nuclear90

Hey all, new here.
So I'm out of work with everything going on in the world right now. My wife purchased me a bicycle about 7 years ago but I've never used it. Figured I could use this freetime to do something beneficial for my health.

It was stored on a covered porch for about a year period 6 years ago but has been in a garage otherwise. I gave it a good cleaning and greasing yesterday but I'm concerned that the tires may be bad. The tube maybe?

Bicycle: Next PX6.0 Xelit Shimano. It wasn't expensive and came from Walmart.

Tires: sidewall reads 53-559 (26 x 1.95) and Inflate to 350 KPa (50 PSI) Max Load 90 Kg (198 lbs).

Me: I'm 5'11 and 260#s.

My concerns are how can I determine if the tires/tube are bad? Are these tires even safe to use given my weight? If not what do I need to get?

Rajflyboy

Tires should be fine. Look for any cracking or sun damage.

Unca_Sam

Pump them up halfway to check if they're holding air. Then look at the sidewall and tread of the tire for deep cracks. If the rubber looks ok, inflate to 60lbs, or more for pavement.

Hopefully the hubs, headset, and bottom bracket still have grease. Oil your chain and wipe off the excess.

Welcome to the forums!

Unca_Sam

The max pressure on the sidewall is pounds per square inch.

Your tires are almost 2 inches wide, and can deform enough to support your weight. If you're on the bike and the tires are obviously bulging at the ground, you'll want to add more air (this is more important for pavement riding). You want a little cushion, but too much makes ther bike feel slow with vague steering.

nuclear90

The tires themselves look fine visually. I gave the chain a good greasing yesterday.

All I've got at my disposal is a small hand pump and it feels like the tires aren't taking on air anymore but only reading out at 15 psi on a tire gauge.

Unca_Sam

"Small hand pump" isn't descriptive enough. Do you have a floor pump, or a frame-style pump?

Floor pump

Frame type pump

Frame pumps don't move as much air as floor pumps. Larger tires also take more air. If you're confident that you have a leak, you'll need a patch or a new tube.

Unca_Sam

nuclear90

I'm using a frame style pump. I can hear a slight hissing sound coming from the tire.

What type of tube do I need to buy?

Unca_Sam

Tubes are sold in ranges that match the sidewall information. You'll want a tube for 559 (26") tires, that has the same stem, likely in a 1.5-2.0 size. Buy a patch kit just in case your old tube just needs a patch. You can use it as a backup tube.

Regardless, try and find the hole in the tube, and check the corresponding location in the rim and tire for the cause of the hole. Putting on a new tube on will result in a new hole if you don't correct the cause.

nuclear90

Remembered I have a small air compressor in my truck toolbox that plugs into the cigarette lighter spot. Got the tires pumped all the way to 50 PSI. Will let it sit and recheck them over a few days to make sure they are holding air right.

So by inflating the tires had to adjust the brakes as they were too tight against the rim.

Anything else I need to be checking or adjusting that I may not realize? I gave it a once over on the major connection points to ensure they were tight.

I sprayed the chain well with silicone lubricant spray. Is that okay to use?

BlazingPedals

If the tires hold air for your ride, they're good. Be aware that it's normal for bike tires to lose air over the course of days or weeks, so topping them off before a ride should be a normal task.

If it came from WallyWorld, then brand is pretty much irrelevant. They're all about the same quality level (low.) If you can keep it adjusted, it'll server you for light use - bearing in mind that "light" means something entirely different to a newcomer than it does to enthusiasts like most of us here are.

Unca_Sam

Silicone lubricant spray likely got lubricant everywhere except where you need it, between the rollers and the pins. If you got any on your rim, your brakes will work poorly, or not at all.

I'm not sure how inflating the tires changed the shape of your rims enough that you needed to adjust the brakes. If your brake pads were within 1-2 mm of the rim wall, and you have single wall rims, I guess inflating the tires to a PSI below your recommended PSI could make the rims push out. Pictures will work much better to show what you adjusted, since brakes are a critical system (unless you don't plan on stopping).

nuclear90

Yeah I don't anticipate doing any long rides or anything. Haven't been on a bike in a good 15 years.

Just figured since I've got some time now and it's just hanging up on the wall....might as well give it a go. Something to get in some exercise and fresh air. Can only do so much yard work.

nuclear90

I had adjusted the brake lines yesterday to make them more sensitive just out of personal preference. They had to be let out just slightly.

Brake pads look clean.

Unca_Sam

the pads are only half the brake, your rim is the rotor. Your brake pads are probably fine, it's the possible overspray on the rim that's the problem.

Bigbus

Just keep getting out there every chance you get and before you know it you'll be doing 20+ miles a day. Good luck to you.

alcjphil

That is very much a personal preference. I prefer that my brakes engage about 1/3 of the way into the full lever travel. I find that I can modulate the brakes much better that way

nuclear90

That's exactly how I set them up! I don't want to feel like I have to squeeze super hard to brake.

Moe Zhoost

Nothing to add to the above advice, but I wanted to welcome you to BikeForums. Let us know how your rides go.

skidder

Chain lube: If you have a bottle of motor oil/gear oil in your garage you can use that instead of going out in these coronavirus times for bicycle-specific oil. I started using it years ago, have been using motor oil as a chain lube ever since that time and haven't had any problems. Its varied from 5/20W to 90W gear oil. YMMV

stevel610 

I use motor oil occasionally as well. Just be sure to wipe the chain clean with a rag after oiling. Otherwise it has a tendency to oil your rear rim.

VegasTriker

The advantage of using a bicycle-specific chain lubricant similar to the Cross Country Finish Line brand wet lubricant I use is that it has an added solvent that allows the lubricant to penetrate deep into the chain before the solvent evaporates. I looked at the 4 ounce bottle I have and it sold for $6. Pretty expensive but that bottle is a couple of years old and still has some in it. You could duplicate the penetrating part if you added paint thinner to 10W motor oil and used it. You don't need or want a lot of oil on the outside of the chain where it will pick up dirt. The suggestion to wiping off the chain is a good one.

Brake rubber like the rubber in the tires hardens with age. It makes the brakes much less effective than when the pads were new. It's the one thing I always replace when I refurbish a bike that has rim brakes.