No "real" bike shops anymore?

[jonnyGURU]

I didn't think the act of working on and/or riding a bike was so alien.

So... Spring has sprung and it's time to get the bikes ready.

My wife has a Deore XT equipped mountain bike and a Jamis BOSS Cruiser for around the neighborhood.

When I was working on her mtn bike, I found that a ratchet pall on the left Rapid-Failure shifer has failed and it won't hold any gear over granny gear.

Here's the catch... it's an older XT and is "only" 3x7 speed. XT is now up to 3x9.

So... What can I find for a replacement? Crappy Shimano Alivio Stupid-Fire.

The Jamis needs new tires and grips.

The tires are 26 x 2.125 white walls. Yeah.. nobody has those. Everyone has "mountain bike tires". Ok... well, this is a beach cruiser. Ok... we have "hybrid tires". *sigh*

Grips? Grab-On is cool. But they don't have any full bar sets anywhere. Just the ends. Unless I wanted to put foam grips on a set of drop bars.

So when Pacific bought GT, Mongoose and Schwinn and applied the name to a bunch of crappy mainland China built bikes for sale at Wal-Mart, did that completely suck the hope out of every bike shop in the U.S. and their desire to accommodate the few "niche" customers that are still out there?

Ok... done ranting. Sorry.

Next week I'm going to work on the road bikes. Can't wait to find out who doesn't have brake lever hoods and some new toe clips.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Varies on where you live. I know in my area of a couple of hard-core bike shops that still carry older parts that someone might need.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'm not good with brands - are those expensive brands? If not, $200 or less for the whole bike, it just makes sense to buy a new bike.

If it's a more expensive brand, look around for places where brands like Trek are sold, they'll be a little more niched.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
I'm not good with brands - are those expensive brands? If not, $200 or less for the whole bike, it just makes sense to buy a new bike.

If it's a more expensive brand, look around for places where brands like Trek are sold, they'll be a little more niched.

XT is Shimano's second best mountain bike component set... at least they were when I was into biking. The shifter + derailleur probably cost as much as those department store bikes.

 

[djheater]

Yea! Bike snob thread!!!

I've never paid more than $200 for a bike for me or my children, and I've bought a couple at target. Tell me how mad that makes you?

 

[dds14u]

Hmm...trying looking for them online?

Could look through some of the larger bike e-tailers like:
Performance Bike [http://www.performancebike.com/] or
REI [http://www.rei.com/].

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: djheater
Yea! Bike snob thread!!!

Why am I a "bike snob" for wanting a replacement part for my wife's bike? A 10 year old bike at that.

Troll. I'm looking for PARTS. Not BIKES. I can't even buy a bike at Target for parts, and I can't buy any bike parts at Target, so WTF is your issue?

Originally posted by: dds14u
Hmm...trying looking for them online?

Could look through some of the larger bike e-tailers like:
Performance Bike [http://www.performancebike.com/] or
REI [http://www.rei.com/].

Thanks, but those guys only have the newest parts. XT now has 3x9 and the "best" 3x7 is Alivio. That's what I'm finding at stores too.

I ended up at BikeParts.com because they have white wall 26" tires for the cruiser, but again they only have Alivio 7-speed shifters. AFAIK, those are wish-bone type shifters and not the true ratcheting shifter like the Deore's.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Varies on where you live. I know in my area of a couple of hard-core bike shops that still carry older parts that someone might need.

Yep.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: djheater
Yea! Bike snob thread!!!

Why am I a "bike snob" for wanting a replacement part for my wife's bike?

FYI: It's an XT shifter from a bike that's over 10 years old. Do "bike snobs" keep bikes for that long? Probably not. Do people that spend $200 on bikes at Target keep bikes that long? Probably not, they don't last that long.

By the way, the bike that needs the lever hoods and toe-clips is a 1977 Falcon San Remo... oh wait... you don't know what lever hoods and toe-clips are because they don't sell road bikes at Target.

Troll.

Originally posted by: dds14u
Hmm...trying looking for them online?

Could look through some of the larger bike e-tailers like:
Performance Bike [http://www.performancebike.com/] or
REI [http://www.rei.com/].

Thanks, but those guys only have the newest parts. XT now has 3x9 and the "best" 3x7 is Alivio. That's what I'm finding at stores too.

calm down, hobbyist nazi.
Consider that I might not have been addressing you.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: djheater

calm down, hobbyist nazi.
Consider that I might not have been addressing you.

