Just got a Marin Rocky Ridge

[juice]

Stupid question but where would I get ethyl alcohol from, how much is it, what does it do and can I use it on any other bits of rust.

Also what kind of grease do I need and can I only get this from a bike shop.

I found some under the kitchen sink. The price tag on it reads 0,79€. I guess you can get it in every super market. It is nothing special. Just an good all round cleaner. I use it for everything that is dirty. There is no danger unlesss you don't try to drink it. For everything that won't clean up with it i have a bottle of petroleum but that's the kind of stuff you don't want to get on your skin...so use some gloves and be prepared that this stuff also eats the rubber of the gloves ...
My grease is from an DIY store. I bought the cheapest all-purpose grease and it does what it should so i'm happy with it.

 

[gerryattrick]

+1 to all the comments above.

I volunteer at a charity renovating old bikes and it's amazing what you can re-use with a bit of effort. You're starting off with a decent quality bike which looks like a Rolls Royce compared to the bikes we get in.

The chain might be not worth the effort - but that's based on how much you value your time. If it flexes OK then it should be saveable.

I doubt whether there's any need to replace hubs, headset or cassette if you are after a bike for mainly commuting. Cleaning, greasing and adjusting will probably be enough, possibly new bearings would be a good idea, as well as new cables if they're rusted/fraying (Wilkinsons sell them for about £1).

You can spend a lot of money on specialist bike grease, but I've always found car grease to do the job well for much less money.

A bit of fine wire wool will work wonders on alloys and when cleaning the parts of a bike such as chainsets and headsets of any rust.

At the end of it you'll have a good bike for around a £100, including new tyres and chain, and you'll have learned a lot in the process.

 

[Charlieboy28]

agree with all thats been said apart from the wilkinsons cables, they are shitey shite,been there done that wished i hadnt.

but you can get jagwire brake and gear ones for £1 each on the bay with free postage


I would be quite chuffed with that for £75 , the LM grease is what i use too and white spirits for degreasing. Spend the weekend cleaning and a fettling and you will be amazed at the results. You can show your boss he knows nothing, which i suspect is true if he spends that much on modern tat

 

[mechagouki]

The bike in the pictures is a 1992 Rocky Ridge, the first year they were available and the 'budget' alternative to the Indian Fire Trail. I had a friend who bought one new and I liked it very much, nice lines for an aluminum bike.

A picture from the archives:

 

[Splatter Paint]

See the For Sale pages, all you need to get your bike rolling again a KMC Z51 is a budget chain that actually shifts very well, you can pick them up on eBay cheap. Try it on the cassette before changing that too.

Welcome to the forum.

SP

 

[larrydavid]

I cant believe it's been so long since i bought this bike. I cleaned it up , got new tyres and a new wheel. I've also been given new handle bars and shifters but never got around to putting them on.

The main problem i had was the handlebars were loose and wouldn't tighten and the gears wouldn't shift to the two or three smallest cogs.

I couldn't tighten the handlebars. I had to put on some loc tight, which helped but isn't perfect.

The rear mech is knackered and needs replacing.

I used the bike anyway but one day the pedal worked loose and my weight forced it off threading the pedal arm thingy. I've not been able to use it since.

Fortunately my mate lent me his bike and I've been using that for the last year or so.

It's about time i give it him back though and fix the Marin.

I'm not sure whether i need a new crank arm or whole new bottom bracket. My boss says the older bikes have smaller sizes so be careful as to what i get.

I also need to know if it matters what rear mech i get.

Any help appreciated.

 

[juice]

Given your bike has a 7-speed cassette nearly any mech will do. The Shimano DX RD-M650 would be the most correct retro part but every STX, LX, XT or XTR mech of the same time period would do the job, too.

Some pics of the mess with your pedal and crank arm would help to see what must be replaced and what is still useable.

I've never had a problem like yours with my handlebars. So i'm only guessing
what the problem might be.
Maybe the bar has a smaller diameter as your stem allows and you are missing the shims.
Maybe the threads on the stem and the screw are knackerd. Maybe the stem itself has seen some damage. So i'd try to measure both diameters first, then change the screw on the stem, then try another bar or another stem.

Hope this helps.

 

[B77]

I have the very same bike, owned since new. Never let me down and just keeps going. Follow all the great advice given so far and you won't go wrong.

Edit, just looked at the orignal post date.

 

[larrydavid]

Given your bike has a 7-speed cassette nearly any mech will do. The Shimano DX RD-M650 would be the most correct retro part but every STX, LX, XT or XTR mech of the same time period would do the job, too.

Some pics of the mess with your pedal and crank arm would help to see what must be replaced and what is still useable.

I've never had a problem like yours with my handlebars. So i'm only guessing
what the problem might be.
Maybe the bar has a smaller diameter as your stem allows and you are missing the shims.
Maybe the threads on the stem and the screw are knackerd. Maybe the stem itself has seen some damage. So i'd try to measure both diameters first, then chang
e the screw on the stem, then try another bar or another stem.
The
Hope this helps.

Thanks for that. I didn't get the chance to get a photo tonight, I'll do it tomorrow but it's the right side crank arm that is damaged and it's inside the crank arm that's threaded. You can't put another pedal on it.

When you say any rear mech will do, do you mean any from that time period or any newly manufactured mech. If it's retro only, where could I buy it from?

 

[B77]

When you say any rear mech will do, do you mean any from that time period or any newly manufactured mech. If it's retro only, where could I buy it from?

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=2