New here with some questions. Thanks in advance!

[KCfly]

Hello all, after many years of telling myself I was going to get back on the bike and ride the MS150, this year I signed up and now I HAVE to get back on and start riding so that I don't embarrass myself.

Please excuse my lack of terminology, but I will try to muddle through..

I have an old Diamondback Sorrento I purchased new from around 1991-1992. This bike has always served me well and although it's not perfect for the MS150 I'd like to make it work. The bike has seen precious little maintenance over the years but has always been kept in the garage and out of the weather. The bike is all original, except for the seat, as far as I know.

I took it out for a ride the other day and noticed that when shifting from gears 7 down to 1 everything goes well, but when trying to shift back up it just jumps to 7. Also, when in gears 1,2 or 6,7 the chain rubs on either side of my front derailler. Any tips as to why this is happening. I have viewed some videos but didn't see this specifically addressed.

Thanks again, pictures are attached for your viewing pleasure.

-Brad

[Painkiller]

it sounds like it needs a good tune up. hard to say from pictures but it looks like original cable housing also. with what you describe, new cables and housing would be a good place to start.
with that system when on the middle ring you should run all 7 in back without rubbing
when on the granny and the large ring you might have rub if crossing the chain line to much
be sure to tighten your crank arm bolts before setting your derailleur

[JohnV]

You should have no problem doing the MS 150 with that bike. I would, however, get rid of the knobby tires and get smooth ones so you have less of a drag factor between the tire and the road. It will certainly help make pedaling easier for the long haul. What MS 150 are you getting ready to do? I am doing the one in Florida on May 14th and 15th. Goes from Winter Haven to Orlando and back.

As for the shifting issue, I would just take it to the LBS and have it tuned up. My road bike is only 6 months old and I plan on a full tune up before the ride starts. I could probably do it myself, but I rather not mess something up this close to the ride and then worry about getting my bike out of the shop by ride day.

[KCfly]

Thanks for the comments. I will look into getting new cables all around. (brakes and shifters) All the cables are original. I really don't need a failure during the MS150 (or a training ride 10 miles from home). I'll be riding in the Kansas City MS 150

The current tires are Kenda Kross 26x1.95 which are a nice tire but are starting to develop cracks. My wheels are listed as 26x1.5 so I'm thinking of going down to a 26x1.5 tire. Is the Kenda Kwest a good choice? Any other suggestions?

I will definitely be making a trip to the LBS for a tune up. I'm just hoping to get any thing replaced that needs it before the tune up. I would like to do as much as I can myself before handing it over to get finished up.[/align]

Any thoughts on replacing any of the other components? Seems to be pretty entry level stuff on there that is nearly 20 years old. Would new shifters, etc be worth the time and money to upgrade or am I fine with what I have?

Thanks,
Brad

[cyclerUK]

The bike looks in VGC for it's year. If you haven't done so already. I would start with oiling the chain with a light oil. (3in1?). (the grease that was in the chain could have gone hard making it less flexible.) Let the oil soak in over night then wipe the chain to remove any excess. I usually drip oil onto the chain while turning the cranks backwards. Don't get oil on the wheel rims.
The gear cables could be sticking, again due to hard grease. Strip and clean or renew.
Same for brake cables, strip and clean & re-lube'.
If the shifters work O.K. I would leave them. Again the grease in them could have also gone hard but I don't know if they are accessible for cleaning and re-lubing. May be ask your LBS to re-grease them?
Also check that your pedals are in good smooth running order. Pedals tend to get neglected, yet are as important as any other part of the bike.
If you are unsure about any part of your bike then have it looked at.

Just a comment - the nose of the saddle looks to pointing up? It's important to be comfortable for the distance you intend riding.
Slick tyres will be an improvement for road riding and pump them up fairly hard.

[Bill]

Also, I may have missed this, but have the bottom bracket bearings regreased, wheel bearings regreased, and headset bearings regreased. Like cycleruk said over that much time grease tends to harden up! Tires I agree replace because the crack will turn to rips and then pop a flat. Kenda tires are actually what I have used and no complaints.
Now as far as you not riding for a long time I will warn you that you'll be sore from not riding. Make sure you stretch, here is an article that will get you on the right track http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/stretches-cyclists?cm_mmc=BicyclingNL-_-2010_10_21-_-trainingnutrition-_-stretches_for_cyclists however not all of these are required. Just find some you are comfortable with and do them before, during, and after riding. Build up your pace like go around the block one day, then maybe 2 blocks the next, and then a little farther so this way you are not putting unneeded stress/fatigue on yourself. Again this is for someone who has not even been on a bike in many years. You can even trade off some days like just walking a block then going back home and jumping on your bike go a short distance.
Other then that it is all I can think of right now.

Bill
P.S. I have a Diamond back and it is awesome!

[JohnV]

One more suggestion on your training. I would drive the route that the MS 150 is going to take. They normally have the route maps and turn-by-turn directions on their web page. This will give you an idea of what you are going to be up against and will give you a chance to find similar terrain in order to train in.

In Florida, our hills amount to bumps compared to hills in other parts of the country but, none-the-less, getting to the top is a effort if you only ride in flat lands. The MS 150 I am doing is in upper central Florida which is pretty hilly, so I have been traveling to some hilly areas in order to train. I also plan to drive the route and see just how different the training hills are from the actual hills of the ride. Also, if you have a trainer, use an incline block to simulate climbing and increase the resistance of the flywheel. That will help strengthen your legs.

[KCfly]

(04-22-2011, 12:56 PM)JohnV Wrote:  One more suggestion on your training. I would drive the route that the MS 150 is going to take. They normally have the route maps and turn-by-turn directions on their web page. This will give you an idea of what you are going to be up against and will give you a chance to find similar terrain in order to train in.

Thanks for this tip. I hadn't thought of doing that. It would be really nice to know what I'm up against.

---

(04-22-2011, 11:55 AM)Bill Wrote:  Also, I may have missed this, but have the bottom bracket bearings regreased, wheel bearings regreased, and headset bearings regreased. Like cycleruk said over that much time grease tends to harden up!

Bill
P.S. I have a Diamond back and it is awesome!

Bill thanks for all the great feedback. Looks more and more like I'll need to get a visit in to my LBS. I would like to do as much of this maintenance myself as I can, but it is sounding like it may be easier, and certainly quicker to just take it in with a list of things to have done.

Thanks,
Brad

[Bill]

Watch some of the videos listed at the top of this post, and if you feel a LBS is still your best bet then have them do it .

[KCfly]

Thanks again for the all the help. So far, have completed the following:

New Shifters
New Shift cables and housings
Adjusted FD and RD
New bearings and grease in front wheel
New tires and tubes
New grips on the handlebars
Cleaned and re-oiled the chain

It's starting to come together...

More work to do, but hey having never done any of this stuff before, I feel like its coming along pretty well...

[KCfly]

Well, got new bearings in the rear wheel tonight. Got the cassette cleaned up. (Looks completely different with 20 years of dirt/grease removed!)

I got everything put back together, took it out for a quick spin between rain showers and was feeling pretty good. Everything is working good. When putting away all the tools, etc. I realized I neglected to put the plastic freehub protector back on. Does this matter? Is it worth taking everything back apart to reinstall this plastic protector?

Thanks again,
Brad

[Painkiller]

leave it off and ride on!

[Bill]

The only thing that is supposed to be for is to protect the spokes in case the chain jumps off the largest gear! Also makes it look good haha! If everything is shifting fine and not jumpy do like painkiller said wait until your bored and take off the cassette and throw it on otherwise ride ride ride! oh yea congrats on getting it rOad worthy!!