Restoring a bike for a mate, What would you do?
- Thread starter enc
- Start date
Buy the right cheap bike for around £100, give it a cursory once over and give it your mate. Sleep well at night as they do f'all to maintain it, leaves it out in the rain etc.
Even better, buy the right cheap bike - get your mate to take it to the local bike shop for a once over. That way you are not on the hook for repairs, complaints about punctures/gear shifts/brakes etc forever more and they understand that bike maintenance costs time and money.
If they pleasantly surprise by looking after it, cherishing it etc - then offer to teach them to do a full restoration or help them find a better bike.
Even better, buy the right cheap bike - get your mate to take it to the local bike shop for a once over. That way you are not on the hook for repairs, complaints about punctures/gear shifts/brakes etc forever more and they understand that bike maintenance costs time and money.
If they pleasantly surprise by looking after it, cherishing it etc - then offer to teach them to do a full restoration or help them find a better bike.
enc
Kona Fan
we’ve sourced something now but I like your way of thinking
but I’ve known him far too long.. there’s no way he’ll be “ cherishing” it 
enc
Kona Fan
So he’s snagged a 94 lava dome with wait for it …Deore, LX, levers and rear mech, Stx front mech, stx front brake calliper, unknown rear brake calliper, Sugino chain set and unknown rims and hubs. Inevitably and in my usual style… this will not be a catalogue build 
The frame overall is in pretty good shape… obviously, there’s stone chips and abrasions to deal with but I’ve seen worse. Decals are in excellent condition. The bike is fitted with actual working
answer Manitou sport forks. A random collection of anodised components… bars, seat clamp, bottle cage screws etc will be stripped of their anodising and polished or painted as required. The bike is surprisingly light … I say surprisingly because I’m more amazed at how light the Manitou’s must be over yhe fact they’re actually working. New gear cables brake cables including bridge cables and hangers have been ordered as have crank arm dust caps and handle grips. Things to source are touch in paint and a replacement rear tyre. This project will come in well under the £300 budget and hopefully yield a cosmetically presentable and usable retro Kona. Bring on the caustic soda
The frame overall is in pretty good shape… obviously, there’s stone chips and abrasions to deal with but I’ve seen worse. Decals are in excellent condition. The bike is fitted with actual working
answer Manitou sport forks. A random collection of anodised components… bars, seat clamp, bottle cage screws etc will be stripped of their anodising and polished or painted as required. The bike is surprisingly light … I say surprisingly because I’m more amazed at how light the Manitou’s must be over yhe fact they’re actually working. New gear cables brake cables including bridge cables and hangers have been ordered as have crank arm dust caps and handle grips. Things to source are touch in paint and a replacement rear tyre. This project will come in well under the £300 budget and hopefully yield a cosmetically presentable and usable retro Kona. Bring on the caustic soda
hi enc , I have been there , We would do anything for our best mates but you won't be helping him. so help him to find a decent bike within his budget . Then try to teach him how to maintain it. If at the end of the day he does not live up to it , it is not on you and your mate wont feel he has been let down and more than that he won't feel he has let you down either,help him to help himself. If you do it all ,the work you put in will not be worth snything to him as he has invested nothing of himself in the project.I've been on a few ride-outs with a mate who has a Scott hybrid and he's developed a liking for retro Konas. He knows zero about bikes so the restoration and careful maintenance a retro bike requires is highly unlikely (by him). He's asked me to find and restore something for him with a budget of £300 max. With prices of early Konas stable it's possible we can do this but, an issue for me is restoring a bike I know for a fact will not receive the future care it requires. I'd be pissed seeing it treated the same way he treats the Scott hybrid BUT.... it scratches an itch for me. Currently, I have nine bikes... five ridable and four leisurely build projects ... I really enjoy the restoration, build, cleaning, etc though I daren't take on any more for myself... id be quite happy to restore something for my mate but as I said id be cut up if it wasn't looked after properly. Opinions?
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