jamesdak 

For years I've been hacking at an old AMF Hercules I got for next to nothing. Serviced all bearings, the 3 speed hub, leather washers on all the mount points, LED "upgrade" to the lights, rack, basket, new crank and pedals, new tires, new brake pads, new saddle,etc. Yet in the end it's still not worth anything and is really too small for me. All cramped up riding on it and if I'm not careful my heel hits the side basket when it's open.



Then there's the beat up old Orbea Cabestany. A rough frame with a frankenstein build and multiple purposes over the years. Currently setup for packed gravel riding as I'm taking advantage of all the tire clearance. Still not really suited for it. On the road this was a fast old beast but a bit too reluctant to turn for my liking. Nice as a cruiser though. It's currently friction shifting over an modern 8 speed cassette right now.


Just swapped the Challenge Stade Bianchi tires back on for the knobbies it had.

So both of these are going to be listed locally to get them out of the way.

And the replacement is this odd duck of a bike. A german made Mars Trekking bike. Can't find out much about them except for lots of Mars bikes listed cheaply on the German Ebay. None at "complex" as this one but they seem to be about department store quality best I can tell.

Still at first glance this isn't too bad for what it is. Triple Ofmega crank, 7 speed in the back, Shimano derailleurs, Sram gripshifts, 700 x 38 tires, working lights, etc. As I got if the rear brake cable seems seized and the FD cable is a mess, and the tires hold air fine but are cracked badly. Room for larger tires though so I'll get to sorting that out. Soon as I got it home I disconnected the rear brakes, aired up the tires, and took it for a little spin. Super smooth riding on the pavement, composed and comfy on some packed gravel, and worked well in the grass. It's a heavy 42 lb beast as in the picture but didn't really feel the weight while riding. I'm sure that will show on the hills but for what this is and what I paid I'm totally happy. I wanted something I can take to run errands like the 3 speed and yet also ride on the path across the valley and on the gravel roads. I think this will do just fine for that once I get it all fixed up and working right again.

Not C&V for sure but since I spend all my time here I thought I'd share it here. Especially since it will be replacing to bikes that do belong on this forum.


Crazy looking Trekking bike ain't it?

Erzulis Boat 

Replacing that gorgeous Orbea for a Mars?

Might want to double check the doses on your psych meds.............................

Just joking!

jamesdak 

I won't be sad if the Cabestany doesn't go but it's not being used much and is really rough up close.

Erzulis Boat 

ouch!

jamesdak 

Yep, this is not the usual quality of most of my bikes. That's why the ad I posted for it in the local classifieds has lot's of close ups.

On another note though, This crazy Mars bike is sorting right out. Fixed everything but the balky rear brakes. Just need to figure out and order what tires.

dddd

The rear "shock" on that MARS might be replaceable with something having oil in it, there are a lot of low-cost air/oil shocks available these days for "big box" type dual-suspension bikes.
The fork on yours has boots on it so at least is better than most other forks with steel lowers. I rebuilt this one and added boots while I was at it for my old Costco-sourced Schwinn Broadway. I find hybrids useful and had a Pro-Flex 253 hybrid with rear suspension on it 25 years ago.

jamesdak 

Surprised at how well this has been sorted out today. Still more to do but right now I've got everything working. Just need to get the new tires in. Both brakes are working fine now and are surprisingly strong.

Orbea is already getting attention locally but so far has been the wrong size for those asking about it. The 3 speed may just wind up donated to the local bike coop. Don't know if anyone will really be interested in it despite all I've put into it.

Started a new post on this in the Hybrid Forum with more pics. Just a bit curious about it and want to confirm it's a "department store" bike. Of course in Germany that means a step above our Walmat type bikes. Reality is this beast worked really well on roads, paths, gravel and grass tests today.

Mars Trekking Bike

martl

"Mars" is a brand name used by "Quelle", one of the two huge mail order companies in germany, so its the proverbial Sears mailorder bike ... not exactly known for highest quality. Probably czech made.

jamesdak 

Thanks martl , that matches the impression I got of it. A lot of them on the german Ebay but none listed for much. For the price and the purpose I think this will work well for me.

It does have a "Made in Germany" label yet also has warning labels in English. Guy I bought it from said he got it from a Russian lady.

Generator light certainly works better than the "upgraded to LED" light on the old Hercules, LOL!

jamesdak 

Well, the Mars junker is all done and already serving well as my errand bike.

Sadly, the Orbea just went to a new home today. Mixed feelings about that. It was crappy looking up close with not the best original finishing of the frame and all. But reality was everything worked so well on it and it was always a fast smooth rider. In fact that was what the buyer said after his test ride. "It's so smooth feeling and shifts so well.

I'm still betting the AMF Hecules winds up donated no matter how much I put into servicing it, LOL!

Cougrrcj

Reverse the saddle clamp on the AMF (so that the clamp bolt is behind the seatpost) for another 2" or so of setback. I'll bet you aren't as cramped then!

jamesdak 

I actually thought about that a while ago. Or at least more setback. But then I'm going to get even more heel strikes on that basket. Right now I had to remember to keep my feet too far forward on the pedals to keep this from happening and still forget. To be honest, the Mars is so much better suited to what I need than the 3 speed.

Cougrrcj

The CRANK won't be moving back - just the seat, so why would you experience more heelstrikes???
If heel strikes are a problem, I suggest that you also move the baskets one 'mesh opening' to the rear on the rack (and also centering the basket on the vertical support). Yeah, the basket wouldn't be centered over the axle, but it'd lessen the heelstrikes! Just load the baskets so that more weight is carried toward the front!

jamesdak 

No but as I said I already have to concentrate on pedalling with my foot to far forward on the pedal and yet it tends to keep going back to a more natural position. If I move the saddle back more than I'm even more likely to have my foot floating back on the pedal. Not that any of this matters. The Mars has proven to be the better errand runner already so the 3 speed will be sold. No big deal.