Maintenance for 1993 GT Talera bikes

FastFourier

Retro Newbie
First of all, a HUGE thank you to this community. You've been such a great resource during the search for a bike. I'm a relative newbie, so I'll take all the help I can get.

I picked these two bikes up last week. Using the catalogue archive, I was able to identify them as 1993 GT Talera All Terra bikes in Blue Marble and Teal Pearl.

They have all of the original components in near mint condition. Everything works. Stickers are in great shape, including the sticker from the bike shop they were purchased from. These bikes look like they were ridden for a few months in '93, then stored in a climate-controlled space for 27 years. I've only ridden them a few times, but I already love them. The rapid-fire trigger shifters are a dream. I'm willing to learn and put in the work to keep these bikes in great shape.

A couple of questions -


  • To my untrained eye, they're perfect... but they're nearly 30 years old. How can I tell what needs to be repaired or replaced?

    Since everything is working, I'd love to keep all of the original components in tip top shape. Is that a realistic goal? If so, is there anything I can do in terms of maintenance to prolong the life?

    One sticker on the bike references a user manual. Any ideas about where I might find a copy? I know it's wishful thinking, but hey I figured I'd ask!

Thanks in advance for all your help!
 

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Wow, timewarp bikes!

Probaby the main thing likely to have deteriorated is the grease which has probably solidified - I would open up and squirt grease into the hubs, bottom bracket and headset...also remove and grease the seatpost.

Then ride and enjoy!
 
Re:

Those look minty fresh indeed.
In terms of keeping them that way then that mostly depends on how easy or hard a life they are going to get.

If the plan is to abused in all weathers as a commuter bike then regular maintenance, cleaning and correct lubrication will be essential.
If it's only light duties in dry weather then a bit of chain lube every now and then may be all that they need. New cables are often a good idea though.

There are several maintenance guides from back in the day that some or other forgotten legend scanned and uploaded to the forum several years ago here: --->
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=53227
I've no idea what happened to him...

As for the user manual; probably next to useless. I remember the GT manual I got back in 1992 when I got my GT Bravado. It basically tells to to check your quick release skewers and wear a helmet.
 
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