Why would I consider that? I'm the OP. The only posts after mine and before yours is someone telling me to buy a whole new bike (not a horrible idea, but not what I really want to do) and someone that's explaining to that person that XT was second from top of the line and not something that you'd find on a Target bike.

If you don't want someone to jump down your throat for what you post, read what you're replying to.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Varies on where you live. I know in my area of a couple of hard-core bike shops that still carry older parts that someone might need.

Yep.

Yeah.... The "old school" bike shops are few and far between in some areas these days. Old shops have old parts. New shops only have tubes and spokes in stock.

Maybe if I drive closer to Chicago I can find a shop that has some old stuff in stock.

 

[Dessert Tears]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU
Here's the catch... it's an older XT and is "only" 3x7 speed.

How old is that bike? I bought a new bike around 10 years ago that had 3x7 Altus/Acera-X, so yours is probably even older. Any particular reason why you're not replacing it?

I looked at

• Loose Screws
• Harris Cyclery
• Bike Tools Etc

and found only Alivio, as you did.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: djheater

calm down, hobbyist nazi.
Consider that I might not have been addressing you.

Why would I consider that? I'm the OP. The only posts after mine and before yours is someone telling me to buy a whole new bike (not a horrible idea, but not what I really want to do) and someone that's explaining to that person that XT was second from top of the line and not something that you'd find on a Target bike.

If you don't want someone to jump down your throat for what you post, read what you're replying to.

I did. It's not "your post" it's "a" post on a public board. I was posting my opinion to a public board which anyone might read, it may or not apply to you, you certainly seem defensive though, might want to work on that.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Varies on where you live. I know in my area of a couple of hard-core bike shops that still carry older parts that someone might need.

Yep.

Yeah.... The "old school" bike shops are few and far between in some areas these days. Old shops have old parts. New shops only have tubes and spokes in stock.

Maybe if I drive closer to Chicago I can find a shop that has some old stuff in stock.

a friend of mine is a huge bike head and he lives in Milwaukee...want me to shoot him a message to see if he knows of any online places to get what you posted above? or recommend shops near the Chicago area if he knows of any?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Varies on where you live. I know in my area of a couple of hard-core bike shops that still carry older parts that someone might need.

Yep.

Yeah.... The "old school" bike shops are few and far between in some areas these days. Old shops have old parts. New shops only have tubes and spokes in stock.

Maybe if I drive closer to Chicago I can find a shop that has some old stuff in stock.

Have tried looking on eBay? I think there might be a couple of online bike shops that carry older parts, I'll update with links if I can find them.

 

[tasmanian]

Theres a bunch of big bike shops where I live.

 

[ViviTheMage]

lots here, not many corporate ones like erics bike shop. lots of local ones.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Note, you can use an 8 speed shifter since the spacing between gears is the same. You just lockout the last click using the low limit screw on the dérailleur.

 

[BuckNaked]

You might try here for older parts...

http://www.thethirdhand.com/

You might also check fleabay, a lot of older stuff there as well...

Edit: Didn't see the post above that mentioned loose screws/thirdhand...

I am sure you already know, but search by part number, IIRC Shimano may have had a couple different versions of those shifters depending on when it was made... I am a little more familiar with the road groups than the mountain bike groups, but have an old mountain bike from around that same time frame... you might also check if its XT or DX, some of the bikes had a mix of both...

 

[Dirigible]

Don't blame the bike shops. It's not reasonable to expect them to stock 10+ year old parts (my 1997 mountain bike has 8-speed XT, so yours is likely older). Blame Shimano for their constant planned-obsolesence "improvements" of extra speeds that make drivetrains more finicky. Super freakin' annoying.

There are shops around here I'd check with because they've been around a while and who knows what they've got stuck in a bin in back, but I sure wouldn't expect to find it.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: djheater

calm down, hobbyist nazi.
Consider that I might not have been addressing you.

Why would I consider that? I'm the OP. The only posts after mine and before yours is someone telling me to buy a whole new bike (not a horrible idea, but not what I really want to do) and someone that's explaining to that person that XT was second from top of the line and not something that you'd find on a Target bike.

If you don't want someone to jump down your throat for what you post, read what you're replying to.

I did. It's not "your post" it's "a" post on a public board. I was posting my opinion to a public board which anyone might read, it may or not apply to you, you certainly seem defensive though, might want to work on that.

LOL, djheater you got pwned. Your comeback sucks. It's the type where you know you got owned but you have to reply with something (like nit picking at semantics) to try to save face. Good job. You fail.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Dirigible

Don't blame the bike shops. It's not reasonable to expect them to stock 10+ year old parts (my 1997 mountain bike has 8-speed XT, so yours is likely older). Blame Shimano for their constant planned-obsolesence "improvements" of extra speeds that make drivetrains more finicky. Super freakin' annoying.

