new bike - need help with front derailleur

[murrawo]

hello form george in crawley,
got a new bike and need help with front derailleur.

i can use it in the lowest of 3 settings - it's a 15 gear bike, so only the 5 lowest gears can be used just now.

the derailleur will not shift to the 2 higher 'levels' at the front and any youtube videos are no good for this as they talk about
tuning only.

as far as i know, i need to use h and l and the tension adjustor, but i dunno how!!

any advice , people??
gmcn.

 

[cyberknight]

Check the cable tension, have a look at this ............

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments

 

[mickle]

Warranty?

 

[murrawo]

dunno about that - will have to look, why ask??

 

[cyberknight]

Warranty?

A new bike, if bought from a reputable retailer should be working and should be taken back/returned if it is not.

 

[murrawo]

ok - start at beginning!

i have adjusted the derailleur for height so that it is 2mm above big cog.

now how to use H,L and tension to ensure the gear shifting is working properly?

 

[murrawo]

A new bike, if bought from a reputable retailer should be working and should be taken back/returned if it is not.

sure , but if you presume i'm daft - a good place to start from when it comes to practical things - then i should be able to fix the thing!
gmcn.

 

[mickle]

Your bicycle is not fit for purpose. So you should take it back to where you bought it.

 

[Dan_h]

Okay, this is probably what you will find on you tube but instructions for adjusting your front mech are pretty much this...

1) Put the shifter over the lowest gear (probably marked 1 if indexed)
2) Release the cable from the mech, screw the adjuster right in at the shifter then back it out about 2 turns.
3) Check the height, as you have already said 2-3mm above the big ring when you pull the mech over to it is about right.
4) make sure that mech is lined up with the chainrings, it should not point in or out!
5) Put the rear mech onto the biggest cog.
6) adjust the L-stop screw so your mech is about 2mm from the chain on the side closest to the frame.
7) Attatch the cable back to the mech, should not be loose, but you don't need tension on it (if you see what I mean!).
8) Shift the rear mech to the smallest cog
9) shift the front mech onto the big ring
10) adjust the H-Stop until the mech is about 2mm from the chain on the side furthest from the frame
11) Ride the bike and use the barrel adjusters at the shifters or mech until you are happy with the indexing.
12) Enjoy!

Hope that helps.

 

[murrawo]

thanks dan - i have now succeeded in getting the first 2 sets of 5 gears to work , but the highest cog set is not happening.

i will pull the front derail apart and see what can be done tomo - i am not going to
say what type of bike or where from, but you could guess easily,
i suppose!!

i will write about this soon - it's a story of some kind of value!

george,

 

[mickle]

I recommend that you take it back to where you purchased it and ask for them to fix it.

 

[Dan_h]

If it is not getting onto the big ring after following the instructions above then try pulling the cable tighter on step 7, I have found that getting the tension here right is easy in theory, however it can take a few attempts to get it right for the bike you are working with.

Oh, and sorry, but I personally cannot guess the type of bike or where from, if it is a story of value though I look forward to reading it!

In terms of getting a bike and warranties I can imagine several reasons for not sending it back, I have bought 2 bikes mail order and they always need adjusting. Sending them back is not going to work as the mail order places won't set them up! You either need to do it yourself or take it to your LBS. Lets be honest, bikes are simple so you really don't need to take it to the LBS for every adjustment! Oh, and if you can learn to do most of it yourself you can save a load of money in the long run (as well as gaining a certain satisfaction of keeping your bike on the road yourself).

 

[mickle]

Or get a refund if they cant fix it.

 

[Dan_h]

If it is just a mech that needs adjusting why send it back? it is not broken and it will go out of adjustment again as the cable stretches, why not just fix it and get it on the road and learn a bit about how it goes together into the bargain?

 

[murrawo]

yes indeedy!! i will be lookin at it again - only prob is fraying cable on tension, but that can be gently cossetted.

more laters - will call the shop and see what they say about selling me the wrong mudguards too.

much obligeo

bye bye for now, cyclechat peeps!
george