keeping my chinagirl running on a $0 budget

Hi y'all. I just wanted to tell about my day and encourage any of yall who, like me are enjoying your mb without much money to spend. As a disabled vet i make do with what I have and utilize my redneck engineering skills. So... My ride (and only transport) is an 80s Schwinn mirada with a 66 cc ht. I noticed my rear axle was loose so i tightened it only to find out that the bearings were shot. I can't afford new bearings BC like I said I am disabled and have trouble just making ends meet. Well a family member had an old full suspension bike behind the garage with a wider rear axle. So I modified it to work. Took a few hours and some choice words but now I'm back on the road! I've read a lot of posts here and people seem to think you have to spend a lot of money to enjoy this hobby. You don't! As long as you are mechanically inclined these can be a very affordable way to get around. I have about $200 in my bike and have been using it as my sole transportation for about 6 months. This is my first post and i welcome any feedback and other people's stories of making it happen on the cheap

 

There are junk bikes with usable parts everywhere. Keep your eyes peeled!

 

When you need parts, its usually cheaper to just buy an unwanted bike at a yard sale and pull them from it.
Girls bikes always sell cheaper at the yard sales, yet the components are no different from the boys (wheels, derailleurs, etc).

 

no kidding, there are some who claim to have a metric ****ton of cash in their bikes but my current build (which is a complete beast, will do 46 mph and you can get going from a stop without any pedal assistance) has maybe $400 into it. That's with a lot of new parts too.

It's often cheaper to buy a bike at a yard sale than it is buy new tubes, I've gotten 8 different bikes at yard sales for $15 or less

 

My current motorbike:

$145 frame

$30 mountainbike from a pawn shop.

$32 steel wheel

$12 muffler

$22 puncture resistant tubes

I had all the other stuff!

Ride it nearly every day!

=Timbone=

 

Welcome to the forum, if you have the courage and need a few items post in the general section about what you might need and your situation. There's a lot of good people on these forums that might help. I have no HT parts so I can't help much there. Thank you sir for your service.

 

The beatings fit your bike are cheap. Fit a while I was using rims that I found in the trash. But got tired of constantly replacing my bearings. Now I have invested in a rear hub with sealed cartridge bearings. They are relatively inexpensive and very easy to replace. And they last longer. I'm sure they can be found in bulk.

 

These are the things I look for.
It is rare to see a deal like this on craigslist, but not at yard sales and moving sales.
This dept store bike no doubt has some problems.
But,,, you can get the front disk brake wheel, fork, rotor and caliper all for $30.
(A new disk brake hub alone will cost you 30 bucks)
You can do a rattle can paint job on the fork lowers with the hammered metalic paint and it will look very clean.
http://houston.craigslist.org/bik/4801872116.html
*mongoose vanish - $30 (Alvin)

 

Plus two good tires and tubes. A cool handlebar, stem and headset, too! Brake handles and cables. Much there to be used for a mere $30!

 

It's true! Bicycle parts are one of the greatest bargains in the entire Universe.

Very often free. Always cheap.

One of the reasons I genuinely like big box store bikes over more 'polished' bikes is standardization of parts. I can always find what I want and it'll almost always fit.

Average cost is close to zero. Who could ask for more?