Reel Repair by Alan Tani

well, not a suprise but in my late years I focused on work, family and fishing so, I'm way outta shape, I went to a regular health checkout and Doctor said I need to get out of the house more and get more active.. pronto!!, sadly going fishing dont count 

I'm not much into running, walking can get really boring here so, I decided to buy second hand bike to try to do some cardio and feel the wind on my hair like in my youth days (I loved be on a bike with my bunch of friends) well, I  found a nice one on a garage sale for $40.

I was outta the biking world for at least 35 years, now I really surprised on how the bikes have changed, dude !! is worst than the fishing scene, LOL, maybe equall or more expensive 

for my luck the bike I found is from a good brand and it can be upgraded as required or use it as is until is time to get a newer bike, I already used it two times and liked it a lot, I cleaned and greased more of the bearings and rotating parts and now it feels pretty good.

I have some friends that are hardcore roady bikers and told me that my bike is a vintage hibryd bike and that make it the perfect model to excersice because of the straight sitting position of the bike and also because it can be used rode it on a city streets and mild gravel roads.

it came with rear rack from the factory, so, I might install a milk crate there and some PVC pipes and make a DIY fishing set up, my local pier is not that far from my home, well kinda, buts is doable.

PS: Already put some "special" decals on it and the rear rack is being painted



it still need some new pedals, better grips, fix the fork shock suspension and get some bike tools, brake pads, night light, a carry on bag, air pump, etc, etc. 

  It's a good start , just a couple miles a day will make you fell better . Sitting to do rod wrap or in front of computer all day really bad for your feet

We all need exercise Alex.  Good for you to get moving again.  Dominick

   Glad to see that it is not a E bike !  The folks around here think that it counts , when they do laps around the neighborhood .

"specialized" is a good company, to the best of my knowledge. Good find.

Alex my friend I'm gonna issue you a challenge, partially to motivate myself because I have very similar aspirations.

The "race" is who is first to:
1. Successfully attach a rod holder to their bike.
2. Ride that bike to a fishing spot
3. Actually catch a fish there

No prize other than pride.

Quote from: oldmanjoe on March 26, 2026, 08:26:46 PM  Glad to see that it is not a E bike !  The folks around here think that it counts , when they do laps around the neighborhood .

haha, I wish it was an E-Bike or at least a newer model with disc brakes and electronics for the shifter, etc, or at least with full suspension frame, the streets of my town are full of holes everywhere, seems that I will need a Mountaing bike instead of a urban bike, some guys already gave me the "looks"  because is an old model with break pads to the rim, but what they dont know is vintage/retro bikes are the new trend 

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on March 26, 2026, 08:39:32 PM"specialized" is a good company, to the best of my knowledge. Good find.

Alex my friend I'm gonna issue you a challenge, partially to motivate myself because I have very similar aspirations.

The "race" is who is first to:
1. Successfully attach a rod holder to their bike.
2. Ride that bike to a fishing spot
3. Actually catch a fish there

No prize other than pride.

challence accepted


the hard part will be catch a fish, my local beaches are sandy beaches for miles, the good fishing spots from shore are 1hr south, but sometimes guys have luck catching triggers and corvina from the pier

Don't give up , your butt will hurt first few days . I'm still using a  40 years old bike and just like fishing reel ,new dish brake and electronic shift are harder to maintain . If the road is not too much uphill or downhill consider using single speed bike

Sounds like fun Alex. I'd suggest getting some toe clips of some kind, that way you can be pulling up on one pedal as you're pushing down on the other. Works a few other muscles is more efficient. A comfortable seat is a big plus too

Not recommend toe clips unless you used to get in and out toe clips . It can be dangerous

Quote from: quang tran on March 27, 2026, 12:23:09 AM. I'm still using a  40 years old bike and just like fishing reel ,new dish brake and electronic shift are harder to maintain .

yep, I understand what you're saying, Im good with that bike, at least for some time, with my experience on fishing reels and working on good quality old reels, I pretty sure that could be applied to old bikes too, a good clean up and lube plus few replacement parts and this old bike will make it be 2x-3x better than $200 bikes from wally world, just like a good jigmaster or 113h reel Vs new tech graphite reels from aliexpress/temu

Quote from: Swami805 on March 27, 2026, 12:45:36 AMSounds like fun Alex. I'd suggest getting some toe clips of some kind, that way you can be pulling up on one pedal as you're pushing down on the other. Works a few other muscles is more efficient. A comfortable seat is a big plus too

thanks Sheridan, I will have them in mind, first I would like to made few miles with normal pedals get used to the new excercise.

Good idea Alex, but you will want to replace the brake pads with Carbontex and upgrade the handle.

Quote from: steelfish on March 27, 2026, 01:08:49 AMa good clean up and lube plus few replacement parts and this old bike will make it be 2x-3x better than $200 bikes from wally world

This is true. Specialized is a good brand, and that is a very nice bike for $40. It looks like it has aluminum alloy wheels, with click release. Alloy wheels are better than chromed steel because they are lighter and the brake pads grip them better when wet.

The front shock absorbers will help, but when you go over potholes you can stand up on the pedals and use your legs as shock absorbers.

Enjoy the bike! Anxious to see who wins the challenge, you or Jason 

Quote from: work2fish on March 27, 2026, 02:25:30 AM

Quote from: steelfish on March 27, 2026, 01:08:49 AMa good clean up and lube plus few replacement parts and this old bike will make it be 2x-3x better than $200 bikes from wally world

This is true. Specialized is a good brand, and that is a very nice bike for $40. It looks like it has aluminum alloy wheels, with click release. Alloy wheels are better than chromed steel because they are lighter and the brake pads grip them better when wet.

The front shock absorbers will help, but when you go over potholes you can stand up on the pedals and use your legs as shock absorbers.

Enjoy the bike! Anxious to see who wins the challenge, you or Jason 

thanks for your information, every time I read something about this bike it made me feel like when I found a Baja Special reel along with others old reels tossed on a milk crate and I got it for $30 dlls.


you're right both wheels are alloy and the tires have plenty of life, it seems the OG owner didnt use it that much because he was the OG owner since the bike was bought from Specialized Store in Canada.