Hello everyone, I found this forum by asking google a few questions about my bike. So much stuff out there I am not aware of.
I was an avid road cyclist in my teens back in Ottawa, ON Canada. I also loved to tinker with the bike as well by ordering what parts I could afford at the time, truing my rims, etc. I loved the hobby but eventually fell by the wayside.
Now that my kids are 5 and 8 and starting to really enjoy bicycles, I figured it was time to look at a new bike myself but boy are they expensive. I purchased the RM in the title of this thread about 25 years ago from the original owner and used it sparingly since. It has literally been collecting dust for the last 15 years, I can't recall the last time I rode it. I figured instead of a fancy next expensive bike, it would be fun to get the old one up and running.
I started that last week and boy has it been an adventure. I've been busy taking the whole thing apart and cleaning each component slowly and carefully.
Thankfully, the original owner replaced a bunch of the XT components with XTR. The derailleur is M951, XT shifters, XTR V-Brakes, Syncros crank. It still has the Marzocchi original shock that works, Raceface headset, Titanium seat post(I think).
Anyways, I do have a few questions for the other expert tinkerers out there.
1. I am thinking of updating the chain and getting a new one ,options? Or do I just clean and degrease the old one? Will any modern shimano chain work and if not why? I would like to understand the details of why one chain works better than another.
2. Do I need a new BB? The one I removed seems to work just fine still after cleaning it up. It's a sealed unit so probably fine?
3. I was thinking about changing the syncros crank but it appears that was a big upgrade from the original raceface component it came with it.
Thanks so much for any assistance, it is much appreciated.
Not that it's relevant but my father passed away 3 days ago and this project is a nice way to keep my mind occupied while I deal with everything that has to be done.
Here are some photos of the bike before and now...
I was an avid road cyclist in my teens back in Ottawa, ON Canada. I also loved to tinker with the bike as well by ordering what parts I could afford at the time, truing my rims, etc. I loved the hobby but eventually fell by the wayside.
Now that my kids are 5 and 8 and starting to really enjoy bicycles, I figured it was time to look at a new bike myself but boy are they expensive. I purchased the RM in the title of this thread about 25 years ago from the original owner and used it sparingly since. It has literally been collecting dust for the last 15 years, I can't recall the last time I rode it. I figured instead of a fancy next expensive bike, it would be fun to get the old one up and running.
I started that last week and boy has it been an adventure. I've been busy taking the whole thing apart and cleaning each component slowly and carefully.
Thankfully, the original owner replaced a bunch of the XT components with XTR. The derailleur is M951, XT shifters, XTR V-Brakes, Syncros crank. It still has the Marzocchi original shock that works, Raceface headset, Titanium seat post(I think).
Anyways, I do have a few questions for the other expert tinkerers out there.
1. I am thinking of updating the chain and getting a new one ,options? Or do I just clean and degrease the old one? Will any modern shimano chain work and if not why? I would like to understand the details of why one chain works better than another.
2. Do I need a new BB? The one I removed seems to work just fine still after cleaning it up. It's a sealed unit so probably fine?
3. I was thinking about changing the syncros crank but it appears that was a big upgrade from the original raceface component it came with it.
Thanks so much for any assistance, it is much appreciated.
Not that it's relevant but my father passed away 3 days ago and this project is a nice way to keep my mind occupied while I deal with everything that has to be done.
Here are some photos of the bike before and now...
