derailleur adjustments on new bike?

Is it typical to have some shifting issues as you break in a new bike?

I rode/walked Hall Ranch last night, which is a lot harder than my
typical trails. At some point, I realized that my bike didn't want to
shift into the biggest two rear cogs (they're called cogs, right?). I
also heard a rubbing sound coming from the rear wheel, but I'm hoping
that will go away when I rinse off all the mud.

I was way too beat last night to look at the bike, and I'm at work right
now, so I can't look at it till this evening. Unfortunately, I'm not
too impressed with the LBS at which I bought the bike, so I don't really
want to go to them if I can avoid it.

--
monique

On 2004-06-25, Monique Y. Mudama penned:
At some point, I realized that my bike didn't want to
shift into the biggest two rear cogs (they're called cogs, right?).

Oh, forgot to mention -- this problem started last night on the ride
some time. I've been able to shift into those spots in the past.


--
monique

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
Is it typical to have some shifting issues as you break in a new bike?

I rode/walked Hall Ranch last night, which is a lot harder than my
typical trails. At some point, I realized that my bike didn't want to
shift into the biggest two rear cogs (they're called cogs, right?). I
also heard a rubbing sound coming from the rear wheel, but I'm hoping
that will go away when I rinse off all the mud.

I was way too beat last night to look at the bike, and I'm at work right
now, so I can't look at it till this evening. Unfortunately, I'm not
too impressed with the LBS at which I bought the bike, so I don't really
want to go to them if I can avoid it.


It's very common to have to settle in a new bikes shifting. It's either not
setup correctly in the first place or the new cables stretch over time. It
is also likely to have a bike shifting perfectly in the workstand and have
problems when the drivetrain is under actual load of riding. Here's a how
to site from Park Tool
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQrindx.shtml

Mike

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
On 2004-06-25, Monique Y. Mudama penned:
At some point, I realized that my bike didn't want to
shift into the biggest two rear cogs (they're called cogs, right?).

Oh, forgot to mention -- this problem started last night on the ride
some time. I've been able to shift into those spots in the past.

In addition to what Mike replied, make sure you didn't break a spoke and/or
bend your rear derailleur or drop-out (unlikely, since chain would be more
prone to OVER-shift into spokes if that had occurred).

Shop should offer some free tune-up period after purchase, so take advantage
of it (even if you have to hold your nose while doing so!)...

Bill "speaking of holding nose, off on a road ride" S.

On 2004-06-25, Michael Dart penned:

It's very common to have to settle in a new bikes shifting. It's
either not setup correctly in the first place or the new cables
stretch over time. It is also likely to have a bike shifting
perfectly in the workstand and have problems when the drivetrain is
under actual load of riding. Here's a how to site from Park Tool
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQrindx.shtml

Thanks for the link! It will definitely take some time to digest ...

--
monique

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

Is it typical to have some shifting issues as you break in a new bike?

I rode/walked Hall Ranch last night, which is a lot harder than my
typical trails. At some point, I realized that my bike didn't want to
shift into the biggest two rear cogs (they're called cogs, right?). I
also heard a rubbing sound coming from the rear wheel, but I'm hoping
that will go away when I rinse off all the mud.

I was way too beat last night to look at the bike, and I'm at work right
now, so I can't look at it till this evening. Unfortunately, I'm not
too impressed with the LBS at which I bought the bike, so I don't really
want to go to them if I can avoid it.

Normal part of break in. Spin your wheel and see how true they are too.
They usually get a little wiggly after the first ride or two.
Here's some light reading for you:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
If you scroll down to the picture of the derailleur, you'll see a
knurled nut labeled "Adjusting Barrel". This is the *likely* point
you'll need to adjust. Read what Sheldon has to say below the pic. My
suspicion is you'll need to turn the barrel counter-clockwise a HALF
turn to get things working better.
What this will do is increase the tension on the cable. When you shift
to a bigger cog (yes you were right:-) your shifter tugs on the cable
which tugs on the der pulling it toward the bigger cogs (and shifting
the chain duh!). The barrel fine tunes things so each click positions
the chain precisely for each cog. BTW, don't rely on it *looking*
aligned, doesn't work that way. Also, you can get things out of sync
with the der and shifter such that you can't get into either the biggest
or smallest cog, so test out each adjustment with a few shifts. If you
did it backwards, undo what you did and start over.
Good Luck

Shawn

P.S. If Sheldon's site is too limited try:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQrindx.shtml

S o r n i wrote:
Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
On 2004-06-25, Monique Y. Mudama penned:
At some point, I realized that my bike didn't want to
shift into the biggest two rear cogs (they're called cogs, right?).

