Are old school mountain bikes any good?

[deftron]

I got this bike from a thrift store for $20

link

The rear derailleur was messed up.
Got a discontinued one from the bike shop for $12.

I think the bike is from the late 80's or early 90's

It weighs about 28 pounds and feels solid.

Is this bike decent at all? .. or is it worse than the lowest end
models you can get today

I know almost all new mountain bikes have some kind of suspension
which this one doesn't.

However, I'm 99% city riding ... but the few cobblestone streets around
here do suck with it.


BTW ... I'm gonna replace that painful wide ass seat next.

 

[imported_Pablo]

Heavy as lead, but a good solid bike. better than a huffy any day!

 

[deftron]

Originally posted by: Pablo
Heavy as lead, but a good solid bike. better than a huffy any day!

How much do todays mountain bikes weigh?

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: deftron

Originally posted by: Pablo
Heavy as lead, but a good solid bike. better than a huffy any day!

How much do todays mountain bikes weigh?

huge range. hardtails range anywhere from sub 20 lbs to ~26 lbs for aluminum frames. obviously steel will be more, but steel frames are generally more high end/custom (nowadays).

as for the mountain bike, itll be fine for city riding and stuff. wont be very fun to ride in any serious mtn biking though, but for the price, what can you expect? its really cool to have a vintage mtn bike around.

EDIT: as for suspension. dont worry about it if you're not going mountain biking. suspension eats up power.... plus, many people like rigid forks- just becauseit feels old school and stuff heheheheh

 

[deftron]

Oh ...one thing I wanted to ask.

Are seat post sizes universal (the width) ?

Not sure cause I'd imagine different frames have varying thickness.


I think I'm gonna replace the saddle and the post (with a dropback type one)

 

[antyler]

The brand is GT, they were good back in the day. I think you got a good deal.

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: deftron
Oh ...one thing I wanted to ask.

Are seat post sizes universal (the width) ?

Not sure cause I'd imagine different frames have varying thickness.


I think I'm gonna replace the saddle and the post (with a dropback type one)

nope, the seat post diameters are not universal. in fact, there are wayyyyy too many. yes, a 30.8mm is different from a 30.9mm seatpost. some people use them interchangably (close diameters) but it is very not recommended.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

Good ol' GT Triple Triangle frame

 

[deftron]

Originally posted by: ThisIsMatt
Good ol' GT Triple Triangle frame

good thing or bad thing ?

 

[deftron]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother

Originally posted by: deftron
Oh ...one thing I wanted to ask.

Are seat post sizes universal (the width) ?

Not sure cause I'd imagine different frames have varying thickness.


I think I'm gonna replace the saddle and the post (with a dropback type one)

nope, the seat post diameters are not universal. in fact, there are wayyyyy too many. yes, a 30.8mm is different from a 30.9mm seatpost. some people use them interchangably (close diameters) but it is very not recommended.

How do you reliably measure it then ... calipers?

 

[Tylanner]

tranny is prolly shot

needs some new brake pads

oiled all over

 

[deftron]

Shifts fine with new derailleur

Brake pads look ok


I guess oil wouldn't do any harm though...

 

[Tylanner]

solid $20 bike

 

[illusion88]

The bike is all right.

To put it into perspective, I know a guy on the UCdavis cycling team that is on a hard tail single speed. He competes that way.

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: deftron

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother

Originally posted by: deftron
Oh ...one thing I wanted to ask.

Are seat post sizes universal (the width) ?

Not sure cause I'd imagine different frames have varying thickness.


I think I'm gonna replace the saddle and the post (with a dropback type one)

nope, the seat post diameters are not universal. in fact, there are wayyyyy too many. yes, a 30.8mm is different from a 30.9mm seatpost. some people use them interchangably (close diameters) but it is very not recommended.

How do you reliably measure it then ... calipers?

thats the tricky part. there really is no sure shot way of determining it. use calipers to measure the inside diameter of the seat stay on the frame. once you get in the ballpark, the only thing to do is to try different sizes. im pretty sure most manufacturers go in .2mm increments (not all). obviously the best way is to find the specs for the frame, but that isnt always possible.

EDIT: forgot to mention the obvious. sometimes the seatpost diameter is written on the post itself (you can check yours) but oftentimes the factory ones are blank. i know all my aftermarket seatposts (ritchey, thomson, truvativ) all have the specs engraved.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I just bought an older think its a year 2k Ironhorse Flagstaff to ride back and forth to work. It has decent adjustable front shock on it but I don't really know how much it helps but it does add some weight. I am sure it would help more off road but every bump on the street is still pretty jarring. Mine is probably in the high 30lb range. You have to spend some bucks to get those really light 20-25lbs bikes atleast for the ones with suspensions.

 

[myusername]

Brutuskend ought to know.

Looks like a circa '95 GT. Alloy wheels. Presumably some lower end shimano. Retailed probably $400+ at the time. Definitely a bargain for $20

I looked at them when I got my current bike (which is vintage '95 schwinn), but I did not like the handlebar style - they are upright and I like the low and flat ones - at the time, "hybrids" were in and there were very few models built that way.


I really need to clean it up and ride it before I get too old to get back on it

Oh, and don't use oil on the chain - go get some chain wax. Neat stuff.

 

[deftron]

Wheels are ARAYA Japan


Not familiar with that brand.

 

[CraigRT]

haha, old school Talera, I had one of those way back when.. I like GT bikes. that one should be fine!

 

[suse920]

Seems good enough for $20, should be some fun. Also no worries about the suspension, old school is the way to go!

 

[JinLien]

It is hard press to get a pair of bike tires for $20.00, therefore $32 for a working bike is an excellent deal.

 

[myusername]

Gonna threadjack here since the bike peeps are looking.
What is the modern equivalent of a Tioga Psycho tire? (i.e. kickass all-terrain (including street) durable tire)

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: myusername
Gonna threadjack here since the bike peeps are looking.
What is the modern equivalent of a Tioga Psycho tire? (i.e. kickass all-terrain (including street) durable tire)

try WTB Velociraptor 2.1s (also old school/classic but still one of the best). or for a more similar tread pattern+faster rolling Hutchinson python airlights.

 

[deftron]

The ones on this bike are pretty sweet all terrain...

Slick in the middle ascending into 1/4 inch knobs on the sides.

I'm sure they are super old though...

Bontrager Revolt SS


EDit ..
reviews

old stock on ebay

 

[grrl]

$20 for a commuter bike? Who can complain?