help for new " female " newby

[babybellebooboo]

hi all
my husband and i have just bought a couple of second hand bikes for recreation and keeping fit. i would just like some help and advice on some of the components on the bikes and what i need to do to keep ourselves safe
my husband has a carrera fury with the following specs
rockshox 318 with 2 lockout dials...i understand when to use suspension and when not to but don't understand the travel dial etc.
avid juicy 3 hydraulic discs.....do i need to top this up and how do i know when to

also the front wheel was removed for transportation but am having trouble refitting the wheel due to the disc brake not going in to its holder ??... what am i doing wrong.

please be patient with me. i don't have much money to be paying for a service etc on both bikes

thank you in anticipation
karen

 

[the snail]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
the travel aduster sets how much the fork goes up and down, and may not make a great deal of difference. Personally I'd leave the suspension locked out unless you're going off-road. If the disk won't go back into the calliper, then it may be that the brake has been operated without the disk in there, so that the pads have moved inwards, and now they are too close together, so the disk wont fit between them. You will need to push the pads back into the callipers.

<edit> the user manual is here I think

http://www.sram.com/en/service/avid/view.php?catID=1&subcatID=1

 

[2Loose]

Welcome and Hi.

+1 to leaving the suspension completely locked out for anything except off-road. Fat tyres will give more than enough suspension on the road. While off road, play with dials and see how the bike rides, best thing is to suck it and see as it'll personal and depend on the surface you are riding on.

As for the disk brakes, The Snail is probably right, it may be that the brake lever has been pulled while the wheel was off of the bike - in this case the pads will have closed together and need to be sperated before the disk can fit back in between them.

You need to find something thin and as wide as possible to insert between the pads and lever them back apart. I have used a chisel to do this before, but if you are careful you may be able to use a wide flat screw driver without taking too much of the braking material off of the pads.
Lever them apart as wide as you can, then the disk should be able to fit back in again.

 

[jethro10]

ditto re the other comments.

The brake fluid. It's not normal to top them up like a car would be done for instance.
If they work, leave them alone, if they get a soft spongy feeling in the lever, or need long lever travel to engage them in use, then it's time to bleed them - but don't worry about that for a while if they are braking OK.

Jeff

 

[Cubist]

hi all
my husband and i have just bought a couple of second hand bikes for recreation and keeping fit. i would just like some help and advice on some of the components on the bikes and what i need to do to keep ourselves safe
my husband has a carrera fury with the following specs
rockshox 318 with 2 lockout dials...i understand when to use suspension and when not to but don't understand the travel dial etc.
avid juicy 3 hydraulic discs.....do i need to top this up and how do i know when to

also the front wheel was removed for transportation but am having trouble refitting the wheel due to the disc brake not going in to its holder ??... what am i doing wrong.

please be patient with me. i don't have much money to be paying for a service etc on both bikes

thank you in anticipation
karen

Hi

The various dials on the 318 (I assume they are Rock Shox Tora?) make them very tuneable for a coil sprung fork.

The top right fork leg has a lockout dial. If this is "Off" then the fork will compress to absorb bumps and keep the front wheel in contact with the ground when it's bumpy. As others have said, if you are on road you don't need the bounce, and it absorbs and wastes pedalling energy, so you can lock it so it doesn't compress.

On the left fork leg top you have the "preload" dial. This is a way of adjusting the spring so that it reacts effectively according to the weight of the rider. To adjust this the fork must be unlocked. Wearing normal riding gear the rider should stand on the pedals in "attack" mode. The fork should compress about 20 to 25% of its travel. If it compresses too far, then turn the dial towards the + sign, not enough, you'll need to back it off. Use a cable tie on the fork stanchion to measure the sag.

The fork MAY have U-Turn travel adjust, which varies the total travel between 80mm and 120mm. Basically, the faster and smoother conditions off road, the shorter the travel required. Big lumpy bumpy tracks need more travel.

Finally, rebound adjustment. Underneath the left fork leg you'll find a reg knurled peg. This is the rebound rate adjuster. It changes the speed at which the fork de-compresses (bounces back up after being squeezed). This depends on rider weight and riding style. Try riding off a kerb, and getting someone to watch the way the fork behaves. If it compresses then recovers its full length in a smooth and reasonably quick manner without bouncing then it's set just right. Have it set too fast and it will bounce more than once, thereby not keeping you in full contact with the ground, too slow and it will spend time recovering and won't be ready for the next bump. This can only be set through trial and error. Start off with it half a turn back from fastest setting as a guide.