rejuvinating old bike

[snorkel sucker]

having recently moved house, im now right on the doorstep of a really good area for mountain biking (some of you may know it - llandegla in north wales, right by the horseshoe pass)

anyway, sat outside my dad's shed is my old mountain bike (dont even remember the make its been so long!). its been sat under a tarpaulin for a long time now (years in fact) so its far from being anywhere near in useable condition.

I want to get back into mountain biking, purely as an extra something to do on a weekend and was wondering which you would advise:

- buy a new bike

or

- refurb my old one

im not on a mega budget, in fact, in all honesty, i wouldnt want to spend more than £200-300. Im thinking the only good bit about my old bike is likely to be the frame so that would mean id need new brakes, gears, forks, rims and seat, maybe even more than this. plus the cost of doing the work

so, open to the PH floor - which is the best option and, where is the most cost effective place to look?

cheers!

[rocksteadyeddie]

Bin it and start again. EBay is full of second hadn bargains - particularly if they need a bit of work doing on them which anyone with a spanner and a brain could probably perform.

[snorkel sucker]

could well be the best idea a VERY quick google search showed that some new suspension forks could be £100+

guess ive answered my own question! lol!

[Parrot of Doom]

If it wasn't a great bike to begin with, forget it and buy another.

Don't bin it though, old bikes can be restored quite easily, especially if they have sentimental value.

[Maty]

I've just done the exact same thing, my bike has been in the garage for the last 12 years but I got it out, fixed a few things and I am using it now. It's still runs really well considering its been stashed away so long. I'd suggest having a good look at yours first before you got buying a new one, you never know it may be repairable and useable for a couple of months at least.

Incidentally I have just got back from Llangollen, we stayed at Penvale Lodges right at the bottom of the horse shoe pass, what a lovely part of the world!

[snorkel sucker]

going to do an inspection of my bike at the weekend and guage what state it is in!

llangollen is a really nice part of the world. i used to go to school there many moons ago but have since realised that its the gateway to the horseshoe pass and beyond! i hope you managed to get a spot of driving in too!

[PH5121]

Look on retro bike for some inspiration about restoring your old bike.
If you are unsure about if it is worth it ask on there, there are lots of guys enthusiastic about keeping older bikes going.
You can pick up secondhand stuff or even sell it on there, it will be of interest to someone if it is a proper bike (ie not a catalogue no brand bike.

I have a couple of 1996 bikes as well as a modern bike, and it makes good reading, seeing the lengths some people go to to restore / improve their bikes.