[Sportsandrec] Help with fixing up an old Tandem

[Ron & the bears]

Hi,

 Keith: The discussions on peddles and gears made me want to go out and look 
at
: my bike.  I am wondering if it is possible or desirable to consider up
: grading.
:
: My bike is about 20 years old.  It is a heavy duty mountain bike style
: but It reminds me of my old beach cruiser when I was a kid.  It is a
: man's bike in the front and a woman's bike in the rear.  It is an off
: brand name.  It is a Fiore.
:
: It is a five speed bike.  The gears are Shimano with a moveable lever.
: The twisting style of gear changer seems like it would work better, but
: I really don't know.  It may only need adjusting.  How much would it
: cost to upgrade the gears?

Bears: From the quick glance on Google, I'd not put too much money into this 
bike. It is worth cleaning and tuning up, for sure. You will get some great 
neighborhood rides on it, too.

To change the shifter, for example would involve changing the gear cluster 
in order to match the indexing of a grip type shifter. You would also need a 
new chain. I am guessing $60 in new parts alone. If I lived near you, I'd 
help you find used parts and do the work with you helping for free.

There are a lot of bike co-op shops, where you may be able to learn and get 
a break on other used parts to really improve this bike. I volunteer at a 
church that has such a shop. Someone gave me an old tandem that I gave to 
one of my pilots. She is engaged to be married in August. Our first ride on 
this rickity thing was absolutely hilarious. I will have to post the story I 
wrote about it. We have spent hours on this rig, but it has really come 
along. I can feel real improvements in the way it rides and feels. I am 
happy that her fiance is getting more into cycling with his bride.

Keith: The peddles say VP767 on them and they look like a special shoe could
: lock into them.  I never noticed that.  I just thought that they were a
: little spiky to grip my shoes.  How can I find out if there are special
: shoes that clip or lock into these peddles?

Bears: If it is a pedal you can lock into, then you will feel little clips 
that resemble a ski binder, or perhaps a set of parenthesis. The cleat pops 
down into them. If they are original pedals, I doubt they are clipless. They 
may just have little nubs to better grip your shoes, as you said.

Keith: There is some rust on my rims.  What is a good way to clean them?  I
: remember as a kid using steel wool on the spokes but I don't remember if
: I used it on the rims.  My bikes were ridden so much that they never had
: rust on the rims.  All that was needed was some polish and a t-shirt to
: make them real nice and shiny.  Those were the days when I could see
: shiny rims!

Bears: I have had good luck with Scotch Brite pads for light, surface rust. 
Brillo pads work very well, too. A clean bike is more desireable to ride, so 
take the time to show it some love. Your investment will motivate you to 
ride it more and pay dividends when you sell it for an upgraded bike.

Keith: I am enjoying the discussions.  It is motivating me to get back on my
: bike.  Keep up the good work.
:
: Thank you,
:
: Keith

Bears: That is why we are here. I am happy to help other blind sports 
enthusiasts in whatever arena I have experience to share. I get a lot of 
support back from the group in return.

Feel free to call. I can talk you through some basic mechanical repairs on 
this baby!

Ron & the bring it back to life and it will bring you back to life bears
Austin, TX
5one2 4one9 one37two 



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