jjyergler

I haven't ridden a bike in nearly 10 years. I used to ride regularly, to work, school, and elsewhere. I now have a six year old that loves riding his little Mongoose that he got for Christmas. I've been riding my mom's cruiser, but I need to get my old bike back in shape so I can get back in shape.

My ride of choice has, for almost twenty-five years been a Cannondale M-300. Unfortunately, it has been sitting outside for almost ten years in Florida. You can imagine that all the steel parts are a bit rusty. The chain is sort of flexible...sort of. The derailleurs are non-functional and the grip shifters need to be replaced. One pedal is broken, so I need to replace them and the seat. I am not a bike mechanic, so I need some advice on parts and maybe techniques. I'm on a pretty limited budget, so I need to get it functional for now, I can work on getting it back to its former glory later.

One beginning question is pretty simple: I'm looking on Amazon and elsewhere for parts, but I'd like to keep them American made (or European) but reasonably priced. Are there any specific recommendations for brands that will meet those needs? First purchase is a seat and a set of aluminum pedals.

Next, I'm thinking about getting a shorter chain and setting it up as a one speed for now, and getting a new drivetrain as funds are available; is this a practical or recommended setup or should I wait and buy parts and get it back fully in operation all at once?

I'm open to any suggestions, as I'm going to be working on a bike for the first time in over thirty years. My knowledge is a bit dated.

Thanks in advance.

rccardr 

My friend, you need A Friend In Florida. If tou were in my area (DC) I’d be happy to show you what to do t9 make your bike better. Sadly, not the case.
Anybody in FL (BTW, Where In Florida?) willing t9 help out?
I have bit, bobs, parts and stuff to help.
Anybody?

jjyergler

Thanks. I'm in Indian River County, about halfway between Miami and Jacksonville. I used to live in Silver Spring, MD. I loved DC, other than the traffic.

qcpmsame 

Welcome to the forums, sounds like you have some work ahead of you with the C'Dale. I'm on the other side of the state, and well north of you, Escambia County, far west of the state, at the Alabama state line.

There are some members nearer your area, hopefully they will respond, but I'll say that you might spend less by searching for a used bike. The aluminum frame set will probably be fine, but you will need to pretty much need to take it completely down and build it back up. going to single speed is more than just shortening the chain and trying to get it centered on a sprocket and chain ring, and keeping it on. Chain line needs to be set up correctly, doable but you'll be into wheels and single ring crankset.

I'd get everything cleaned up good, and find a good maintenance manual, Park Tool Co's "Big Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance", or Lennard Zinn's, "Zen and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance", are two that I like and use. It's Botha ll that hard to work on them, and a Bike Co-op can really help you out.

I'd check for a bicycle co-op in the area, once the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and everything is open once again. They can help you with many things, including parts and older components.

Best wishes on getting back out on the bike, riding with children is one of the things I cherish, and now that they are grown and gone, it is great when we get to ride together on occasion.

Bill

jjyergler

I figured it'd be a chore. But, at this point, I've had this bike for so long, I don't know if I want to buy a new one. There's going to be significant joy getting this one going. I might buy a cheap used bike to ride in the meantime. You sound like a good guy, for a Marine.

God Bless.

qcpmsame 

We all have our burdens to bare,, It might be a hard beginning, but I'd do it myself, if I had that M300. Its what this sub-forum is about to take these on, and enjoy the process. Check a few build threads in here, we take pictures of before, disassembly, cleaning and rework, and the building of the bicycle. Its addictive.

Let me take a guess here, Air Farce type, by some chance?

Bill

stardognine

I think he meant, you could buy another bike, to put the good parts on your ‘dale. 😉 Also, look at some of the newer chemicals, some have a de-ruster and lube, in the same spray can. It’s possible, some of your old parts might be easily save-able. 👍

qcpmsame 

Exactly, I should have been clearer about my thoughts. finding a donor bike with good wheels and components on a beater frames might give you an upgrade. Cannondale used the same frame design and tubing for many levels of each model, so he could easily upgrade the M300 by a couple levels. Those are fun frames for builds, its on my radar for a future project to find an M series from the 90's.

Bill