Project Fisher- The Little Old Bike That Could

[KDXSR5]

So in an attempt to get back in shape and reduce the $250 I pay for gas each month I am going to revive my moms old Gary Fisher that I took over as mine about 5 or 6 years ago. Here is a little info about it. It was bought new in 1996 as a 1995 model for around $550. Here are specs on it from bikepedia: http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=1995&Brand=Gary%20Fisher&Model=Aquila&Type=bike They seem to be pretty accurate. The bike is make from TIG welded triple butted chromoly steel... if you know anything about bikes you will know that its a pretty nice bike frame. The derailleurs are some fairly nice Shimano STXs, a pretty good derailleur back then for the price of the bike. The bike was just a really good deal all around for the money. Anyways, here we go.

An overview of the bike. I absolutely love the color combo of the green with the gold accents, Very beautiful bike. This is a smaller framed bike, probably 15.5, I really need a larger frame, like 17+ but this is what I have for now. This bike has seen a lot of abuse and has taken it all pretty well:




The bike weighs in at a fairly light 25 pounds... not too bad:




Mods that I did to the bike over the 2 or 3 years I rode it:

#1: Pedals- I broke the original strapped pedals within the first 3 months or so of riding the bike. I installed my well used "bearclaws"... big, ugly, and will skin your shin in the blink of an eye, but they work dang well:




#2: Seat- The original seat was all faded and torn, so I bought a cheapo saddle from somewhere:




#3: Grips- The stock grips were horribly worn. I replaced them with these gawd awful neon green and yellow ones for some reason:





Ok, now the things I need to do to get it street ready again:

#1: Get different grips, IMMEDIATELY
#2: Get new tubes... these are presta valve tubs and I have no extra ones laying around, so I need to find a couple
#3: Swap on some different tires, the tires on the bike are original as far as I can tell, and are really showing some bad signs, see pic below


Tires are SHOT. The sides have the "waves" and are starting to separate:






And that concludes the introduction of Project Fisher. All comments and suggestions are welcome. I am going shopping right now for some stuff.

[Toymin8r]

It wouldn't work for me.  I suffer from a condition known as lazyassitus.....prevents me from being able to peddle my anywhere.

[KDXSR5]

That is the condition I am attempting to avoid, so far it has been a losing struggle.

[Oddmar]

Yer missin the most important thing...the LOCK! Unless yer plannin on ridin there and walkin back.

Don't get a cheap one either...here ya go...

http://www.ebikestop.com/kryptonite_series_4_evolution_ls_u_lock_4x115-LK4214.php

The only way i found to break these is super-freeze them and hit em with a hammer...but most people don't have access to a cryogenic thermos of liquid oxy/ nitrogen...don't believe the hype, freon doesn't get cold enuf.

Please take my advice...i still remember how sore my feet were from all that walking.

[KDXSR5]

I have the bike lock portion of things covered. I guess I should have told ya guys that I have a $1000 Haro full suspension with $500+ in upgrades... not much compared to what some cost, but it is a lot to a poor kid like me. So I think I got all security needs covered. That bike meant the world to me and it was my first mechanical related addiction. Then followed the KDX. Now the Toyota. You get the picture Thanks for the link though, I have a few higher end kryptonite locks laying around, if they fail me I will upgrade to that one. A quick Haro pic and a couple that I found on my photobucket. Its a Haro Extreme X1 upgraded to hydraulic discs, upgraded shock, and upgraded derailleurs 3rd gear removed on pedal stack and bash guard installed... ok maybe I have a little more than just $500 into upgrades :


Whole bike:




A little front fork action:




Some shock action:




And I think thats the rear tire to it :







Currently the Haro sits with two flat tires, a bent rear derailleur, and in need of a good cleaning. I think I am going to sell it here soon to help get some $$.

[KDXSR5]

ok, Update on Project Fisher: I found tubes at the local bike shop. I found out why I had those obnoxious grips... they are some of the best out there. They are like twenty-something a pair I knew there was a reason why I kept them on there! He said he could get them in black, but I am not too worried about it right now. They are a good grip, just UGLY. Tire install action coming sometime too.

Tubes!

[KDXSR5]

Dang, i just weighed the front rim/hub/axle/spoke assembly minus tire and tube, and it doesn't even go over the one pound mark on the scale I am using! I love this lightweight bike compared to the Haro! The Haro must weigh 45 or more pounds, its fricken heavy!

[KDXSR5]

Ok, I found two rear WTB VelociRaptor tires that are about 50% dead. I have one on the front already and I am working on the rear. I have gotten so slow at changing bike tires/tubes that it isn't even funny.

