09-18-2011, 12:06 AM
I'm saddled with a dilemma and I wonder if anyone's got some input to keep me from scrapping a 20+- year old bike in favor of something I can actually find parts for.
A bit of background, I'm riding a Costco/SamsClub bike from the late 80's or early 90's. It's been a great beast and it's now what we would probably call a hybrid: 1.25" tires on 27.25" (basically 700mm) wheels with mountain bike style handles; it hadn't been given much notice until I started trying to get away from fossil fuels. And the caveat is that it has 21 speeds...3 in front...
Anyway, the question is this: I've had two or three spokes break in the last three months and have debated on replacing the wheel to get some more use out of it--I've replaced the spokes as they broke, but that always means a couple of days off the bike. Since it seems almost impossible to find a seven-speed cassette (no spacers used) wheel in this size, would I be better off if I converted to a freewheel design (where 27" wheels aren't so hard to find but it would mean a new hub), had the wheel re-laced by a reputable local shop ($100), or kept hunting for someone who specializes in the obscurities of transitional bike forms.
Thanks for putting up with a long post.
A bit of background, I'm riding a Costco/SamsClub bike from the late 80's or early 90's. It's been a great beast and it's now what we would probably call a hybrid: 1.25" tires on 27.25" (basically 700mm) wheels with mountain bike style handles; it hadn't been given much notice until I started trying to get away from fossil fuels. And the caveat is that it has 21 speeds...3 in front...
Anyway, the question is this: I've had two or three spokes break in the last three months and have debated on replacing the wheel to get some more use out of it--I've replaced the spokes as they broke, but that always means a couple of days off the bike. Since it seems almost impossible to find a seven-speed cassette (no spacers used) wheel in this size, would I be better off if I converted to a freewheel design (where 27" wheels aren't so hard to find but it would mean a new hub), had the wheel re-laced by a reputable local shop ($100), or kept hunting for someone who specializes in the obscurities of transitional bike forms.
Thanks for putting up with a long post.