What was old is new again

Received this from a good friend of the shop. It's a great point, where some people look for a new bike, with a little TLC your current bike can really bring back memories and last a long time.

This rider's tune-up would be about $290 which includes new cables and housing and good cleaning, new brakes, and a new bottom bracket. Much less than the cost of a new carbon road bike, like his current ride is.

The bike industry is a well oiled marketing machine, with new innovations always being introduced that trigger our urge to consume. This write-up isn’t about a new super product, but rather the performance improvement and satisfaction I received through an overhaul of my well used older bike.

I purchased my first road bike with minimal maintenance knowledge. Over the years I’ve learned quite a bit about service, but there are still several jobs that require a mechanic’s knowledge and a shop’s tools. My bike’s shifting had become sluggish, the wheels were slightly out of true and it just wasn’t the same machine I excitedly purchased 5 years ago.

I took her in for re-cabling and any other service needed that Iron Cycles found when looking it over. Brandon and Ben went the whole nine yards inspecting and fixing what was wrong. New cables, re-greasing the hubs, new bottom bracket (an inexpensive replacement for big performance benefit), wheel truing, and replacing the badly rusting brakes. They even did some maintenance on the shifter when they noticed that the rear shifter wasn’t quite as “snappy” as it should be. Something I hadn’t noticed and would not know how to fix at my home “shop”/dining room.

The result? The performance of a brand new bike at a fraction of the cost. I took her out the following morning for a group ride. The crisp shifting, smooth and silent crank and true wheels brought a smile to my face. It brought back memories of when I first bought it and the countless hours and experiences over the years. I’m looking forward to many more years and miles to come thanks to the help of the guys at Iron Cycles.

A little love goes a long way on your bike.