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smsimpson83 · 04-10-2008, 12:08 AM

Hi everyone.... so my title is a little misleading.... ofcourse like most people i learned to ride when i was a little kid... LOVED riding bikes, but upon moving 700 miles away from home to go to school i didn't bring my bicycle with me.... even when i was still living at home i pretty much stopped riding when I started driving.... well now I'm trying to reclaim a bit of my youth.

I recently was able to get my last bike from my parents garage... I believe I got this bike about 10 years ago when i was 14. It is a Pacific Scorpio 21 speed Mountain Bike. It has Shimano Altus C-90 transmission and Braking systems... and Kalin Seat post and Handle bars.

My goal is to fix up this bike to the best of my ability (and supplement my work with some jobs from a local bike shop once i find one i like.)

My quest started out with a trip to the library to do some research.... I have read a couple books on the subject and have found a lot of information from Sheldon Brown's page very helpful.

Disclaimer. I have NEVER worked on a bike before... I didn't and still don't know what all the parts are called, but I'm a pretty handy person, and I am glutton for punishment, so I'm gonna try to do all but the really hard stuff myself.

My first task was to clean the bike, which I have done using a dilution of car was in warm water.... got off all the dust that my parents garage had deposited in the 7ish years it hasn't been ridden. Task 2 was to pump up the tires to see if the tubes would still hold air... they have been flat for several years.... surprisingly they checked out fine and I have 58 P.S.I. in them now... I want to experiment with pressure... the little I rode the bike after i pumped up the tires seemed a little rough.

I then hit the store to purchase 2 very important items.... A new Bike Helmet to protect my noggin (A red Schwinn Model which was the only one I could find to fit my huge head) and a new seat, to fit my expanded behind (possibly a partial source of the rough ride can be attributed to the hard as hell, narrow stock seat that was on this model. Total cost at Wall World: 37.something

2nd trip to the store. Went to REI (an outdoors store to check out what they have) while there purchased some Orange based biodegradable degreaser, some axel/bottom bracket/headset grease, and some chain oil. total bill 20.something

Today I did my first real task of rebuilding this bike... I disassembled the front wheel hub and repacked the bearings with some grease... this had NOT been done since I got the bike 10 years ago.the still moved and had a little bit of grease but the difference is night and day. Having felt a sense of accomplishment I look towards the future.

Plans:

I want to turn this bike into more of city cruiser toouring bike to see the sights of Nashville on. I'm not really a rough and tumble trail guy, but more of a city commuter. SO here is what I want in the end....

I would like to finish repacking the rear wheel hub, Bottom Bracket, and Headset. Oil the chain, and other basic maintenance issues that have been neglected for too long.

Take the bike to a local shop (when i find one i like and trust) and have them do a once over tune-up adjustment, as well as a truing of the wheels... they have a bit of a wobble.

Start riding and enjoying my new toy.

In the future I would like to get some less nobby tires on this thing... some more conducive to roads/sidewalks, and other paved trails. Possibly one day repaint the frame, because it to has faded quite a bit from the place it was stored in the garage next to a window. Also reduce some weight possibly. and as things brake down replace with better quality parts.

I'm really excited! pictures to come soon.

04-10-2008, 12:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
smsimpson83 Yaris Cruiser Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nashville Posts: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Cycling Noob Hi everyone.... so my title is a little misleading.... ofcourse like most people i learned to ride when i was a little kid... LOVED riding bikes, but upon moving 700 miles away from home to go to school i didn't bring my bicycle with me.... even when i was still living at home i pretty much stopped riding when I started driving.... well now I'm trying to reclaim a bit of my youth. I recently was able to get my last bike from my parents garage... I believe I got this bike about 10 years ago when i was 14. It is a Pacific Scorpio 21 speed Mountain Bike. It has Shimano Altus C-90 transmission and Braking systems... and Kalin Seat post and Handle bars. My goal is to fix up this bike to the best of my ability (and supplement my work with some jobs from a local bike shop once i find one i like.) My quest started out with a trip to the library to do some research.... I have read a couple books on the subject and have found a lot of information from Sheldon Brown's page very helpful. Disclaimer. I have NEVER worked on a bike before... I didn't and still don't know what all the parts are called, but I'm a pretty handy person, and I am glutton for punishment, so I'm gonna try to do all but the really hard stuff myself. My first task was to clean the bike, which I have done using a dilution of car was in warm water.... got off all the dust that my parents garage had deposited in the 7ish years it hasn't been ridden. Task 2 was to pump up the tires to see if the tubes would still hold air... they have been flat for several years.... surprisingly they checked out fine and I have 58 P.S.I. in them now... I want to experiment with pressure... the little I rode the bike after i pumped up the tires seemed a little rough. I then hit the store to purchase 2 very important items.... A new Bike Helmet to protect my noggin (A red Schwinn Model which was the only one I could find to fit my huge head) and a new seat, to fit my expanded behind (possibly a partial source of the rough ride can be attributed to the hard as hell, narrow stock seat that was on this model. Total cost at Wall World: 37.something 2nd trip to the store. Went to REI (an outdoors store to check out what they have) while there purchased some Orange based biodegradable degreaser, some axel/bottom bracket/headset grease, and some chain oil. total bill 20.something Today I did my first real task of rebuilding this bike... I disassembled the front wheel hub and repacked the bearings with some grease... this had NOT been done since I got the bike 10 years ago.the still moved and had a little bit of grease but the difference is night and day. Having felt a sense of accomplishment I look towards the future. Plans: I want to turn this bike into more of city cruiser toouring bike to see the sights of Nashville on. I'm not really a rough and tumble trail guy, but more of a city commuter. SO here is what I want in the end.... I would like to finish repacking the rear wheel hub, Bottom Bracket, and Headset. Oil the chain, and other basic maintenance issues that have been neglected for too long. Take the bike to a local shop (when i find one i like and trust) and have them do a once over tune-up adjustment, as well as a truing of the wheels... they have a bit of a wobble. Start riding and enjoying my new toy. In the future I would like to get some less nobby tires on this thing... some more conducive to roads/sidewalks, and other paved trails. Possibly one day repaint the frame, because it to has faded quite a bit from the place it was stored in the garage next to a window. Also reduce some weight possibly. and as things brake down replace with better quality parts. I'm really excited! pictures to come soon.