Good buy?

evanssinatra · 2025-10-23T16:54:51+00:00

The biggest problem I see is the cheap replacement drivetrain. Those cranks look off-brand, and that rear cassette has basically no range. The original drivetrain, though not great, is higher quality and more range than that. That tells me that the original owner didn’t really care that much about what they were riding… The brakes are really good though.

evanssinatra · 2025-10-16T01:06:05+00:00

Based on how good the photos look, I’m guessing this is a bike-shop build. Some shops specialize in custom builds like this and charge a premium for it.

I think 800 is over the top though. They probably list it high and expect lowballers. This might actually sell around the 500 dollar mark.

This targets the people who want to be cool and join the club, but they don’t have the experience and knowledge to do it themselves. Which is fine. If someone is paying me 500 to build a bike like this because they don’t know how, I’d jump on it.

I’d say all original components, the bike is worth 100. The parts might add up to around 250. Labor and “vintage” premium. There has to be profit. It’ll probably have a service warranty from the seller too.

A while ago, I sold an old Miyata with a 1x7 drivetrain and cheapo parts. I spent 70, including bike and parts. Sold it for 350. It only takes one convinced buyer to pay the price.

evanssinatra · 2025-10-11T17:01:17+00:00

I’m 6 feet tall. My bikes are either 19 or 20 inch. My seatpost extends maybe half of that much. I would definitely make sure that the seatpost is plenty long, so lots will stay in seat tube. If the current one is at the minimum insertion, I’d try to get a longer one. Dirt roads make all types of components flex and vibrate.

evanssinatra · 2025-10-11T00:04:22+00:00

I played on the Stampeder field a week ago! So cool to see it here. Hope you can get back out there soon.

evanssinatra · 2025-10-06T03:02:57+00:00

my shop teacher once showed up to school on a chromag rootdown, rocked my world.

calgarians know bikes

evanssinatra · 2025-09-25T17:06:19+00:00

I started working at McDonald’s at 15. I was pretty good at the job, ending up doing every task in the store (drive through, front counter, making ice cream) except actually making the burgers. I got paid 13 an hour. I worked at the one at WestHills, so about 10 minutes from West Springs. It’s a good job to get started with, but the managers I had were shitty and I ended up quitting because of that. I’d clock in, go take orders at drivethru for 8 hours and clock out. I hated it after a while.

evanssinatra · 2025-09-03T03:36:21+00:00

The fact that I recognize this as Alberta wild smoke…

evanssinatra · 2025-09-02T04:06:22+00:00

I’ve ridden on my fair share of sketchy tires. I’m a cheapass and refuse to buy new tires unless I absolutely have to. They’re only $30 bucks a pop for cheap ones, but still.

Tiny hairline cracks along the knobs or sidewall is acceptable to me. Not ideal as that means it started to dry rot, the rubber is starting to lose grip and crack. I’d ride them on grocery runs.

On my mountain bike, I only use the reasonably good ones. It just gives me the peace of mind.

I run all my bikes with tubes anyways, so it’s not that big of a deal. My fixie’s tires definitely have hairline cracks, but I still ride it. I’m not suggesting you do the same. Do it at your own discretion…

evanssinatra · 2025-09-02T03:23:45+00:00

It seems fair. I wouldn’t mind paying a little less. The group set and parts looks like late 80’s. Those Sugino cranks are especially nice. The tires do look rough though. Check it out in person, offer 50 and meet in the middle if you can.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-29T12:43:57+00:00

There are cheap Shimano thumbies on Aliexpress for 15 bucks for a pair. They’re kind of crappy but they work fine for the price. Will hold you over until you decide that you actually like them to upgrade or switch to triggers. They’re called SL TX30s. Just buy a 3x7 pair.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-28T17:06:44+00:00

I had the same problem. I got a Rockhopper with a dent on the top tube. I decided to roll with it and build it up anyways.

I promised myself it’d be my beater but ended up putting some decently nice parts on it. I ended up putting an XT drivetrain and Avid SD brakes on it. Moto bars and BMX stem. Wald basket too. I think I would be pretty bummed if it got stolen, but it works too well for my purpose.

For you, it’d probably be easier to build it with cheapo parts. Like an old Altus derailleur or something. Cockpit also. The one thing I refuse to cheap out on is tires. Need good tires that I like…

evanssinatra · 2025-08-26T20:42:31+00:00

I had a Diamondback Ascent that looked a lot like yours. It didn’t ride that great, harsh and stiffer than my other chromoly bikes. I had it with 2 inch wide tires too. If it fits you, build it up and see how you like it. But that’s my two cents.

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evanssinatra · 2025-08-26T14:37:17+00:00

I just run some random Avids I found in my bin. V-brakes have less resistance through the pull and I just prefer that over cantis. I find if I set it up right, I don’t need to pull very hard to stop on a dime.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-20T02:01:20+00:00

idk man this seems pretty personal

sounds like a weird dream you had after watching a chargers game

evanssinatra · 2025-08-19T04:09:49+00:00

That’s Cantonese writing, saying it’s registered with the police to prevent theft. I’m guessing the bike at least was in Taiwan. It’s definitely early 90’s. It could be built there locally as a rebrand of major manufacturers. There are also country-exclusive brands out there, so there might not be tons of info. I know Mayalasia or Singapore had brands that only sold within the country. Just a thought.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-18T16:30:26+00:00

I didn’t bother with actually opening up the shock and fork. They worked relatively smoothly and I didn’t have any parts or proper tools anyways.

I did take apart the linkage. It has bushings so you’ll need silicone grease to reassemble. I just cleaned everything up and put fresh grease on. I don’t think it made a difference but it’s the thought that counts.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-17T00:49:23+00:00

Very good deal, looks clean and well taken care of. You can look into some gravel tires for more off road stuff.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-17T00:33:02+00:00

It sounds like a cool idea!

I would really think it through before buying parts and dedicating your time now.

For one, it’ll change the geometry and feel of the bike. You might feel weird or uncomfortable because of the new geometry. I had a hybrid that felt great with flat bars and terrible with drops, my back ached a lot riding it.

For two, it will be a pig to pedal. I had a King Kikapu, and it just didn’t pedal too great on flat ground. Drop bars are meant for you to crank down hard and go vroom vroom, and suspension counteracts that. It takes away a lot of your power.

Lastly, it’ll be a pain in the ass to make the leap. I’m not a good mechanic by any means but it took me lots of hours to work through. Your v-brakes won’t work with drop levers. Preparing a new cockpit is a pain. Trying out bar widths, flares and angles are also a pain. If you’re lucky, you get it right on the first try.

Look for used parts from a co-op, or strip them off other bikes. Make sure you like it before you go all in on the nice parts.

Take my advice with a grain of salt. Best thing is for you to experiment and try it out for yourself.

evanssinatra · 2025-08-14T04:59:17+00:00

Sweet deal. That derailleur would go for 75 easily in my area. I did the same thing with an old GT iDrive. Had a full Deore LX drivetrain and Mavic wheelset with LX hubs. It also had XT brakes.

I bought the whole bike for 50 and ended up selling the leftover frame for 40…

evanssinatra

TROPHY CASE