Free bikes – how much do they really cost?

This past Thursday was the last workday of 2010 for me and I was looking forward to the long weekend ahead.  During lunch I decided to take a look at the online for sale forum that the student’s run at the University where I am employed.  It is fun to browse, especially at the end (or between) semesters and at the end of a month.   This visit to the forum had both of those features.

Toward the bottom of a ‘garage sale’ listing were some free items; a dresser, a couple of wooden chairs and a bike.  No pictures and the listing had already been up for day, and usually good things disappear quickly.  Of course being the holiday break the campus is like a ghost town.

Well he still had the bike and was in an apartment very close to campus.  I did not ask what kind of bike it was since it would only take about five minutes to get there after work.  I was assuming it would be some big box Junker rusty mountain bike, since that is among the common bikes I see on campus.

Well to my pleasant surprise, the bike turned out to be an early 90’s Schwinn Crisscross.  The frame looked straight, but the tires were flat, the seat was a mess and there was more than a little rust on the components.  The former owner handed me the key to the included Kryptonite lock and I tossed it all in the back of the truck and headed home.

Schwinn Crisscross - ealy 90's lugged hybrid

The only thing I have done so far is put air in the tires and hit everything with some WD-40 to make sure the bolts and releases will work when I go to tear it down for rebuild early next year.  I took it for a very short (maybe 100 foot) test ride.  The rear brake cable is shot and I had to unhook the link wire to take the test ride.

From my quick assessment some or all of the cables need replacement, the seat is a mess (I put a plastic bag over it for the test ride so my pants did not get stained) and the headset is loose.  The tires, from my quick look, don’t appear to be dry-rotted so they may be reusable.   Over the next few weeks (or months depending on how motivated I am) I will document the process of rehabilitation and give a breakdown of the financial and time costs that are involved.

So begins the start of new cycling year.