Hello
I have recently pulled my 2005 specialized expedition out of the garage.
It's in need of some repair due to it being damaged by super storm sandy. My shed was flooded with ocean water. The frame itself looks perfect but the moving parts have some rust. Including the fork, brakes, and gears. I'm just looking for replacement parts I have no intentions on buying a new bike. Please help
thanks
Alex
hello Alex, can you upload some clear pics of the overall condition of your bike. and we can go from there. In any event it will require a frame off rebuild and some tools you may or may not have to go thru the entire bicycle. Need to assess first the condition piece by piece to come up with an economical solution, keeping in mind you are talking about a bike with a value of maybe $150 before your mishap. replacement may be a better option like it or not. Post some pics and lets check her out
There are two kinds of people in the world, "Those who help themselves to people, and those who help people!"
I'll take some good pictures tomorrow. The bike is rideable. It just has visual rust where it was exposed to the salt water. The wheels spin and it shifts gears fine. I just want to make sure the bike is safe and won't give me issues in the future. I just want to know where could I get replacement parts or substitute parts like the fork cartridge and crank. Thanks for your reply
Hm, it's a wonder that chain etc. still move, so good for you! That does not sound half as bad as I had expected.
Stuff to do:
- I like to remove surface rust with scotch brite or somesuch, using dish soap or so, worked well on a bike that was soiled by a fire next door (basements are connected... ugly stuff, the soot, quite aggressive)
- service (clean, grease, dial in) all bearings: head set, wheels (assuming you have cup and cone bearings on the wheels), brake pivots, maybe bottom bracket (though it's likely a cartridge, cannot be serviced) - this should be done regularly anyway.
Replacements I can think of:
- chain
- cassette
- brake pads (I have no idea what salt water does to them)
- cables and housing (if water got in... good practice to replace those every now and then anyway)
- anything that has become brittle or looks questionable (how do the tyres look?)
- handlebar grips (every year or so anyway, otherwise... yuck...)
The above list includes only the normal wear and tear components, the consumables. They'd have to be replaced sooner or later anyway.
More expensive if:
- the suspension (sounds like, or what do you mean with "fork cartridge"?) fork is toast and it is a lower end bike: Either get a decent replacement (others will have suggestions) or just replace with a rigid one - better than the cheap suspension ones that are only heavy and eat up precious energy.
- or more things are broken (shifters, dérailleurs)
I agree with Joe.
First you should stop riding it, buy an $8 tube of grease & service the wheel bearings. You'll need a set of cone wrenches (under $20) to service the wheel hub bearings.
Headset bearings would be a good idea too.
Service the rear derailleur idler wheels.
The crank bearing, (the bottom bracket) is a sealed unit, so if it fails you replace it for about $20 + tools (feels or sounds grindy, has slop in it), but you may have issues getting it out due to water damage.
New chain about $20, new rear gears about the same, + the tool to change it. I would change the cassette & chain simultaneously.
I have an older Specialized expedition Elite. It had a 7 speed cassette in the rear. I bought a chain whip & a shimano cassette tool to service it. If the rear hub was submerged I would consider a replacement freehub (about $20).
What's a fork cartridge? I believe the front suspension is just springs inside the fork tubes, they might rust & sqweek a bit.
The frame is aluminum, the forks are not.
You can use Evaporust, or Evaporust Gel might be better, to remove rust from technical portions of the bike (such as the fork).
This is what I would recommend.
Don't waste it on the chain, just get a new chain because it's not expensive and a lot less trouble.
I further the notion that the hubs will want new grease. They get waterlogged easier than this even, and even the best grease may still work, but undoubtedly loses performance.
I think the job can be trickier for new people than some might estimate. I suggest always working from one side (non-drive side) and leave the other side in-tact so it all goes back together either. Only loosen the non-drive side, then you can stick the axle back in there and screw it down to measure, without having to worry about messing up the dishing.
Sorry to hear about the damage from Superstorm Sandy, but it's great that you're looking to get back on track. You know you can do the slightly tedious work of replacing some parts rather than changing the entire assembly.
For the fork, look for rust and most probably headset bearings, steerer tube can be replaced.
Brakes are easy.
Check the drivetrain components, the gears and shifters. This is probably the harder one to replace.
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