Hello from the Gulf Coast of Texas.

[cajunrph]

A returning bike rider in my mid 50’s. I had a few over the years to use on vacation. I watched too much Not Just Bikes and Terry B weaving in an out of traffic in NYC. I thought I wanted a Fixie. In 2019 I bought a used Wabi Classic single speed. I rode about on it for a while. Till my sciatica gave way and I had to park it. I’m too old for that kind of bike. My wife bought a used Masi Vincere and rode it once. It’s parked.

I’ve decided to sell those and try and find a 1990’s dad bike. Trek, Cannondale, Specialized or the like steel frame hybrid/mountain bike. I found a Specialized HardRock 90’s hybrid close by. I probably paid too much for it. He wanted $200. There’s no play in the crank or the wheels. It is a fairly crusty bike. Which I don’t mind and was actually looking for. After I got home I realized the front derailleur won’t shift and stay on the larger gears. It just springs back to the smaller gear. Anyway. I’m still riding it around till I figure out how to fix it. I’d prefer to do the work myself. That’s one of the reasons I’m looking at older bikes. So I can do some work myself. I remember working on my bikes back in the day when I was a kid. It seemed like we could fix it all. In reality we just patched inner tubes and keep the chain on as best we could. Still fond memories. I intend to ride a few miles before work to get some pounds off. As long as my sciatic allows it. So far so good. Anyway I’ll search around for an answer to my shifter issue.

[Jesper]

(06-06-2023, 03:02 PM)cajunrph Wrote:  A returning bike rider in my mid 50’s. I had a few over the years to use on vacation. I watched too much Not Just Bikes and Terry B weaving in an out of traffic in NYC. I thought I wanted a Fixie. In 2019 I bought a used Wabi Classic single speed. I rode about on it for a while. Till my sciatica gave way and I had to park it. I’m too old for that kind of bike. My wife bought a used Masi Vincere and rode it once. It’s parked.

I’ve decided to sell those and try and find a 1990’s dad bike. Trek, Cannondale, Specialized or the like steel frame hybrid/mountain bike. I found a Specialized HardRock 90’s hybrid close by. I probably paid too much for it. He wanted $200. There’s no play in the crank or the wheels. It is a fairly crusty bike. Which I don’t mind and was actually looking for. After I got home I realized the front derailleur won’t shift and stay on the larger gears. It just springs back to the smaller gear. Anyway. I’m still riding it around till I figure out how to fix it. I’d prefer to do the work myself. That’s one of the reasons I’m looking at older bikes. So I can do some work myself. I remember working on my bikes back in the day when I was a kid. It seemed like we could fix it all. In reality we just patched inner tubes and keep the chain on as best we could. Still fond memories. I intend to ride a few miles before work to get some pounds off. As long as my sciatic allows it. So far so good. Anyway I’ll search around for an answer to my shifter issue.

I have a Hardrock, but it may not be the same year so my components may not be the exact same as yours (I have a pre-rebuild thread with photos on this site you can reference: https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-8084.html?highlight=Hardrock ). My shifters were not that great and I changed them out for better Shimano units. Your problem is most likely shifter related and not derailleur related. If your derailleur moves freely from cog to cog with the shifter cable removed (manually move the derailleur cage from cog to cog while hand cranking pedal with bike upside down or on a stand) then the shifter itself is probably faulty and needs to be overhauled or replaced. They are fairly inexpensive, but you need to ensure that a replacement will properly index the derailleur when shifting. You may be able to spray some lube into the shifter and "magically" solve the problem if it is just sticking. Given that you are on an older bike make sure that cables and brakes are in good working order (low cost and easy to replace yourself). It would be wise to service all bearings (Crank/bottom bracket, pedals, hubs, steering headset; you'll need some bike tools to accomplish, or bring in to service at a shop: labor $50-$100 plus parts); pedals may not be serviceable (cheap part that you can easily replace yourself if they have excessive bearing play or are rough turning). I would have the chain checked by a shop for wear. It is a quick and cheap (possibly free) process at a shop, and if you need that part it is not too expensive either.
There are plenty of people here to help, and I can understand that you don't want to put a bunch more cash into the bike, but it may be necessary to make it function properly and safely. Hopefully, if you paid around $200 it is in good functional condition and just needs some TLC regarding cleaning and lubing.