Rebuilding my mid-90s mountain bike... worth it?
So I bought an old but mint (not anymore lol) Nishiki Kodiak last summer, and it's been a wonderfully reliable steed. I rode it all summer, then bought another bike for good weather, but kept riding the Nishiki in bad weather/rain, for grocery runs (panniers), and then all winter. It held up great despite very little maintenance, and now that my new bike has been stolen, it looks like the Nishiki will be my main squeeze again.
But it needs some work... a new fork for one thing, the old Rock Shocks are corroded from winter. I also hate the grip shift for winter riding so I'm thinking of changing to triggers.... which of course necessitates a new cassette and rear derailleur (good luck finding 7-speed trigger shifters, and more gearing would be nice actually). Oh and the old canti brakes are becoming a real PITA, so I'm hoping to change them... can't seem to find new cantis inspite of the popularity of cyclocross so it's looking like Vbrakes. And while I'm taking stuff apart, I'm thinking of repainting the whole thing.
I'm basically trying to decide if this bike is worth it. I love the chromo frame, and I think I can get all the parts on Craigs or PinkBike for not too much $, but still. I like the idea of going into next winter with a rock solid ride, but if I'm going to do this I'll need something to ride in the mean time. I'm pretty new to biking and don't know how much work this will entail (for me, a beginner, as opposed to someone with experience). I'm worried about buying parts that I think will be compatible but may not be. Basically I'm leaning toward doing it, and I think it would be a cool experience, but not sure if I'm grounded in the reality of what it's going to entail.
So if anyone cares to shed light, share, encourage, discourage, slap me silly, or even if I could post some of the parts I'm thinking of buying for feedback on whether they're good buys, I'd appreciate it!
But it needs some work... a new fork for one thing, the old Rock Shocks are corroded from winter. I also hate the grip shift for winter riding so I'm thinking of changing to triggers.... which of course necessitates a new cassette and rear derailleur (good luck finding 7-speed trigger shifters, and more gearing would be nice actually). Oh and the old canti brakes are becoming a real PITA, so I'm hoping to change them... can't seem to find new cantis inspite of the popularity of cyclocross so it's looking like Vbrakes. And while I'm taking stuff apart, I'm thinking of repainting the whole thing.
I'm basically trying to decide if this bike is worth it. I love the chromo frame, and I think I can get all the parts on Craigs or PinkBike for not too much $, but still. I like the idea of going into next winter with a rock solid ride, but if I'm going to do this I'll need something to ride in the mean time. I'm pretty new to biking and don't know how much work this will entail (for me, a beginner, as opposed to someone with experience). I'm worried about buying parts that I think will be compatible but may not be. Basically I'm leaning toward doing it, and I think it would be a cool experience, but not sure if I'm grounded in the reality of what it's going to entail.
So if anyone cares to shed light, share, encourage, discourage, slap me silly, or even if I could post some of the parts I'm thinking of buying for feedback on whether they're good buys, I'd appreciate it!
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