Second-hand bikes, up-hill technique and noobishness

Flenser

Since I got given my brother-in-law's old mountain bike a couple of months ago I've really been struggling on hills. Get off and walk struggling.

I'd put it down to my level of fitness and the fact I'd not ridden for twenty years but my brother on his brand new Stumpjumper storms up hills like there's no tomorrow (he's annoyingly fit) and my brother-in-law also storms up hill on his new Claude Bulter (now he's a portly chap and a couple of stone heavier than me and I'm no lightweight).

After two months riding and getting my bi-nightly rides up to almost twenty miles I'm still tackling hills like an asthmatic octogenarian. :?

Tonight it all became clear. My bike doesn't shift down onto the lowest ring. :roll:

So there's me going up hills and shifting from second ring, lowest cog to second ring, fifth cog and wondering why I'm struggling. All the time thinking I'd dropped down a ring. :oops:

Any advice on fixing the shift? Is it reasonable simple or will I need a degree in gearology?

supersonic

New cables and gear adjustment. Park tools website has a good guide on how to do it.

Ditch Witch

Try weighing your wheels and theirs and compare. I'm not kidding.

My o/h and I swapped wheels (my heavy ass things for his light as a feather jobs) and I can now climb hills that I had to walk up before. Don't get me wrong, there are still some I have to walk, but heavier wheels take more energy to push up a hill. It's called "rolling weight" and it makes a HUGE difference

The Rookie

As SS says, the parktools webiste has a good page on derailluer adjustment, reading what you say I think your saying it doesn't drop into the smallest cog at the front, thats either the shifter (unlikley) or cable not allowing it, or the 'low' stop needing adjustment to allow the cage to move over a little more.

Simon

Flenser

Thanks for the replies.

I'm mainly glad that I'm not the mong I thought I was.

I suspect the cable has stretched over time and I'll have a look at Park Tools to see what I can do to rectify this.