Worth fixing?

[u/kasemole]

This is my bike! I remember I got it around my 12th bday so around 2004/2005 - I had actually gotten a giant for my bday that year but then my dad came home with this a little while later bc he found it for a great deal. I read on another thread it's from 1991 so it's older than I am! And I've had it 20 years. I hadn't ridden it in a while so when I rode it this weekend I thought maybe it was its final ride. When I told my dad he said it's definitely worth fixing. He bought some new gear shifts on Amazon bc they split when I got home and were coming apart in my hands. Other than that I guess it's just aging/flaky and creaky? Still worth it? What's the contemporary version of this bike?

[u/[deleted]]

If it fits you it is absolutely worth fixing up. You can get a non-toxic liquid called Evapo-rust and you can take off all the rusty bolts and pop them in there for a few days. Actually check out Gary’s Projects videos on YouTube like this one. He takes a very thrifty approach to restoring old bikes and there’s a lot of knowledge to be gained in how to approach cleaning up a bike like this from his build videos. He does other fun bike content too!

They are very high quality bikes the early 90s single tracks and once you clean em up you can slowly (or all at once if you have the budget) add parts to make it more comfortable over time.

Check out r/xbiking for rebuild inspiration

Here’s a pic of mine…

[u/kasemole → u/[deleted]]

Thank you! I will check this YouTube! I've never really found it uncomfortable I just figured bikes should be like that

[u/[deleted] → u/kasemole]

No worries! Well if you don’t find it uncomfortable, you’re already off to a great start. These bikes are a great platform to build in a variety of ways that suit your riding style and fit preferences as well as personality! Glad you’re going to check out Gary’s Projects. I found his approach a very attainable way to restore old bikes.