Gear Problem. Complete newb, could do with a little help!

[Zvodic]

So I just today picked up my new Giant Defy 4 which is my first road bike after using a crappy old mountain bike for a little while. Anyway I am generally really pleased with it , it's a huge upgrade from my old bike (though really anything would be) and it is really fun to ride. My only real problem is that I seem to have a slight issue with the gears. Though it generally goes really well I noticed that on some gear combinations it's almost as if the chain is skipping or something. I can feel a sort of shudder in the pedals and hear a click, I have to switch the front gear to solve this (it's the triple crank version. It is a brand new bike and when I picked it up from the store they said something about the cables stretching or something and I would have to bring it back in 5 weeks or call if something goes wrong (also if someone could enlighten me on what they mean by stretching cables I would be grateful). So you may be wondering why I don't just call. Basically I don't want to look like an idiot if this is normal and will go away or something. Of course this is just off one ride and I am going to go for another tomorrow morning to test a little more but do you guys have any advice?

Also just thought why not throw this in there. Is it ok to take the bike on slightly rough tarmac? I like to go on a lot of country roads (I live in the middle of nowhere) and though the road is not terrible it's a little rough and the bike vibrates as I go across it. Is there a risk of popping the tires from this or something or should I just go for it?

Sorry I sound like an idiot I am just really new to this.

 

[Cycleops]

Hello and welcome. Sounds like your gears just need adjustment. This is quite normal so just take it back to the shop a little early, after all you paid a lot of money for it and it should be right.

Riding on rougher roads is ok if you are prepared to put up with some discomfort but shouldn't really give the bike any problems. I am guessing you are on 23c tyres so maybe later consider getting some 25c or even 28c (if the 28's fit) they will make a difference. I use 23's on the roads down here with no problems. Good luck!

 

[summerdays]

The cable won't have stretched yet ... Takes a few weeks of using normally.

What gear combination are you currently using? If you are having problems changing then at this stage I would stick to using the middle cog at the front and then use the middle of the range of gears at the rear (avoid the extremes so not 1and 8? at the rear).

Could be that the front gear shows at the handlebars that you are on two whilst it hasn't changed up or down?

I struggled with gears when I started.

 

[inkd]

Just a thought but I was told about "cross chaining" ?? As summerdays said, not to use the small ring up front and the small ring on back and vice versa, ie not crossing the chain.

 

[Zvodic]

Thanks for the replies. I find that the problem starts when I am on the middle gear on the front and a low gear on the back. It goes away, however, after I move down to the Highest gear on the front. Perhaps the chain is having trouble switching to the other gear? After it got particularly bad I got off and had a little look and found that the chain was not completely hooked on the back gear. I put it back on but the problem returned as soon as I started Riding. Do you think I should take it back to the shop then? Is there anything I can do on my own at all though as the shop I got it from is a solid hour and half drive from my home?

Thanks for the advice about taking it on rough tarmac. I don't really mind the discomfort as long as it won't damage the bike. I really notice the difference though when I hit the occasional smooth bit of road, I think I'll look into some other routes.

 

[Peteaud]

It does sound as if your gears need a little tweek.

Have a read of this http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailler-adjustments-derailleur

But basically the cable going into the rear mech has a screw adjuster, that probably needs 1/2 a turn.

 

[midliferider]

Try this first.
Start riding in the middle ring in the front and somewhere in the middle in the rear.
Then keeping the middle in front, go up and down in the rear. Generally you won't be able to go the extremes end of the rear. It will make a noise. work out which rings you can use with the middle.
Then start riding with the smallest ring in front and biggest in the rear. You will be very slow and spinning. Then go to smaller cogs in the rear still maintaining smallest on the front. Soon, after about 3-4 cogs, chain will start to rub. Now you know which one you can use,.
You can try the biggest ring in the front and find out which combinations work. But at the beginning, you are unlikely to use the biggest ring.
If you still have problems, come and let us know.

 

[summerdays]

Any chance of taking a photo and showing us?
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by not fully hooked on at the back. How did you get the bike back from the shop? In the back of the car? If you do lie the bike down on its side, lay it down with the gear mechanism uppermost.

