My new bike... love it but worried... advice please. UPDATE.

nerak

I bought my new bike last weekend, went out on it and love it. I did 30+ miles around and about and in the forest. All in the dry.

I noticed the chain just stops dead sometimes whilst pedalling without even being in a gear change. I have to do a bit of jiggery pokery to get it back on ok. I nearly ended up in a ditch going 20+ cos of it.

Also the chain often seems to fall off at the front, mostly when on the largest gear. However it is not always when changing gear either.

The last annoying thing is that the brakes (disc manual) got stuck on at one stage whilst doing my cursory check before getting back on the bike after being stopped up, and since then the brake levers on the handlebars do not fully return t position and I'm not sure if something isn't catching somewhere too. (I had a problem in the past where I parked it up and someone undid my Vbrakes and it wasn't until it was too late that I noticed so out of paranoia now I think it has become more standard to check each time I get on!)

I get the funny feeling this is not all just 'usual' bedding in stuff whilst I await my 6 week service. Thought I'd ask. I appreciate things stretch a bit etc but in this case I'm not sure.

I went in today and mentioned I was concerned and didn't want to wait for the service to get it sorted. They were ok about it and said to bring it in but I'm starting to worry whether it wasn't built up right? I went off for approx 30 mins whilst they built it up, is that too short to have done a good job to get it road ready as such?

Thanks for any advice.

supersonic

Does sound like the bedding in process., and normal to me. Though the mech could have been set better it seems.

Also check the FAQ on how to operate gears correctly.

yesiamtom

Hey, i live in portsmouth so you may have bought the bike from the shop i work in. (Only the most hated bike shop around, its a job!)

When you get your six week service you can tell the guys doing it if there is anything specific you are worried about and it will get done. It does sound odd that the front mech is falling off the top ring. If you do find you are doing a lot of riding then there is no reason you cant ask for the check to be done a little earlier. 6 weeks is used as a general rule of thumb for everyone, sometimes the bikes come back unridden! :x

Do you mind me asking what shop you bought it from? (out of personal interest)

nerak

yesiamtom, it was Fareham nr the place to convert cash...

Guys seem ok in there, but being a pretty novice person you never do know.

Thanks supersonic for referring me over to the FAQs. I did get curious and take a peek and I do everything mentioned. 8)

How long would you normally take on avg to build a bike up from box (front sus with man hydros) yesiamtom??

supersonic

15 mins for a good mechanic if the bike is sound. An hour if many adjustments are needed.

yesiamtom

nerak wrote:

yesiamtom, it was Fareham nr the place to convert cash...

Guys seem ok in there, but being a pretty novice person you never do know.

Thanks supersonic for referring me over to the FAQs. I did get curious and take a peek and I do everything mentioned. 8)

How long would you normally take on avg to build a bike up from box (front sus with man hydros) yesiamtom??

It entirely depends on the quality of the bike. Im assuming you are talking about a vulcan or something similar. Generally these bikes can be built up pretty fast, in fact some of them come setup out of the box. Personally i take around half an hour to set one up, i know a few guys who can them quicker than that and still get them set up soundly.

what supersonic says is totally true. As you can see by his post count he knows a fair bit about bikes

nerak

Thanks guys, I bow down to your vast knowledge & experience.

RealMan

nerak wrote:

yesiamtom, it was Fareham nr the place to convert cash...

I'd take it in hargroves down the road if they cant get it fixed. Guys in cycle paths are mostly just bmx monkeys. I take it its a giant?

I might have time to look at if you're really desperate, I'm just down the road from there.

nerak

Thanks realman, I'll bear you in mind if I don't get sorted, much appreciated.

Wish I'd managed to find some local knowledge about where to buy when buying!

(Not knocking the guys where I bought from though)

supersonic

RealMan wrote:

nerak wrote:

yesiamtom, it was Fareham nr the place to convert cash...

I'd take it in hargroves down the road if they cant get it fixed. Guys in cycle paths are mostly just bmx monkeys. I take it its a giant?

I might have time to look at if you're really desperate, I'm just down the road from there.

