Jonah305

I've been wanting a vintage road bike for a long time. This past week, after months of searching, I finally saw one on my local CL in my size. It's a 1981 Miyata 310 that's been a little neglected. I was pretty excited to get it and payed a little too much for it ($75), but I didn't really care because I just wanted a vintage road bike to ride and learn how to work on. I've owned a few modern bikes so far but I don't lust over them like I do over the vintage bikes I see on this forum. I have a dream of one day being able to do full restorations for fun.

I have zero mechanical aptitude but after watching a few YouTube videos I go out to the garage, put the Miyata on a work stand and proceed to start taking it apart for cleaning. Even bought a gallon of Evapo-Rust to soak the parts in. Well, I struggled just taking the rear wheel out and in the process managed to break the rear derailleur. What now? Do I have to buy a whole new Suntour VX Derailleur or can I buy just the broken part? Maybe it would be better to return the Evapo-Rust and put those $24 towards the purchase of a whole new group in better shape? As you can see in the pictures, the current components are a little rusted. I'm not giving up. I will get this bike in riding condition, doing the work myself, even if I have to replace each component twice.

As a side note, even though I'm totally new to classic and vintage bikes, my incredibly supportive wife has approved a trip for us to the Classic Rendezvous event this weekend so I might be able to pick something up there. Hopefully I'll learn a thing or two also.

Thanks for reading,

Bill Levin

3speedslow

That back plate is riveted so no buying to replace it. That is a good dr so look for another if you want to keep the group together. Easy to find one there.

See you you at the CR weekend.

francophile 

You may be able to find a replacement RD easy enough, Suntour Vx was a common enough model. I would honestly check your local bike co-op if you have one nearby, most sell complete derailleurs for $5-$10 (mine is $5/part).

If you want to hunt here at the forum, check the ISO (in search of) thread stickied to the top of the post list: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...rts-2-3-a.html

OldsCOOL

As said, that RD is no problem to replace. Be patient and dont hesitate to ask questions, we've all been there. Let us know how that Miyata turns out.

nashvillebill

"a little neglected" seems to be an understatement, that's a fair amount of rust. Unfortunately that likely indicates the bike was stored outside, and that may mean rusted wheel hub bearings. Before sinking more money into the fixup, I would suggest taking a hard look at both wheel hub bearing races; if they are excessively pitted, then new hubs would likely be required.

Also would apply to the bottom bracket bearings and front fork headset bearings, but those can be replaced relatively inexpensively, compared to new wheel hubs.

eschlwc

use a magnet and find out what the cage is made of, steel or aluminum.

now go to your hardware store, the little one with great personal service, and ask them what kind of bonding material will bridge the break. if the solution will cost $20 or more, you may be better off buying a whole new* derailleur.

* of course, when i say 'new,' i mean a replacement suntour one that is over thirty years old but at most only needs new wheels.

seedsbelize 

This is what I'd try first.

Fahrenheit531 

Congratulations! You've broken something! That wasn't so bad, was it? You know the old saying... you can't make an omelette without a busted derailleur cage and a few eggs.

Seriously though, you can't walk into a bike coop without tripping over three of those, so no big deal. Kudos for digging in and trying; you're way ahead of many, and on your way to being able to restore these beautiful little machines for fun. Trial/error/error/okay maybe I'll ask somebody/trial/success! was my routine early on, and after a couple of years I'm totally not awful at this anymore. I can even throw all the parts and bolts into a single bucket and know what goes where when it comes time for reassembly. Usually.

Anyway, my point is don't sweat it. We've all been there. Have fun, and don't worry -- it's actually tougher to break this stuff than you probably think. Beginner's luck maybe.

And welcome to the forums!

3alarmer 

.
...I feel badly for your wife. This will not end well.

jetboy 

i've done worse. nice choice in bike-- its not so precious that you can't find parts (when you break them) but its also a pretty nice ride so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor when she is done.

SpookyReverb

Better to have it break in your garage than out on a long ride!

repechage

You might try the local library and see if they have any bicycle how to repair books still on the shelf.
Our local one has them for sale in the basement, donations and books that did not get loaned out any more.

Lascauxcaveman 

And don't toss the old broken derailleur, save it for parts.

randyjawa 

Sorry to hear about your instant learning experience. It has happened to all, or at least, most of us. I have broken frames and fork sets simply by using inappropriate force. And there-in lies a lesson...

If it takes a lot of force to take apart, you are likely doing something wrong. That warning or caution applies to every task when working on a bicycle. Stop, look carefully, understand then try again. And, there is always Bike Forums to come back to when understand does not show up.

jimmuller 

What he said. Those pulleys look unused. IIRC, the cage on a Vx can be removed and replaced, and maybe you can find just a cage on ebay. But just find a whole derailleur. It takes a bit of mechanical skill to replace the cage!

qcpmsame 

Welcome to our world, now that you've gotten past breaking a part you can merrily move forward. As said multiple times above, finding an inexpensive derailleur of the same type and brand isn't difficult. Those are fairly nice shifting mechs, sticking with the same one won't be a bad idea, but don't let it stop you from seeing what the local Co-op has available, in other brands, or just a different SunTour model.

eschlwc's idea about using some metal bonding adhesive could save you expense, but the amount of rust and grime would make me look at a newer piece just for the peace of mind.

