New (old) bike - advice?
(tl:dr at the end)
Hey all,
I got this bike like 2 years ago and I've been using it on my daily commute (around 11km a day).
The thing is, the last bike I had was when I was like 10 years old (I'm now 28), so I have no idea what I'm doing in terms of maintenance or adjustments.
I feel this stem has too much give (after adjusting it, it would slowly turn counter-clockwise on its own while riding, super unsafe) and I fear that either the nut at the end of the stem or the screw are just too worn to be tightened properly.
On top of that, I have the impression that my right hand generally sits lower than the left one, which leads me to believe that the handlebar might be slightly bent, although I can't really take a picture that shows it. The fact that the stem would start turning to the left, as mentioned above, made me think this even more, because it would match with the feeling of my right hand being lower, which would make me put more weight on that side and explain the direction it was turning.
If you have any advice with regards to maintenance or improving the driving comfort, I would appreciate it! (The seat has already been straightened, I noticed while taking the picture)
I've already replaced the brake pads since the old ones were super worn and could barely bring me to a stop. I used generic ones from Decathlon and I'm looking to find Salmon Kool Stops in the future, but I needed something asap.
I've also ordered a new stem and handlebar to address the problems I mentioned above.
Another thing is I've seen advice around reddit on replacing the original Sturmey Archer cog at the back with a newer one (eg. Shimano) with more teeth, although I'm not sure what the advantage would be there.
tl:dr - Old bike, inexperienced biker, open to advice/suggestions regarding maintenance and improvements.
Done:
- changed brake pads for generic ones, looking to switch those for salmon kool stops; -adjusted seat; -ordered new stem and handlebar since the stem feels worn and loose and the handlebar feels slightly bent with my right hand always lower.