1993 giant rincon

[jmguy27]

i just bought this bike it is not in terrible condition but it is not good either. After inspecting the bike it seems all stock parts except the saddle.

cons of the bike.
- spokes on both tires are rusted hubs might be i have to wash them off to really see
- the shifters are kinda busted i can only shift the front gear between 2 and 3 (which i can ride cause i use them the most anyway at least to go to shop to repair)

I have had bikes before but I was more into cruisers. I have been doing research about bikes and i like this bike i dont mind the no front suspension and i figure I can always buy a new fork anyway.

I am on here cause i do not know very much about components. I figure i am goin to have to replace my shifters cause i dont know how to fix but i might as well upgrade while i am there but i do not know what is good and wanted all of your advice for a somewhat older bike like this. also i am going to have to get new rims but want to know what a good choice for them is i dont want cheap garbage but i want quality that is cost effective.

I have like 100-200 dollars to replace shifters and rims i figure i can get some alright stuff for this and would like some recommendations.

[JohnV]

I'm not a repair type of person yet but like most others on this forum, I am addicted to bicycling so I'll give you my opinion and what I would do in your shoes. First, if you haven't already done so, I would take the bike to my LBS and have them give me a quote on all the items that need replacing and/or repairing along with an itemized list of the cost. Now you have a base on what you need to do to get the bike back in shape. Then start looking around the Net and get prices for the items that the LBS said you needed and compare what they have against what you find on the Net. You can find a lot of good stuff on Amazon at very low prices and free shipping if you spend over a certain amount.

I'm sure others will have different opinions but that is my $0.02 worth.

[jmguy27]

yeh i just took it to a bike shop this morning and there is a lot to get this bike into prime condition. I need new rims, spokes, hubs, crank, and i need to replace all wiring to brakes and gears. I bought some degreaser and I fixed my shifter after watching the video tutorial here. I actually just want peoples opinions on the components i have listed i am not to informed on what pieces are better quality or what type. i have been looking and reading reviews but i wanna make this bike quality and daily rider for commuting and trails.

[JohnV]

As I said, I am no bike mechanic and don't do any of the major work myself due to space limits and I don't have the right tools. However, I do spend quite a bit of time reading about bikes and components and in general, the less you pay for the part, the lesser quality you are getting. All of these companies make low end components to make bikes affordable to everyone so it is just a matter of looking around for the quality that you can afford.

If you are needing to replace the rims, spokes and hubs, you are probably better off just getting an entire wheelset. I have never laced a wheel before and since I don't have the tools to do it with, I think I would get the wheelset or let the bike shop build the wheel, if I were in your shoes.

The good thing is that, unlike cars, you can't really say that because its a 1993 model that it isn't worth putting money into. As long as the frame and fork are in good shape, the rest of the components can be replaced relatively inexpensively. I think that with most bike shops, if you purchase the items to be replaced, most of them will charge you less in labor than if you got the parts from them. At least the shops I go to will do that.

[jmguy27]

yeh i looked for the wheelsets but the only shop that is next to me seemed limited and overpriced. I looked online before i went so i would not pay more for what i was looking for but they were 10 dollars more on the same brand spare tire and seats i saw for 40 bucks online were 120 there. I could not find there wheelsets but i did not ask either cause i got out of there after i saw those prices. I figured that things got better with price and appreciate your responses.