There are shops around here I'd check with because they've been around a while and who knows what they've got stuck in a bin in back, but I sure wouldn't expect to find it.

I also enjoy a good Shimano rant. Thanks. Shimano's always been like that. "Planned obsolesence" was a key term for them.

That said, I don't necessarily "blame" the bike shops, but I've worked at and owned bike shops and know it's not hard to have NOS around. When we bought from disty, we would always get 5 or 10's pricing. So a lot of stuff would stick around, and we'd also have warranty parts in stock from the bike manufacturers so we could do quick swaps for customers that bought bikes from us. And, if you're a service oriented shop, you just tended to make a point of having repair parts around. Sturmy Archer 3 speeds and Bendix kick-back 2-speed hubs aren't commonplace, but I bet you'd be hard pressed to find a shop that had parts for them... or even knew how to overhaul them at that! I just think the bike shop as I knew it is dead. Hardly any of them build wheels or even know how to build wheels. They just buy a box pair of wheels that was built on a machine by the disty.

Anyhoo... never meant to say the shifters HAD TO BE XT. I'd take ANY quality shifters. STX, LX.. whatever. Alivio isn't quality. Heck! I'd take thumbshifters if those weren't even more rare than 7 speed Rapid-Failure!

Originally posted by: Flatscan
How old is that bike? I bought a new bike around 10 years ago that had 3x7 Altus/Acera-X, so yours is probably even older. Any particular reason why you're not replacing it?

Well, first off, if the only thing wrong with it is the FD shifter, why replace the whole bike? Seriously. The bike is perfect in every way and the only thing I tend to have to replace on it each year is the usual wear and tear soft goods (tires, seat, grips, etc.) Second, I've never bought a whole bike in my life. Like a lot of the DIY PC guys here, I'm a DIY bike guy. It's a frame set that I bought the parts for and built up. Some of the parts on it are very draw dropping retro. For example: the rear brake is a Scott Pederson Self Energizing U-brake. :Q So if I bought a whole bike just to get the shifters and rear hub/cassette off of it (which is all I would do), that would be such a waste of money.

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Have tried looking on eBay? I think there might be a couple of online bike shops that carry older parts, I'll update with links if I can find them.

Yeah... I was a little hesitant of that idea at first, but that may be the way to go.

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Note, you can use an 8 speed shifter since the spacing between gears is the same. You just lockout the last click using the low limit screw on the dérailleur.

Really? Are you sure? I thought they compacted the gears when they went to 8 just like they did when they went from 5 to 6 to 7. It wouldn't surprise me if Shimano were to force the customer to have to buy a shifter, rear hub, cassette and... what the heck.. how about a new chain that can shift between the closer spaced cogs better.

 

[Jessica69]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU


Really? Are you sure? I thought they compacted the gears when they went to 8 just like they did when they went from 5 to 6 to 7. It wouldn't surprise me if Shimano were to force the customer to have to buy a shifter, rear hub, cassette and... what the heck.. how about a new chain that can shift between the closer spaced cogs better.

He's right.......7 spd and 8 spd spacing is exactly the same. The compaction came when Shimano transitioned from 8spd to 9spd stuff. From 7spd to 8spd, on mtn bikes at least, they widened the hub slightly....I think it was from 130mmm hub spacing to 135mm spacing. But 8spd derailleurs, gear shifters, etc., will all work on 7spd stuff.....just, like Caveman said, lock out the last shift point with the limiting screw on the der....but if the derailleur is adjusted correctly in the back, that's a done deal.

In fact, you can put a 7spd cassette on an 8spd hub.....but you need a 5mm spacer behind the cassette for proper alignment, but they even sell those, too. Chains for 8spd cassettes are 7spd and older compatible. The incompatibility began with 9spd..much narrower chains for the decreased spacing between the cassette cogs. Of course, this doesn't touch on the HG/IG weirdness and sometime incompatibility of HG and IG cassettes and chains.....but that's another story......

In answer to your query, though, you may want to look at these guys....they have a lot of old NOS parts....

http://www.icyclesusa.com/


I've bought from them and are quite reliable.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Try online or ebay.

There are many good bike shops around here...depends on the area I guess.

 

[Homerboy]

Let me know exactly what you are looking for.... I can likely hook you up (best bud owns a "old school shop" that I worked at for 8+ years)> They know their stuff, been around 50+ years