after a mountain bike for me and the mrs

[GrumpyGregry]

5.2 is a fine starter 'real' mtb for not very much money.

5.1 is a good roads and tracks, sustrans routes and towpaths mtb for even less.

 

[brandon]

just wondering how you said about halfords and lakeside, i may be mistaken but do you live in or anywhere the eastleigh southampton area?

 

[jameshiggon]

i opted for and bought the 5.1 from their lakeside store. Got it home and noticed when im cycling i think the front brakes are slightly catching the rim, also the front tyre was pretty flat, the chain came off twice on a short run and the rear brake does pretty much nothing.

Are the front brakes easy to adjust? i am a complete noob and have never done anything like this before. They only seem to catch at a certain point on the rim very slightly but i can hear it.
with the rear brakes is this just because they are new or will they also need adjusting?

 

[jameshiggon]

just wondering how you said about halfords and lakeside, i may be mistaken but do you live in or anywhere the eastleigh southampton area?

hi, no i live in Leigh on Sea, Essex. I meant the lakeside shopping centre j31 M25

 

[brandon]

hi, no i live in Leigh on Sea, Essex. I meant the lakeside shopping centre j31 M25

ok was just curious, as if your did live where i thought the advice i would give you is get a bike with road tires (slicks) as it is very accessible by roads to almost everywhere but they can also go offroad aswell. it really depends on what you like the the area you live in, if there are lots of woods and slopey routes you want to take then go for a dual suspension bike with big knobblys to make it more comfortable and enjoyable, but if you are just planning on travelling on roads or paths then get a bike which can handle that better and ultimately making it more comfortable for you.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

OK google 'park tools' everything you need to know about every adjustment on your bike is on their website.

and don't confuse a decent bike, which you've bought, with a badly adjusted one (which you may have bought)

 

[MrJamie]

Most bike adjustment is very easy with the right information, theres plenty of guides online or on videos on youtube, the park tools ones mentioned above are really good. Its worth learning it anyway so that you can make your own adjustments in future. If your chain fell off you probably just need the appropriate limiting screw adjusting too. Is the indexing working well and where about on the bike did the chain fall off?

Have a look at..
brakes: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/linear-pull-brake-service-v-brake-type
front derailleur limits: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments
rear derailleur limits: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailler-adjustments-derailleur
and then people should be able to help you figure out what you need to do to adjust it.

Do Decathlon not set up the bikes when you buy them from the stores?

 

[jameshiggon]

I'm sorry what is indexing? It fell off next to the pedals. Maybe I just didnt properly select the gear

 

[Pauluk]

don't confuse a decent bike, which you've bought, with a badly adjusted one (which you may have bought)

Really good point.

The chain shouldn't fall off by selecting a gear, so no its not the way you are operating the gears. I would suggest until you get a bit more competency from the park website and youtube, take the bike back to the shop and get them to set it up properly. Tell them about the brakes and the chain, be clear and assertive.

Youtube have loads of good videos showing how to set things up (some not so good ones sometimes so just ignore the ones you don't understand).

The problems you have described are easily fixed.

 

[jameshiggon]

Most bike adjustment is very easy with the right information, theres plenty of guides online or on videos on youtube, the park tools ones mentioned above are really good. Its worth learning it anyway so that you can make your own adjustments in future. If your chain fell off you probably just need the appropriate limiting screw adjusting too. Is the indexing working well and where about on the bike did the chain fall off?

Have a look at..
brakes: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/linear-pull-brake-service-v-brake-type
front derailleur limits: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments
rear derailleur limits: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailler-adjustments-derailleur
and then people should be able to help you figure out what you need to do to adjust it.

Do Decathlon not set up the bikes when you buy them from the stores?

thanks, ill check them out. They did set them up, but to be honest they were only a couple of young kids, so probably no better trained than Halfords staff, and they seemed more interested in talking about their social lives between them than helping us.

 

[MrJamie]

thanks, ill check them out. They did set them up, but to be honest they were only a couple of young kids, so probably no better trained than Halfords staff, and they seemed more interested in talking about their social lives between them than helping us.

Indexing is how the gears are calibrated, so when you change gear on the shifter it should change to the gear you select quickly and reliably and be relatively quiet in all but the extreme gears (where the chain is crossing, like big front big back). Does the chain fall off the smallest or biggest sprocket at the front? ie. does the chain end up between the frame and the sprockets or between the sprockets and the pedal.

If the shop isnt a huge distance away, I would take the bike back and explain your problems - theyll probably all take 5 minutes to fix - but you should expect a professional set up on a new bike. The difference between a poorly set up bike and a well set up one is massive and will really affect your enjoyment... gears should do what you tell them to, the chain should never fall off, brakes should be effective and retract off the rims properly when you let go.

 

[subaqua]

thats really surprising from lakeside decathlon. a bike thats not correctly adjusted. take it back and get them to adjust it. they will not quibble about it at all. the sign in the exit tells you what you can expect from them in terms of customer service.

the bike section manager is one of the good guys.

 

[Pauluk]

take it back and get them to adjust it

I agree with subaqua, although I have no experience of lakeside.

I took my bike back to Halfords 3 times because, although I could have done it myself, I was determined to make them get it right. If more people took their bikes back, via the store manager and told them they were unhappy about the service they were receiving then maybe things might improve.

 

[subaqua]

I agree with subaqua, although I have no experience of lakeside.

I took my bike back to Halfords 3 times because, although I could have done it myself, I was determined to make them get it right. If more people took their bikes back, via the store manager and told them they were unhappy about the service they were receiving then maybe things might improve.

Decathlon lakeside are generally top notch. i had a hub bearing on the rear fail in the 1st 2 months. called them they said take whel off fetch it in and we will have a look. they didn't have a wheel of the same spec so changed it for a mavic free of charge- swapped all bits over and its been great . when i took it for its 2 month free check they changed a bent derailleur hanger for free even though i had come off the bike and told them that. stunning service.

 

[Pauluk]

stunning service

When you get service like that it makes you feel a whole lot different towards doing business. Its how they win customer loyalty. I just wish other retailers would learn the lesson.