Can I make a $25 old bike better than a Walmart Bike? Starring a Wheeler 2000 vintage mountain bike.

[@marcusathome]

Wheeler is easy to overlook, but actually they are fine bikes with really good frames. So even if you cannot salvage everything it's worth to throw some better parts on and you'll get an excellent bike in return. This one here screams for a gravel bike conversion.

[@johnmcclure-ou7od]

Love your videos bringing great older bikes back to life. For casual fitness/commuting, an older quality bike like this Wheeler beats a crappy box store bike all day, every day. A lot of times the old bottom brackets that haven't been apart for ages are really tough. I invested in a 1/2" drive air impact. It spins the toughest bb loose with ease.

[@JohnBarrow1961]

Amazing job! Someone can put that bike to good use for years to come.

[@yardsalecycles]

Most vintage bike will be a better bike then the low end Wall-mart bikes .... glade you could keep this out the scarp yard and back on the road

[@RaymondEdmonds]

Why is it so relaxing to watch/fix bike your self ?

[@merlinobreslin987]

Awesome find , someone is going to be really happy with that bike.

[@mikebellamy8263]

Another great restoration. The brake pad color played well with the headtube badge. Thanks

[@DePuesshop]

'd like to say that was by design, but those were the only ones I had laying around and wanted to keep the investment low! Haha!

[@Hobomountainwander]

Absolutely great job !!! I love the miticolous detail you put into rebuilding this bike.

[@CandidZulu]

Leaving the BB alone can be a god move, sometimes the threads are so bad, it'll be hopeless getting a new one in place.

[@peteryouds5634]

That is a quality bike at a bargain price…nice build, good to see you kept the original components, especially the cantilever brakes! The frame geometry of your Wheeler looks identical to my Giant from same era, also made in Taiwan with Tange tubing, most likely same bike, different badge.

[@Prosper_NA]

I won't lie, the new Ozark Trail bike that Walmart has out right now is a really solid little pick. But, your craftsmanship is to be commended and I firmly believe that it is better than everything Walmart sells bar the Ozark Trail.

[@lordandladyvintage]

I loved those awesome Avocet tires back in the 90ies

[@romemancer7905]

Wheeler built some really nice mountain bikes...yours seems to be a low end model...in the early days of racing they had a team...cheers !

[@wolfgangweber9924]

I had success using the impact wrench on stubborn BBs

[@jackiegammon2065]

Love to see folks restoring older bikes, but as a mechanic I'd love to pass along some "tips". First anything that moves on a bike like that should get oil or grease. So when you install the brake calipers back on the bike, the brake boss should get greased along with the bolts that are threading the calipers on. Quick releases on wheels and seatpost should definitely get some oil, freehub body should also get grease. You changed a worn chain, but did not replace a worn cassette... so this bike will skip while someone is riding, just what we heard on the video. ALWAYS replace chain/cassette at the same time. Headset was adjusted a bit tight as well. Derailleur pulley wheels are a specific top or bottom position, and should get grease in the bearings, same with springs on the derailleurs.I worked at a shop in the 90's and we brought in some of the Wheeler bikes, and they sold well, but we never had a second round of them once all the original bikes sold.Anyway, hope the tips are helpful, and that at some point you are able to get that nasty bottom bracket out! Enjoy the bike!!

[@the_nondrive_side]

Tange OS tubes nice. working on a 96 rocky mountain lately

[@joseizaguirre7375]

Good job, was fantastic.

[@Londinius]

Wheeler bikes come from Taiwan and were quite well positioned in Germany in the 90s. There are still enthusiasts here who appreciate old Wheeler bikes. The higher the number, the better equipped the Wheelers were. So your Wheeler 2000 is rather at the lower end. Like you, I saved a Wheeler, it was a 6060 from '92, with original equipment and a lugged steel frame. The frame was solid, but somewhat prone to flash rust. Since the seating position was too stretched for me, I sold it again for some profit. Good job on your Wheeler 2000!

[@JokerJoker-mw8ui]

I have an old wheeler '95 i think its year...9800 pro raceline is it good bike?

[@mattyfrommacc1554]

Easily!, quite different though, 26 " wheels, steel frame, canti brakes, fully rigid frame, and older geometry, nice build, its impressive all these v old compnents still work perfewctly with an overhaul even the cheaper Altus stuff, not just the Deore stuff that is Hi quality & built to last, Nice results, especially for $25! personally I would have splashed out on a better unripped saddle, too I picked up a nice Selle Italia one for 99p in an auction (roughy 1 dollar, cheaper than duct tape too) had a tiny tiny rip in a corner, almost invisible

[@DePuesshop]

I agree! I would have replaced the saddle, but I liked the idea that it said Wheeler on it. The good thing is that a saddle change is always a quick, easy change. Thanks for watching!