Oh, forgot to mention -- this problem started last night on the ride
some time. I've been able to shift into those spots in the past.

In addition to what Mike replied, make sure you didn't break a spoke
and/or bend your rear derailleur or drop-out (unlikely, since chain
would be more prone to OVER-shift into spokes if that had occurred).

Shop should offer some free tune-up period after purchase, so take
advantage of it (even if you have to hold your nose while doing
so!)...

Bill "speaking of holding nose, off on a road ride" S.

Gasp! No you didn't just say road ride!

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot (Just bought a roadie for the MS 150) o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

On 2004-06-25, S o r n i penned:

In addition to what Mike replied, make sure you didn't break a spoke
and/or bend your rear derailleur or drop-out (unlikely, since chain
would be more prone to OVER-shift into spokes if that had occurred).

I wonder how I'd know the derailleur was bent ... I mean, I haven't
spent a ton of time looking at it, really.

Why would broken spokes cause mis-shifting?

Shop should offer some free tune-up period after purchase, so take
advantage of it (even if you have to hold your nose while doing
so!)...

Yeah, I'll find out. This is the same shop that tried to sell me a
Palomino after giving me a demo version that wouldn't shift to save its
life; I'm worried they'd do more harm than good. They seem much more
interested in moving people out the door than in fixing things properly.

Bill "speaking of holding nose, off on a road ride" S.

Have "fun."

--
monique

On 2004-06-25, Shawn Curry penned:

Normal part of break in. Spin your wheel and see how true they are too.
They usually get a little wiggly after the first ride or two.
Here's some light reading for you:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
If you scroll down to the picture of the derailleur, you'll see a
knurled nut labeled "Adjusting Barrel". This is the *likely* point
you'll need to adjust. Read what Sheldon has to say below the pic. My
suspicion is you'll need to turn the barrel counter-clockwise a HALF
turn to get things working better.
What this will do is increase the tension on the cable. When you shift
to a bigger cog (yes you were right:-) your shifter tugs on the cable
which tugs on the der pulling it toward the bigger cogs (and shifting
the chain duh!). The barrel fine tunes things so each click positions
the chain precisely for each cog. BTW, don't rely on it *looking*
aligned, doesn't work that way. Also, you can get things out of sync
with the der and shifter such that you can't get into either the biggest
or smallest cog, so test out each adjustment with a few shifts. If you
did it backwards, undo what you did and start over.
Good Luck

Thanks for that very specific advice, Shawn. It makes the whole process
sound less intimidating.


Shawn

P.S. If Sheldon's site is too limited try:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQrindx.shtml



--
monique

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

On 2004-06-25, Shawn Curry penned:

Normal part of break in. Spin your wheel and see how true they are too.
They usually get a little wiggly after the first ride or two.
Here's some light reading for you:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
If you scroll down to the picture of the derailleur, you'll see a
knurled nut labeled "Adjusting Barrel". This is the *likely* point
you'll need to adjust. Read what Sheldon has to say below the pic. My
suspicion is you'll need to turn the barrel counter-clockwise a HALF
turn to get things working better.
What this will do is increase the tension on the cable. When you shift
to a bigger cog (yes you were right:-) your shifter tugs on the cable
which tugs on the der pulling it toward the bigger cogs (and shifting
the chain duh!). The barrel fine tunes things so each click positions
the chain precisely for each cog. BTW, don't rely on it *looking*
aligned, doesn't work that way. Also, you can get things out of sync
with the der and shifter such that you can't get into either the biggest
or smallest cog, so test out each adjustment with a few shifts. If you
did it backwards, undo what you did and start over.
Good Luck


Thanks for that very specific advice, Shawn. It makes the whole process
sound less intimidating.

Gotta remember, a lot of guys