Girlfriend just got her bike using C2W but...

Deadeye Duck
Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
edited July 2009 in Commuting chat
I'm pretty sure the BB isn't meant to look like this:

3717127071_7f7e45a2a0.jpg
Am I just being paranoid, or am I right in thinking there should be someing to cover that big gap in the BB. There's a gap on the crank side too, but it's not as big.

They also put mudguards on it (in which the rear one is bent at one bit so it rubs against the tyre), and a rear rack which looks like this:

3717945634_8aab931e56.jpg
Is that ok? it looks a bit too leaned over to me & it wont adjust to go any further back.
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Comments

  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    The BB is perfectly fine - just a long Axel. It's a square taper - you get a gap. See how much the end of the cranks clear the chain stay's by - I suspect not that much.

    The rack needs sorting - think you need one that's more adjustable.
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    GF will be glad to hear the BB isn't horribly wrong. She's getting clicks & clacks when she pedals (which can be felt through the pedals), when putting effort in and I thought it must be because the BB was missing something. Oh well, the noise is the shop's problem.

    re rack, I thought as much. Will let her know so she can ask. The guy in the shop told her it's because the bike shouldn't have panniers. I can only assume if a bike provides the fitments for panniers, that it should be able to carry them without them looking stupid.
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
    My Life, My Bike & My Xbox
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    If getting clicks and clacks - the crank's might not be tight enough, or BB loose - it looks OK, but drop an 8mm allen key on each crank and tighten up.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    PS should have mentioned the noise.... TBH - if you don't have the kit, drop it back to the shop.
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    I didn't know about it untill she got it home and told me. I'll give 'em a tighten, but I think she's taking it back to the shop at the weekend to get the mudguards & rack sorted anyway, so if the clicking is still there, they can sort it.

    Cheers for the help.
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  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    The rack looks designed for a bike with smaller wheels, maybe it's a MTB rack?
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • gb155
    gb155 Posts: 2,048
    sarajoy wrote:
    The rack looks designed for a bike with smaller wheels, maybe it's a MTB rack?


    Sure looks that way
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  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    You've got a point. I think you're right about the rack. Thanks :)
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
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  • Agent57
    Agent57 Posts: 2,300
    I think the rack looks like it's meant for a bike with larger wheels, and that's why the rear stays are so long, forcing the back of the rack to high in the air. MTB racks tend to be shorter, as the wheels are generally smaller (26"). At least, that's what I've been led to believe - but it likely doesn't hold for 29ers (in other words, I think a MTB-specific rack is what she needs, rather than what she has). It also needs some sort of spacer or extension fitted so it can sit more level. Either way, it's not a good fit for the cycle in question, and she should go back and get something more appropriate fitted.

    I'm amazed that the shop would fit that and send it out of the door thinking it's OK.
    MTB commuter / 531c commuter / CR1 Team 2009 / RockHopper Pro Disc / 10 mile PB: 25:52 (Jun 2014)
  • JonS123
    JonS123 Posts: 171
    I'm sure you can get a bracket to fit racks to a seat-tube
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    Thanks for the info agent.

    JonS, why would you get one fitted to the deat tube if you have the brackets for proper mounting methods?
    Schwinn Fastback Comp : FCN 5
    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
    My Life, My Bike & My Xbox
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    I'd agree, that rack looks far too big for that bike.

    But then, it just looks like the wrong design of rack for the bike, look at where the mounts are in comparison to the wheels. It needs to mount at a fairly severe angle to the top mounts, so you'll need a rack which takes this into account (or just mounts to the seatpost - which I'd've thought would be better).

    And that crank/bottom bracket interface looks off to me, too.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    I think the problem with the rack is that the rear triangle is so small / the seat tube is so short - usually the upper mounting is going to be at a level nearer the top of the tyre. I don't know of any racks that would be substantially different. My Tubus rack does have about 20cm adjustment at the top, but I reckon it still wouldn't be enough.
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    but a rack like this:

    tortec%20tour%20ultralight%20rack.jpg

    has the stem mounts that can angle wherever you like. I have one on my bike and it's fine

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/TorTe ... 360018945/ for the rack
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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    I have one of those too, good racks, but I am not convinced it has enough length on those mounts to reach down so low whilst allowing the rack to be level. The bike geometry is quite extreme (in the "small" department).
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    alfablue wrote:
    I think the problem with the rack is that the rear triangle is so small / the seat tube is so short - usually the upper mounting is going to be at a level nearer the top of the tyre.
    That's precisely what I was thinking.
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    I've told the other half to go in and get them to see if they have a better rack. If all else fails, I'm going to make something to lengthen to mounts. (i.e. just make the mounts, so that I have double the length of play. My only worry is stability, but I'm guessing most of the tension is taken up by the mounts onto the dropouts?
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
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  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    The bike has rack mounts, it's just a roadie rack, not an MTB one. Looks like the rack I've just put on my cruiser. They just need to fit an MTB-specific one, or give her a refund for the rack if they can't source one.

