"First Loves"

I've had so many bikes that it's not funny... almost as bad as guitars... but my first "bike shop bike" was a Schwinn Predator circa 1982. I still have it, although very little is original. About 10 years ago, I spruced it back up with plans of riding it again, but it turned out to be too small for someone 5' 10". I ended up buying another more modern 20" bike to ride.

Mtn bikes.. no... my first two are long gone...

Road bike... sadly, stolen when I was in high school.

My first car was a '71 Comet that I only had for a few months before it failed inspection for rust. I still long for the replacement: an '82 Subaru 4WD wagon. If that car had A/C and a 5 spd, I'd like to think I'd still have it.

Still have one of these hanging from the rafters in my parents' barn. Of course, mine isnt NOS any more.

And a few old Dynos and GTs. One Vertigo and one Detour. The Vertigo still has the bashguard and is splatter neon green, the Detour is blue and looks closer to this.

And a few old and less impressive Redlines and Diamond Backs.

Gotta bump this thread because it motivated me to get my Mongoose mountain bike going again!

I have all my bikes (the Supergoose, the Mongoose, my newer Schwinn MTB, and a Robinson Rebel BMX) hanging from the rafters of our shed. Last year, I put the newer Schwinn away for the winter, and I couldn't get it down, so I turned my attention to the Mongoose. I got it down, pumped up the tires, cleaned it up, and rode it for the first time in over 10 years.

It skips gears a little, and it needs new grips, but man, does it ride nice! It actually has a better ride than my Schwinn, which is a full suspension bike. Does anyone have any tips on tuning up bikes? It skips only on the largest front sprocket, if that makes any sense.

My suggestion: Remove the chain and soak it in some degreaser for a day, give it some shaking, basically loosen all the old dust that has bonded to the old oil in the chain. Then, toothbrush the hell outta it.

Then take some time to lube it. There's a lot of expensive "Chain Oils" out there, but for the most part, you don't need to bother with them. I believe you can cut some ATF with a bit of mineral spirits and make a fine chain lube. Hell, you could probably use straight ATF. Either way, lube every link, and then wipe away the excess. Then pop the chain back on.

Then, when you have it back on, check the front derailer when you have the chain on the large chainring. The cage should NOT be touching the chain at all. Also, not sure of your memory, but try not to cross-chain, which is running in the "Large-large" or "small-small" configuration, where the chain is on the largest cog and largest chainring, or smallest and smallest. This puts a little too much lateral stress on the chain and can lead to skipping, and excessive wear. If the cage is rubbing, there are a pair of small screws near the mount of the derailer that you can adjust. They affect the maximum range of the cage. Look for the HI or H marked on, and see if you can adjust the cage to clear the chain.

Of course, depending on how much you rode it before throwing it into the rafters, the chain might be worn out. Bike shops have a gauge for that, and will usually will do it for you without charge if you ask nicely :D (It's a 2 second job). New chain is available and cheap, and can be had from pretty much anywhere. But if you can, find one with a "Power-Link" which is a link with a tool-less opening link. So much easier!

Bringing this one back to life....
Fourth of July weekend and lots of family in town. My 24 yr old nephew arrives in town with a Felt Virtue 4.
Aluminum, carbor fiber, disk brakes, full suspension.
This encouraged me to spend Monday out riding my Bridgestone MB4. I bet it has been a year since the MB4 was last ridden (could be up to 3 years) and it has been more than that many years since it saw any riding other than pavement.
He and I put the bikes in the van and drove to the Kelley's Island Ferry. The island is a very bike friendly place. We put on about 15 miles total which were mostly asphalt but we did get the bikes off into the old quarry (Horseshoe Lake.) This was about 3 miles of riding in a combination of limestone rock and dirt. We ventured off the standard trails and found some single track that I can only discribe as "deer paths". Cool riding on a perfectly clear but near 90 degree day. We took the opportunity to ride out to the State Park beach and cool off. While there we locked the bikes and hiked around the glacial grooves. We did not take a camera but here are some other peoples photos lifted off google maps http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.610822,-82.709885&spn=0.126293,0.307961&z=12&lci=com.panoramio.all.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/22225757
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9278569
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7539997
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/26718269

My bike frame (and personal body frame) is nearly 20 years older than my nephew's and much heavier but I had a great time and really did not have any trouble keeping up.

DaveEstey wrote: My first bike was a Bianchi Timberwolf, bought in 1994. In 2004 it got converted to 2-stroke power so I could zip around campus AND annoy people simultaneously.

First-ever Mountain Moto?

I'd put a suspension fork and disc brakes on it though...

gamby wrote: Anyway, I have a neat '84 Trek 400 that's been hanging in my Mom's basement for about 16 years now. Someday I'll do something with it. I was going to singlespeed it, but now I think if I did anything, it would be to just update it w/ newschool wheels and drivetrain.

This berkeleying thread has me combing ebay for new parts for the Trek. My wife will KILL me.

This - but chrome