I'd rather take it to Halfords ;-)

nerak

Update:

I've just gone out to dust the bike ready for my new exciting helicopter tape and where the chain has been having problems (around the crank) has got massive gauges out of the frame down to the metal. This is obviously from the times the problems happened at high speed.

What shall I do now?

1) Go in and demand a replacement
2) Go in and demand a refund
3) Other ideas on a postcard please...

I am p*ssed to say the least now, and feeling sick. Literally...

Noclue

Seriously i wouldn't let it bother you, it would have happened sooner or later, unless you don't ride it, scratches on bikes are part and parcel of mountain biking.

supersonic

I commented on this in your other post ;-)

Have a word with the shop. I am not sure whether they will replace it as they will most certainly say you should have stopped riding it if there was a problem.

nerak

I couldn't stop riding it! I was plonked right in the middle of the new forest so not much option but to ride it. Nearly missed the last train home cos of it too, which would have been a really long ride home. lol

I haven't ridden it since, not had time but also wanted to go in and see what they said and not had time in working hours.

supersonic

Ah, just preparing you for what they'll say. I'd certainly argue that you'd expect the front mech to be correctly adjusted, and if it is, then there could be a chainsuck problem.

yesiamtom

If the chain has fallen off due to an improperly adjusted front mech i would, personally, expect a replacement front mech, set up of course.

Unfortuntely though scratches can and will happen on any bike. If you look at any bike thats been ridden you can see the chain slaps against teh frame and makes little scratches quite often.

nerak

I understand slaps but to my knowledge it is not a place that should get slaps if u get my drift (or that has ever had any scrapes in my long line of other bikes). If ur looking at the front mech its sort of on the chain stay behind it very near the crank.

I will try and take a pic but need to work out how to host first! lol

GHill

yesiamtom wrote:

If the chain has fallen off due to an improperly adjusted front mech i would, personally, expect a replacement front mech, set up of course.

Why replace the mech? Just go in and ask them to adjust it.

yesiamtom

GHill wrote:

yesiamtom wrote:

If the chain has fallen off due to an improperly adjusted front mech i would, personally, expect a replacement front mech, set up of course.

Why replace the mech? Just go in and ask them to adjust it.

Ah fair point, replied a bit to quick there!

armchair.pimp

I bought a bike from the previous incarnation of a bike shop there who were only too glad to help with any issues I had.. I'd go along and see what they say.. I similarly had a problem with the stops being poorly set (where they'd tightened in the bottom bracket bolts after adjusting the mech).. and they sorted it and gave me a generous discount to apply against some future purchases..

at the end of the day.. your bike will get scratched.. sure it's annoying when it's not a war wound but I'd just let them sort it but explain your displeasure at being inconvenienced and see what happens.. if they want to retain your custom they'll be prepared to work for it.. there's plenty of competition out there..

edmiddleton1988

it sounds like it wasn't properly set up to start with. half an hour is a reasonable time to do the job so sounds like it was just someone who doesn't really know what they're doing. i'd take it back and tell them that you think it's not correctly set up and you'd like your check up doing now as the bike isn't working properly.

with regards to the scratches, i think the guy who said that you should have stopped didn't mean that you should have stopped the ride, but just stopped pedalling for a sec as pedalling whilst the chain has come off the smallest ring will drag it around the bottom bracket shell and gouge it. which is why they probably won't/aren't obliged to do anything about it.

but they should definitely set it up again!

nerak

Hi all.

Took it down today.

They put it up on the stand in the middle of the shop and ran it through it paces. It didn't get stuck or fall off at all. The chap was bemused I think.

He's done some adjustments to both the gears and the brakes and he says to take it out on a ride again.

As he rightly says it prob won't do it until its out s I just need to test it.

He mentioned the sticking of the chain is could be chain suck, and that if it continues we (them and me) will need to contact Giant as it will have been down to the manufacture process with overgreasing of something at the back (can't remember what he said).

I can't do much about the scrapes as its hard to prove what caused it, but it is defo not missuse by me which is the thing that p*sses me off!

I was going to put something to fill in the slashes and then cover it in heli tape. What does anyone think of that idea?

