I just emailed the store that I bought my bike at 16 years ago. I told them 15-ish because I don't want my age to be too obvious.
This is a road bike that was around 2000 back-then dollars and it has seen lots of riding and also some accidents. Not so much riding in the past 5 years because of the wheels being a teensy bit wonky, and then getting hit by a car.
I want: grippier tires, wheels that go in perfect circles, cooler handlebars and a basket. Are these reasonable things to be asking for? How much would said things cost?
I've been searching for a new bike for 2 years and I can't find one that seems awesome enough. I also think I might want this lightweight bike and also a cheap mountain bike, if I start winter biking (i.e. fix this up and then IF and only IF I'm biking enough).
Can this happen? Has anyone non-mechanical done a bike makeover like this?
15 years old isn't particularly old when it comes to bikes.
Bikes are pretty simple mechanical beasts . . . I say this as someone who five years ago couldn't change a flat tire. Last year I built myself a very nice wheelset from some hubs, rims, and spokes . . . the year before I replaced the entire drivetrain (shifters, derailleurs, chain, cassette, running new cables, cutting new cable housing, running cables) on a bike. You just need the internet and some patience.
The things that you want:
Grippier tires:
- Do you have problems with the wheels sliding out from under your bike as you turn corners sharply? This would indicate that your tires are overinflated. Do you know how to calculate the correct pressure for your weight/tire width?
- Are you riding the bike on road, or off road? On road, you'll actually get better grip from a very smooth tread. Knobs and a heavily patterened design on the tire will grip better in deep mud/snow, but actually make handling worse on pavement.
- Do you just want a more stable feeling bike? Getting tires that are wider will mean that you can run lower pressure (comfort and better grip), but they also make the bike handle in a noticeably more stable manner.
Some tires are actually made of grippier rubber than others. This is very rarely what people really want though when they talk about grippier tires though.
Wheels that go in perfect circles:
- Your wheels need to be trued. This is not a complicated task, you just need a spoke wrench and some internet instructions.
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/wheel-and-rim-truing#article-section-5 If those instructions seem to complicated, take it down to your local bike store and they should be able to true the wheels for not too much money (should be under 40$ and half an hour for both wheels as long as the spoke nipples aren't fused to the rims).
Cooler handlebars:
- Very easy to do, and handlebars can be had pretty cheaply if you look around for sales.
The bars are bolted to something like that^. Replacing them is a matter of unscrewing everything from one set of handlebars and screwing them on to another set. Note: You need to buy handlebars that are the same diameter at the stem as the ones you're replacing, so be sure to measure this.
Basket:
- Very easy to install on most bikes, can be had pretty cheaply.
