Advice please... mini overhaul starting with crankset!

[hawkeye]

Hello..new to this forum. It looks great too.

Ok, here goes.

I have been given a mountain bike that needs some tlc..
Its a Python Venom 240, about 9 years old I think. I dont know much about these bikes. Its only a commuting bike, nothing heavy.

The crank/bottom bracket are in need of replacement to start with. The rest is mainly cosmetic, although I may look at chain etc aswell. And wheels! May end up spending a bit on it, although its an oldish bike, it has sentimental value!

So what I'd like to know is;

1-Looking at the crank, it has a lock ring. Would this be a cup and spindle bottom bracket or a sealed unit? It is a square taper.
2-I believe the crankset is a 'tracer' type. I want to replace this as the sprockets are knackered. Could you recommend a reasonable replacement without costing a fortune? What would be compatible?
3-Could I fit a sealed bottom bracket to replace whatevers there?

Thanks in advance

[Painkiller]

welcome to BT, start off with some pics of the areas you would like to change. some cartridge BBs have a lock ring too

[hawkeye]

Ok..

Bottom bracket and crankset removed. Made a mistake purchasing a tool from a well known store which snapped under moderate pressure! Anyway, borrowed a good one from a mate and all ok.

Few questions for y'all. Thanks in advance..

Planning to fit a sealed BB. Current one is knackered. Its a semi sealed Shimano BB. It is 115mm x 68 sizing so should be fine?

Does the replacement have to be 115mm or can it be say, 113mm?

Crankset wise, found a Shimano Altus crankset. The derailleur set up is Shimano Altus already, so I'm thinking this would be a good move?

The rear wheel is also in need of replacement. Tyre size is 26x2.10.

So, 26inch wheels. Right?

Also, is it possible to buy the wheel with the rear sprockets on the wheel already?

Its a Shimano HG50, 8 speed casssette.

Cheers guys and girls.....

[Painkiller]

slow down a bit, if you change the crank, spec it, for it will determine what bottom bracket length will be
If keeping cost down then altus crank will work, if you can go up the food chain a bit then go with at least Alivio or higher
yes 26 in wheels are what you need and normally cassettes/freewheels are a separate purchase
If 8 speed and a cassette not freewheel, i would go with Sram 850 cassette for the lower end stuff
If you are in the US, Nashbar has Vuelta wheels for an 8 speed cassette for around $110 shipped for front and rear. about half off
remmember to replace your chain on this overhaul

[hawkeye]

(11-21-2012, 03:10 PM)painkiller Wrote:  slow down a bit, if you change the crank, spec it, for it will determine what bottom bracket length will be
If keeping cost down then altus crank will work, if you can go up the food chain a bit then go with at least Alivio or higher
yes 26 in wheels are what you need and normally cassettes/freewheels are a separate purchase
If 8 speed and a cassette not freewheel, i would go with Sram 850 cassette for the lower end stuff
If you are in the US, Nashbar has Vuelta wheels for an 8 speed cassette for around $110 shipped for front and rear. about half off
remmember to replace your chain on this overhaul

Thanks painkiller

Ok, I'm going for the same crankset spec..42/43/24 as its fine for me.

Should I stick to a 115mm length BB, or could I get away with a 113mm?

Thanks

[Painkiller]

its not the rings it has to do with the model of the crankset. it should say on the back of the arms look for something like fc-550 or similar and check for what length goes with it. same name different year can be different lengths
when shopping they often specify what bb goes with it

[nfmisso]

And, please note that the recommended BB size is not always the one that will work best for your application. For example, the crankset I choose for my GT is 123mm; but 113mm would work much better for me - it will be changed soon.