Does anyone know if you can get paint for bikes like car touchup paints?!

I love my new bike it feels so right but I am sh*t scared of ending up going over the bars when the chain stops next. I don't mind going over the bars if its my [email protected] riding but this is different.

The tech seemed to know what he's talking about but I just feel like a penguin buying a bikini...

Here's crossed fingers that it won't be a further problem.

supersonic

Chainsuck is caused by worn or bent teeth on the chainrings, or sometimes a dirty worn chain. I think he is referring to the freehub mechanism sticking which can cause the chain to droop forward when coasting.

Have you got any pics of the damage?

nerak

I'll get a pic up.

mea00csf

supersonic wrote:

Chainsuck is caused by worn or bent teeth on the chainrings, or sometimes a dirty worn chain. I think he is referring to the freehub mechanism sticking which can cause the chain to droop forward when coasting.

Have you got any pics of the damage?

Just to pick your brains about chainsuck, i've been having a fair few problems with it. It started with a brand new chainset (Raceface deus) and brand new chain (SRAM 991 or 971, not sure). Everything brand new. I'm now considering changing the chain (it might be twisted now from the amount of times it's done it) shortening the chain by 1 link (hoping that the small amount of extra tension will help) and changing the chain brand (shimano?)

When it shifts properly (which is most of the time) it's smooth so don't *think* it's an issue with the mech and setup of this.

I'm at a loss, and the damn things EATING my chainstay

supersonic

Hard to say what it is. Check the chainline though, that can contribute. SOmetimes you have to experiment ie a new chain.

nerak

Went out on it again yesterday - first time since the shop had a dabble with it.

Think the brakes are ok now and the gears are a lot better - but the chain still got stuck twice.

FIrst time I managed to stop before it mangled the frame, was riding along at around 15mph on the flat, felt it starting to happen and managed to coast/brake to a neat stop.

Second time was [email protected], I was going up a steep hill at approx 8mph and round it went. Wibble wobbly me , managed to recover my composure just as I was going to topple in the ditch. It was pitch black and not nice trying to sort it out. Could see in the light i used whilst fixing it that it had mangled frame again as I had put heli tape over the scrapes and that was chewed to pieces. Not very nice in the middle of nowhere, it was quite jammed, assume it was the pressure I had put on it before I realised.

All in all good day was had, clocked up just shy of 25 miles in gorgeous 22 degrees so wasn't even caked in mud.

What does anyone think now? Take it back 4 replacement?, this just doesn't seem right to me? The fear of this is not something I want for the rest of my riding life on this bike.

(PS. I have the pics on my phone but haven't worked out putting them up yet!)

Thanks again for any advice.

supersonic

It isn't right - if is chainsuck, this new, then there is a problem.

Or if you could - put the bike in the lowest gear (small frobt cog, large rear cog). Take some pics of the derailer and chain, and the gap between the cage and the chain. It should be about 1mm.

lhoward1976

Given what you've said about how you feel about it, I'd just take it back for a replacement or a refund (and it's your choice on which you have!)

You're now in the position of having an almost new bike with mangled paint, scratches etc. due to no fault of your own, which you are undertandably upset about.

As for the comment from the shop about you having to be involved with contacting Giant, that's nonsense... you bought the bike from the shop, so your contract is with them, not Giant, and it is the shop's responsibility to resolve the issue!!

Get 'em to replace it (or refund and buy another), and be happy with the new bike you've splashed out your hard-earned on!!!

nerak

Thanks guys.

All I want is a bike I feel confident on, and going from a way-too-big bike the 'perfect bike' I feel slightly disheartened that its still got me all chewed up with fear.

As said, nothing better than a crash you caused and the scrapes to remind you.. but if you caused it! lol

Looks like I'm off down the shop again. I don't want to p*ss them off but at the moment I really want a refund.

Do you think I should ask to upgrade the the talon 2, the next model? I think this may have better spec components. I'll have to check it out. :?

Thanks again.

supersonic

We really could do with pics of the set up, chain and damage to put you in a good position to communicate with the shop.