[@distortohio]

Looks a lot like a late 80’s Schwinn Sierra. Awesome restoration!

[@ismaelrevels3373]

Great job and Great bike .thank you for the video .

[@hardware4computer]

nice work! good you have put the rear brake pads in the correct direction 😉 fyi the brake cables should be pushed behind the ‘notch’ on those shimano cantilever cable guides/ends (or whatever these are called) then the cable is nice in the center

[@DePuesshop]

Thanks for noticing! I ended up making sure that cable was locked behind the notch. You have quite the eye for details!

[@robertomachadotech]

Better choose. I like a vintage bikes

[@davidcrowson4745]

Love it... Well done sir 👍

[@JackB-v2z]

I got bumed out about the bottom bracket . Oh well plan B.

[@LebronPhoto1]

I would say it is possible to make a vintage bike better than a Walmart bike, but you can't change the geometry, so it will depend on what type of bike you are building. It will never match the geometry of a modern MTB but it can make a great hybrid or gravel bike.

[@ondrejmanych5688]

Oldschool steel mtb is sometimes better than these brand new bikes, not even from walmart. It only depends on the use you need it for. Tange steel is still nice.

[@deedos2]

Nice job! Could you tell me if the fork steerer tube is 1´ or 1-1/8'' ? thanks

[@DePuesshop]

I believe that one was 1-1/8. I was surprised at the quality of that bike.

[@notpablo8369]

If i could make/order a custom made bike, it would be a like that but with thru-axles and magura hydraulic rim brakeb🤤

[@notpablo8369]

Also, 1x drivetrain for simplicity

[@vitaliyzt719]

Greetings! I am the owner of a 1993 Wheeler 6300 and I really love this bike, it has a special charm. Where did you get the information about the price of 25 $ ? if you believe the 1993 catalog, my wheeler then cost 360 $

[@DePuesshop]

$25 is what I paid for the bike. There are a lot of older bikes out there for cheap that are much better than a new bike if they are given some attention.

[@cr-motube6852]

vale comentar que o antigo dono não trocou a corrente no momento certo, e isso desgastou toda relação...

[@erikvonbold]

What Headset Press-in Tool are you using? Thanks

[@DePuesshop]

If it's the orange one, I can't recommend it. It's clumsy to use. You can find lots of them on Amazon.

[@WarderGaidin]

What's the name or type of the cleaning station you use? Pretty swanky.

[@DePuesshop]

There's a link to it in the description below the video. I also have another video where I clean it up and do a review on it.

[@dmitriysecond2966]

very nice video

[@oreocarlton3343]

What are those brakepads, do they brake well for cantis?

[@DePuesshop]

They are Cool Stop pads, and they work very well for cantilever brakes but still will never be better than V-brakes.

[@oreocarlton3343]

@@DePuesshop People often put Salmon koolstop pads on cantis, are these blue ones weaker?

[@DePuesshop]

@oreocarlton3343 I'm not sure what the durometer difference is between the blue and salmon. I will say that they feel soft, and I'm happy with the solid braking feel.

[@wolfgangweber9924]

Better than a Walmart bike? you bet!

[@samblenkharn8099]

Tidy job that. Good for thousands of miles, and good long after the Walmart bike has fallen to bits.

[@Паша-б6д]

Video bravo

[@johna6968]

Heat and even more heat on the frame gets those bottom brackets moving. Good to see the bike on the floor to attempt it 👍

[@tdgdbs1]

And ruin the paint in the proccess?

[@CharlieMetcalf]

Well it is Halloween so there should be a creepy crawly!

[@leobesa2887]

Can someone explain to me why old bikes like these have exposed wires for derailleurs or brakes? Newer bikes have cable housing all the way down.

[@DePuesshop]

Great question! I really hadn't thought about that. Today's brakes are usually discs, and those need housings all the way, but shifters haven't changed. Does anyone else have thoughts about this?

[@tdgdbs1]

Cable houseing causes friction, if you peel of the plastic you will see the spiral steel cable which give it flexibility. But for precise braking and shifting, less cable housing is better. New bikes have internal routing which is a smooth steel tube so friction is not an issue, I doubt you will find any bike with cable housing from the shifter to the derailer; it would cause terrible shifting.

[@senorspiegel]

​@@tdgdbs1 almost every new MTB has shift housing from shifter to derailleur. It keeps the dirt and moisture out

[@cr-motube6852]

video maravilhoso, ja me inscrevi no canal!!!

[@demonstructie]

No, you can't make it better than a walmart bike, because it already starts out better than a walmart bike 🌝