[KDXSR5]

And so comes an end to todays work on Project Fisher. I screwed up the tube for the rear tire cuz i am a dumbass and now I have to wait until tomorrow to get a new one

[kneedownnate]

Interesting!  My univega is a 96 that I purchased new at the beginning of 97 for $650    I think you can get so much better a bike for the money now.  Mine is really clean and looks very good still, though I've only cleaned it a few times since I bought it.  I'd be surprised if I've ridden even 300 miles on it yet, a far cry from the 5,000-6,000 I figured I'd put on my 89 in about 4 years of riding.

[KDXSR5]

Yeah, my mom bought the bike because it was cheaper than the current models (96 stuff), and it had really good parts for the price. She said she was surprised it was still on the floor when she went shopping. What happened was someone ordered it and never picked it up, so it sat in back until it was decided to place it out on the floor for a slightly reduced price. This bike has seen an incredable amount of miles. All I've got to say is a little maintenance goes a LONG way.


On a side note, I do not like these tires at all, they are heavy and half worn out, but I guess they will be good enough until winter hits. Oh how much I would love to use the tires/rims/brake setup from the Haro, but its all just too big and "beasty" for this old Fisher.

[GJToyotabug]

bull crap 5 bills in up grades my friend bought the same disk break kit for his old DB it was like 325 for all the stuff. but he bought and new bike it's a specialized or maybe gt but its decked out has a 17" travel fork nitrogen rear shock with about 12-14" of travel im not too sure what the real specks are but i do know he can almost bottom it out when he jumps off the cliffs. he is a crazy cliff jumper

[KDXSR5]

This thread is not about the Haro, or any other bike in the pics for that matter, its about the Fisher, so lets keep it that way unless you are asking to buy Haro. Thank you.

[GJToyotabug]

i wish i could buy the haro but i cant. so are you gonna use the fisher for just for street or what?

[KDXSR5]

Fisher is going to be my street/dirt lot bike for commuting. The plan is to park my truck at school in the morning, then use the bike during lunch and to ride to work and back. I will then load it back into the truck and drive the truck back home from the school. This should greatly reduce my gas consumption because I will be driving maybe 5 miles a day versus the normal 15-20 I usually drive during the day. the rest of the time I will be working out by riding the Fisher. Of course once winter hits my plan is over, but until then it should work out nicely. This is mainly to get back into the shape I was 3 or 4 years ago, but the gas savings benefits are nice too.

[GJToyotabug]

you should build a custom removable bike holder to mount in the back of your truck so it doesnt flop around

[KDXSR5]

I have a few yak racks and some thule ones as well, I think I have bike racks covered My family used to be big into biking, but now not so much. I am trying to get back in it so I can start to get back into better shape.

[GJToyotabug]

yeah my dad bought a older probly 95 or so DB and i think i'll start riding too

[NorCalToy]

my downhill bike weighs in at 47.7lbs...


but...how far do you have to go from work from the school?

[KDXSR5]

work to school is about 1 or 2 miles, school to house is 1 ot 2 miles, house to work is 3 or 4 miles. All fairly short distances.

[Plekto]

http://www.rei.com/product/735367

The best tires for commuting, IMO, are slick or nearly so in the center with a tiny bit of siping on the sides for cornering.  But good bike tires aren't cheap, either, as I'm sure you've noticed.

Good bike btw - that's a USA made frame and worth every penny.

[GJToyotabug]

SOOOO TODD did you ride your bike today???

[KDXSR5]

Yup, I got the tires and tubes installed and rode it today. Worked out fine! I am happy to be riding again.

[GJToyotabug]

yeah i'm still too lazy too get on mine

[kneedownnate]

I just snagged a mountain cycles san andreas with a catastrophically broken frame last night.  Not sure if I'm going to have it fixed, try finding a replacement (best idea but hard to do) or just use it for parts.

[KDXSR5]

Maybe look on ebay for a frame? I have found a few older frames on ebay going for pretty cheap. I have never priced having a frame fixed, but to get it fixed correctly by tig welding it and such I am guessing it can get pretty expensive, but possibly the only option for that bike. It is a pretty interesting bike and from what I can tell it was fairly innovative back when it was introduced in the early 90s (if I remember correctly). May not even be worth fixing though.

[kneedownnate]

Here's a crappy pic of the new bike.  I emailed the link to a friend to let him know I was gonna buy it and he was trying to get back into town before me so he could snake me on it 

[KDXSR5]

Yeah, thats a pretty cool looking bike! Nice find. Keep us updated on what you end up doing with it.

[kneedownnate]

Will do.  My friend is supposed to come over and check it out in the next few days and see if he thinks it's fixable.