After not significantly doing any riding since college (I graduated 22 years ago), last summer I decided to get back into the activity. I was amazed at the cost of bikes and the accompanying equipment. To put it in perspective for a woodworker, I could have purchased a Sawstop for what the new bike and gear cost me -- and I didn't even buy top of the line stuff!
That said, I'm glad I took the plunge (again). I'm now riding 100 miles a week and hope to push that up to 150 as the weather improves and the days get longer. My primary form of exercise is still running but my body just can't take the daily pounding. Riding is much easier on my joints and hopefully I'll be able to avoid the injuries I've been experiencing the last few years.
Good luck with your project and I think the idea of combining local deliveries with exercise is stupendous.
Peter, that is rather funny you talk about prices, I was stunned at how cheap the bike parts are here, mostly I'm looking at Shimano, as the bike is mostly outfitted with old Shimano Deore XT, but as long as I stay away from the disc brake stuff (which is not THAT expensive, honestly) I'll be good to go. I figure I'll have to pay near $300 to get my bike back in good solid riding condition, I don't know what the trailer will cost me, the thing I have to find is a decent set of smaller wheels for a reasonable price, might have to buy some kiddie bikes on auction on the cheap
I spent a LOT of time on this bike, it was my daily commute bike to the university, 16km each way, every day, as well as a LOT of off road riding on the University Endowment Lands, which is now a park that surrounds the university. I'm on my third set of rims, second set of hubs, the only part on the bike that is still in use from when I bought it are the cranks.
So far, I've bought;
Pedals
Chain
Handlebar
Grips
Tires
Tubes
Bras
Seat Post QR Clamp
Front & Rear QR Skewers
I've ordered;
Bottom Bracket
Fork
Head Bearings & Races
Front Axle, Cups and Bearings
After that I'll have to see about the brakes.
The brakes do need replacing, I took them apart, and they are fairly bad, so I'll get some new cantilever brakes up front, but the rear brakes are of the older "U" type, which I might have to hunt for
The fork was an upgrade unit, the bike came with a really cheap fork, I broke it the first week I had the bike
and replaced it with a stock Cannondale fork, which at the time was a Tange 8L, good Chromoly fork. This fork is now badly rusted just above the bottom race on the stem, and the pits in the steel are deep, so I'll not risk it, a new chromed fork is about $45
I took the cassette apart and cleaned it really well, it is just fine.
I still need to buy the cables and some cable stays, that I think I can still get from Cannondale, and I got a new set of stickers coming for the bike too, exact copies of what was on it, COOL!
I'm fairly sure I'm going to paint it red again, I need to find the special aluminum primer, I hope that is not too hard.
I'll put a few coats of red on it, then let it cure, place the stickers on, and then do several coats of clear to protect everything.
Here is the frame all cleaned up.....
and a comparison between the cleaned up wheel with new boots on (top) to the old grungy wheel and dead tire on the bottom.
It is coming along nicely