 

[Zvodic]

Thanks for the link peteaud I think I'll try that and see if it solves my problem. Yeah sorry I did not explain very well summerdays. Basically what I mean is it was almost like the chain was coming off but had only gone partway. The chain was not on a few teeth of the gear where it clearly should be, instead going to the side. I moved the chain a little so it was fully on the teeth but the problem returned immediately. I did not think to check if the problem was that it had come off again, I will make sure to do that tomorrow. I will report back if there are any continued problems. Thanks for the help and the toleration of my complete lack of knowledge =)

Oh and also I got my friend to help me get it back from the shop as he has a van. We put it standing up in the centre of the van and used a number of ties to keep it held up like that.

 

[roadrash]

watch this


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ

 

[summerdays]

You can't position a chain by hand other than the obvious putting it back on when it comes off, where it sits is controlled by magic not fully understood by me, but a combination of the gear cable length (which you adjust when you change gears at the lever), and some screws which control the outer limits, to stop it going off either end of the gears.

 

[raleighnut]

Hi there
All cables will stretch on first use as will any wire (Guitar strings included ) but after a short period of time they will settle down and then be fine,
Any reputable bike shop offers this adjustment after 4-6 weeks but they should also tweak the spokes as well as these are also wires which do stretch in the same manner
This can make the difference between wheels lasting for years or being wrecked in 2
Also be aware that Aluminium frames are extremely stiff on rough roads and can rattle yer fillings out and do not have much of a "lifespan"
Carbon frame-3 or 4 years
Aluminium frame- 7 to 10 years
Steel frames -Indefinate life( barring corrosion)

 

[Zvodic]

So thanks for all the help guys I managed to sort it after a lot of annoyance.

Thanks for the guide peteaud it was a massive help and really taught me a lot! I think it was that the h screw was too tight and causing the chain to try to skip up to the next gear.

I think however I may have created another problem In solving this one... Now i am having issues with the front gears. I just went for a ride and found that when I go to the biggest gear I have issues bringing it back down to the second one. It makes a noise and I can see its kind of trying to get onto the second one but can't make the move. When I press the shifter again it makes the move but then the shifter shows it's on the smallest gear when it is not and I have to shift up (without the gear actually moving at all) to move the shifter back to the central position which allows me to go to the bottom gear. Same issues when I go from the smallest gear to the centre one.

I'm assuming that I need to tighten the gear cable for the front gears but I'm not sure how to do that as there is no turnable screw thing like on the back.

Also it's not significant but I figure while I'm here. In addition to the normal noise when the chain is crosses the chain also scrapes against the front derailer when in corresponding gears at both extremes (so smallest front/smallest back and largest front/largest back)

Sorry to keep bombarding you with questions but I just want to get this sorted

 

[Widge]

Hi....
Lots of good advice has come your way on this........but gears do often take a bit of use/fettling before they settle down from new.
As said - you will probably have to wait for the cables to stretch before you can really nail your adjustments......or keep tweaking them as you go as you feel the need. It's a learning curve, but you quickly get a feel for what is happening if you take it easy and study the online vids and tips. Ultimately, a bike shop can tune your gears optimally when all the cable stretch is out of the way and things are meshing nicely.

If you try to use the big=big and small=small combinations (and there is no real reason to do this) you can expect mucho rubbing on both rear AND front derailleurs - less so with a double ch/ring but almost certainly with a triple. As well as being inefficient and noisy you can cause damage / or premature wear doing this habitually....and the noise and grinding will also wear you!

The front does not usually come with a tension adjuster actually ON the mech that you can twiddle like the rear. There (should) be an 'inline' barrel adjuster that serves this purpose somewhere along the length of the cable that you can use to fine tune your front shift tension,,,,,,,,either near the shifter or at the point the cable reaches a cable stop on the down tube.

HTH

w

 

[Zvodic]

Yeah those are gear combinations I don't really use but when I noticed the noise I just wanted to make sure it was normal. Happy to discover it is =)

So you think I should just leave it? It's only a minor nuisance and I can still ride the bike so should I just leave it and tell the guys at the shop about it when I take it back in a few weeks?

Anyway I have learned a lot about the derailers and gears in general through this problem so I guess it's not really a bad thing and other than these minor issues the bike is wonderful. Thanks for all the help!