, stash it in a corner and I'll come grab it in the fall.    it'd be a great OneLap sighting lap bike, what with the 26ers.

Very interested to see how this turns out. You have a very solid basis for a good fitness or utility build. I'd add fenders, a rack, and maybe a frame lock, and just make that how I get around town for the nice months of the year.

On the saddle thing, bigger and softer isn't always better.

Generally (there are a lot of saddles and a lot of rear ends!):

You want a saddle that'll hit a specific set of spots on your pelvis, to support that bone. If you shove a wide seat with deep padding that doesn't fit you, it may feel more comfortable at first. The problem is that you'll possibly interfere with your motion,  and the padding lets the seat deform and squish into blood vessels and mess with circulation in the area. 

You want circulation in the area.

Note that I'm not saying the old saddle was right, or the new saddle is wrong, just that "wider" and "softer" by themselves don't indicate what you'd expect.

Get a new bike.  One with a seat post  and front fork dampener.  Larger tires, at least 700 x38c.  One that has enough adjustment to fit you .   If  you are overweight it will make you much more likely to ride it because it won't hurt so much afterwards.

But its true, your butt needs to get used to seat, its not automatic.   And the ones that feel great in the test ride are probably too soft.

Getting a saddle that fits your body will be life changing. Having one that's too narrow will cause it to migrate up your ass and cause discomfort and bruising.

LIFE CHANGING, I tell you. Mike nailed how sizing works. There are ways to measure your sit bones online. There's one that gets really close without having to take impressions of your ass- the link is here. Obviously, you can use that to get any brand based on the saddle measurements.

As for that bike, it'll be fine to get working, especially since you already own it. Replace the chain, get some hybrid tires (knobbies cause vibration and rob power on pavement), clean it up well and send it.

You might also want to adjust the bar ends to be a bit more upright until your body starts getting used to bicycling again. What was comfortable and worked 20 years ago might not be that way out of the gate right now.


 

Been nuts around here, but this morning i got one shifter torn down, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled. Lubed the cable and brake handle on that side as well. All rear is now cleaned and lubed and functioning properly* up to the rear brake and derailleur. 

This shifter had crystallized grease, sand, and a mud dauber nest in it....

*properly as shifts through the gears without much effort and consistently on the bench 

Nice.  Way back in May, i updated my wife's 25yo Mongoose for my daughter to ride.  Put the last of my good 26er wheels on, old lightweight handlebars, converted to 1X7, picked up a 140mm crank.  Took 4+lbs off it.  It probably only had 500 miles on it but the shifter had the same problem.  Took two tries to get it consistent.

My daughter rode it about 10 times.  :).   It was a fun project anyway.

When I put my older bike back into service a couple of years ago, the shifters worked well enough from a "do they move the chain and is it pretty easy to do?" standpoint but the rear der would hunt back and forth between gears and the front wouldn't engage the largest chain ring.  I took it to one shop that had been recommended to me by a dude with some older bikes (which, oddly enough, seemed to keep causing him problems...) and for $50 they said they put a new chain on the bike and tightened some bolts.  Came home with the same issues.  Then I took the bike to a more professional shop and paid $75 and got back a bike that shifted like new.  

What I'm saying is, you may end up having to take it to a shop anyway to get the shifters and brakes well tuned, but hopefully not.  And if you do, maybe don't go to the cheapest place like I did, and basically get ripped off like I did.

Don't forget to share some modeling shots of your first spandex riding outfit.  We want to see progress!

golfduke said:

you have 2 options, really- 

 

Option 1-  Spend $50 and have a shop overhaul/tune it up.  Thats the real easy button. 

 

I want to go to your bike shop!

my local one (that has never serviced my bike) has 3 options.

Basic which si adjustment only, no cleaning/lubricating is $125

Delux for $175 adds remove/clean/lube the drivetrain

Premium, which is a teardown to frame, clean, and rebuild is $350

Aw, man, I wish I was down the street from you right now.  All I did in college was mess with bikes - I know that vintage very well.  A good evening of work would have you up and running.  As best as the old parts would allow, anyway.

That said, I'm going to offer just a little tough-love here: that old bike is nothing special and never was.  If you can sell it off for $500 to a nostalgia-nut, do so.  New bikes are eons better in every way.  We can talk new bike choices, if you want.

On getting back into shape - unfortunately it's going to hurt a bit.  Your butt will not like any seat for the first couple weeks, but on the bright side that will go away.  Start out with 10 minutes, and add a minute every day.  When you can comfortably ride for an hour, you'll be in a whole different place.  But get out as much as you can.

Get your daughter out with you too!

Demon-update, since evidently I can't focus on work today:

Something like this would be vastly better: https://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik/d/concord-mtb/7273940747.html

Lots of very good advice in the above posts. I too had an early 90s DB Topanga that I peddled mostly off road for about 4 years (w/ lots of mild to mid level down hilling). And I too experienced shifter/derailer issues at 3 yrs or so. Finally ended up with a broken rear derailer and a completely worn out RD shifter that proved to be too costly to replace (with new OEM stuff anyway). Meanwhile, the shop I dealt with recommended that I take a very close look at the alloy rims for side wall wear from braking. And sure enough both rims were worn out. I ended up giving the bike away to the shop for parts.