    It'll be far quicker to buy one online than wait for them to get it in stock...

    And it'd be better to have the right rack - although most of the weight/stability goes through the dropouts, the stability is affected by the horizontal mounts. And they're really good candidates for rattling...
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  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    its got 700c wheels. will a mtb rach fit on it? :?
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    I think a pannier rack with adjustable legs may be the answer, such as this one
    41ql9z2mG0L._SS500_.jpg

    or this one

    z(413).jpg

    amongst others. They claim to fit from 24" to 700c, and kids bikes, so may cope with the geometry on your g/f's bike.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Deadeye Duck wrote:
    its got 700c wheels. will a mtb rach fit on it? :?
    Any way I look at it I can see problems. If the rack legs were shorter it would get it maybe 5cm lower, but then it hits the wheel, so thats a limitation, and to have the rack level would still require the upper attachment arms to be very long, maybe 40cm or more. (So I am thinking my suggestion of an adjustable rack may not even do it).
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    That's why I'm thinking of just making extensions for the arms. I've done it before for something on my race bike. you just get some slim pipe, & hammer flat the ends, file & drill where needed, then spray silver. Jobs a good'n. The other half would just rather I didn't have to do a botch job though.
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
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  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    Saying that. The top one you posted, looks like it comes with extensions for the arms (those two black strips with a hole in each end). That might make it long enough.
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
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  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    It looks like your LBS is full of idiots, tbh.
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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    biondino wrote:
    It looks like your LBS is full of idiots, tbh.
    agreed! Plus, I would have hoped an LBS would have established what use the bike was to be put to before selling it, and it seems to me this bike is severely compromised on the pannier front!
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    It does doesn't it. They didn't even ask her about the seat height. She got home and looked like she was on a monkey bike. her knees were almost hitting her chin! (maybe a slight exageration).

    I ended up moving it up about half a foot in the end.
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
    My Life, My Bike & My Xbox
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Deadeye Duck wrote:
    It does doesn't it. They didn't even ask her about the seat height. She got home and looked like she was on a monkey bike. her knees were almost hitting her chin! (maybe a slight exageration).

    I ended up moving it up about half a foot in the end.
    I was going to mention the seat height but I didn't want to presume that she had "normal" length legs!
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    I'm worried the frame size might be wrong. She's a short'n bless her, so when standing over the toptupe this was the frame she needed, because the rest had the tube at rather uncomfortable heights, but she mentioned to me last night, that she felt she couldn't control the front wheel very well & to me that screams out that the bars are too close to her. She says she wouldn't like to be any further bent over or sat up, so it all seems right, but I'm just not sure.

    Needless to say, I'm going in with her at the weekend and I'm going to practically interrogate them.
    Schwinn Fastback Comp : FCN 5
    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
    My Life, My Bike & My Xbox
  • Deadeye Duck
    Deadeye Duck Posts: 419
    alfablue wrote:
    Deadeye Duck wrote:
    It does doesn't it. They didn't even ask her about the seat height. She got home and looked like she was on a monkey bike. her knees were almost hitting her chin! (maybe a slight exageration).

    I ended up moving it up about half a foot in the end.
    I was going to mention the seat height but I didn't want to presume that she had "normal" length legs!

    The seat height in the picture is up about 4 inches from where it was when she got home :lol:

    It litterally was just dropped in, tightened, and not touched again untill I saw her.
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    The Flying Scot : FCN 515q6cuv.png
    My Life, My Bike & My Xbox
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    For a bike being used on the road, probably only a couple of centimetres of standover height is necessary. It looks like it might be a womens specific bike (judging by the decorations), and these may well have short top tubes. A friend of mine bought a bike for her son, who is very short-legged, and he got a Ridgeback hybrid with a very low sloping top tube, but the reach is quite long. I would expect there would be better fitting frames for your g/f, but maybe not in that shop's stock. Best to get it sorted asap (as I am sure you intend to) rather than her paying for a year or more for a bike that doesn't suit either her size or intended use. :cry:

    Novice riders can be like lambs to the slaughter in some bike shops, unfortunately!

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