replacement front wheel and crankset/chainrings for a crashed (by someone else) Sofrider?

[Frank Costantini]

I just bought a crashed Sofrider on Craigslist, to try to fix up, on the cheap, for a friend who wants to try out a recumbent. It has a bent derailleur hanger, but I found which one to buy by searching the forum - thanks, SuperSlim. It’s not obviuos if the rear derailleur is damaged, guess I’ll have to get the hanger and see how it works.

Front rim is bent, too badly to be retrued, I think. I think these were the original wheels- any suggestions for a (cheap) wheel replacement?

The double chainrings and one crank are damaged, so they have to be replaced- any recommendations what to buy? The broken ones on the bike were Sram Truvative Isoflo Road cranks with 53t and 39t rings (if I counted right).

If anyone has suitable used components sitting around, I’d be interested in buying.

Thanks, Frank

 

[benphyr]

Hi Frank,

I believe I might have seen this type of scenario before and the professional advice is "don't trust a front triangle with potential damage" - a definite possibility with the identified damage to wheel, derailleur, chain rings, and crank! There could easily be fork / boom damage that is unseen. (I of course would still do it for myself but would be a little hesitant for a friend.) One other possibility is to get a replacement front end from someone who is getting rid of an old Sofrider or Conversion kit.. I believe the conversion kit is either exactly or for all intents and purposes an equivalent part.

A really good source of used or inexpensive parts are bicycle cooperatives. They often also have specialized tools that you can use on site.