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Front ones rarely have a problem because they barely ever touch the chain and are mostly protected from stones and falls by the crankset.
Rear ones CAN develop excessive play or get bent in a fall, but I have never seen one go bad from regular use.
Normally I'd tell you to put it in such a gear that the lower cage is pointing straight down, then looking from the back to make sure it isn't pointing inwards. However that will be rather difficult now that the bike is apart, so visual inspection is out of the question.
The only way to really know for sure if it's in good condition, is to clean and lubricate it and then test it on a bike.
Even though I don't see the rear mech in any of the photos, I'm guessing yours will be okay though. The grime on the cantilevers, crankset and front mech clearly shows that the bike only had minimal maintenance, but then again it looks like it hasn't had a hard life either.
That spread-out dirt near the top of the fork legs is from gradual exposure, like you get when driving on the road. You don't get such a pattern from going off-road in damp or wet conditions. It'd be a lot thicker straight away. That leads me to believe that the previous owner(s) most likely only used the bike as a commuter.
Front ones rarely have a problem because they barely ever touch the chain and are mostly protected from stones and falls by the crankset.
Rear ones CAN develop excessive play or get bent in a fall, but I have never seen one go bad from regular use.
Normally I'd tell you to put it in such a gear that the lower cage is pointing straight down, then looking from the back to make sure it isn't pointing inwards. However that will be rather difficult now that the bike is apart, so visual inspection is out of the question.
The only way to really know for sure if it's in good condition, is to clean and lubricate it and then test it on a bike.
Even though I don't see the rear mech in any of the photos, I'm guessing yours will be okay though. The grime on the cantilevers, crankset and front mech clearly shows that the bike only had minimal maintenance, but then again it looks like it hasn't had a hard life either.
That spread-out dirt near the top of the fork legs is from gradual exposure, like you get when driving on the road. You don't get such a pattern from going off-road in damp or wet conditions. It'd be a lot thicker straight away. That leads me to believe that the previous owner(s) most likely only used the bike as a commuter.