Good luck with your first build/resto, it is all fun from this point onward.

Bill

daf1009

Welcome to Bike Forums...on my first bike, I did WAYYYY worse...I thought that the down tube shift lever bosses were screwed in...so...I used a bit of excessive force to try and remove them...well...that did not end well...and they are much more difficult to replace than a broken RD.

exmechanic89

A few things. As others have said, not a big deal to find a replacement rear derailleur, or you can maybe fix the one you have. Or.. maybe someone on the forums has one they would give you?

I was also gonna mention that buying a bike that's been stored outside will probably require major work and more dollars than you'd want to spend just to get it running - all cables/housing replaced, for instance. Also the seatpost and stem may be stuck, etc. Expenses can easily add up and a $75 bike can end up costing $200-300. At which point you realize that you could've bought something a lot better to begin with.

Also bear in mind that overhauling a bike - what yours appears to need, is A LOT of work, and requires several special tools. I'm not trying to be discouraging, just mentioning that it's better to get a bike that's been a bit better cared for, and will require much less extensive rehabbing.

And dont feel bad, lots of people here including myself have sunk more into a bike than it's really worth. But from that I've learned to be more careful about what I buy, and not let my enthusiasm always carry me away.

oddjob2

They must not crank down on pedal tightening in Thunder Bay, lol!

I turn them the right way, but 8 out of 10 require mucho brute force.

While it may not help the OP in this case, every new bike I intend to overhaul gets a spritz of PB Blaster or the WD-40 equivalent rust penetrant on the threads of bb cups, headset, crank bolts/nuts, braze on bolts, seat post, quill, and derailleur hinges and threaded parts, upon unloading from my vehicle. It might be a while to get to working the bike, but it will give it time for the solvents to do their work.

qcpmsame 

O.P. : if you are interested in another derailleur, but not a SunTour, I have two Shimano RD, one a mid cage, RSX, the other a short cage, RSX. These should match up, but someone familiar with the pull ratios and dimensions could best help you make certain if this point. If you want either one, shoot me a PM. they are yours for free, no questions asked.

Only thing I ever ask, is that at some point, when you are in the position to do the same for someone else, you simply pay-it-forward. Plenty of the folks here, and in the 50+ forum, have offered parts to me, some were matches, some not. To me, its the fact that the people here wanted to help me out. Now, I can step up and make the offer to you.

Bill

exmechanic89

Well there you go OP, I'd say take the generous offer, as you dont need an identical replacement to get your bike rolling. I bet one or both of those derailleurs offered will work in your application.

jimmuller 

It occurs to me that if the OP has so little mechanical experience so as to break the pulley cage then replacing the RD entirely won't be so easy. Oh, swapping the RD itself isn't hard, but restringing the cable, setting the adjustment screws, and refitting and possibly resizing the chain, are tougher. On the other hand, learnin' that stuff now is great!

Just curious, how did you break the pulley cage? Trying to remove a pulley?

francophile 

Exception: Fixed cups Those bastards never want to come off, and for a myriad of reasons not limited to threadlock, hyper-tightening by the PO, chemical bonding, and turning the wrong damn way

clubman 

I think you did fine paying $75 for the Miyata. You've picked a nice entry-mid range bike to practice the black art of bike restoration and in the end, you'll be immensely satisfied with a nice bike to ride. Yes it costs some money to buy tools and parts to fix them, but as you learn to maintain and hoard, er, collect other bikes you'll be equipped with better skills, more knowledge and a great parts stash. Big fun.

Remember N+1 is a sacred part of your new journey.

Jonah305

Wow, thanks for the support and encouragement, everyone! I broke the pulley cage simply by trying to remove the rear wheel. I removed the cap nuts from the bolts and while trying to get the wheel out it somehow got stuck. I pushed the derailleur cage down because I thought this would loosen the chain from the wheel but it just made things worse. I eventually freed the wheel but I didn't know that the bolt was hitting against the back of the cage and I assume that's how I broke it. I'm sure I used too much force as I was starting to get a little frustrated. Very valuable lesson learned.

I know overhauling this bike is going to be a lot of work and cost more than it's worth but I just want to learn. The way I see it, it'll still be way cheaper than traveling to the west coast and taking a bicycle mechanics class at UBI or Barnett.

NashvilleBill: I appreciate you pointing that out. I don't know what I don't know and will definitely do what you suggested.

qcpmsame (Bill): Thank you very much for your generous offer! I would like to take you up on it and will PM you.

Thanks again, everyone. I was a little bummed with my rough start but you guys have lifted my spirits.

Bill