Sluggish bike - 2009 Lapierre Spicy 516

Gobs

The bottom bracket. Is there a way to tell if it's not running smoothly under load or do you just wait until you can feel it grinding to know it's shot?

nicklouse

spin it.

but reading your other topic it sounds more like user trying to find something to blame.

Gobs

I am finding something to blame, I've ridden enough bikes to know when something's not right


It feels sluggish freewheeling but also there's a grainyness when pedalling, I'm not sure if it's the pedals or the BB. I've seen mention that the Lapierre aren't great for them

cooldad

Spin the pedals, spin the crank, it will be noticeable if they are stiff or grainy.
Wouldn't make any difference to free wheeling though.

cooldad

My bikes are always sluggish and it's got nothing to do with being tubby and unfit.

Uchiga

cooldad wrote:

My bikes are always sluggish and it's got nothing to do with being tubby and unfit.

In which case it's a maintenence issue... Check all of the drive chain and all the spinning bits before you work out why your so sluggish, could ever be a rubbing brake though you'd hear that...

Gobs

cooldad wrote:

Wouldn't make any difference to free wheeling though.

Yes this was in addition to the freewheeling unfortunately. I'm not tubby or unfit so it's not that. It's not a rubbing disc pad as that's happened before. The pedals spin although not fantastically so (could be the design) and I'll try taking the chain off the crank and spinning it. I've only regreased it before, not cleaned it directly other than holding a cloth round it and pedalling to remove debris

In addition, Bracknell, one of my old neck of the woods, I was always at The Look Out on my solid state bike back in about 92-95, just using low tyre pressure to soak up the rocks Ahh the good old days

cooldad

Uchiga wrote:

cooldad wrote:

My bikes are always sluggish and it's got nothing to do with being tubby and unfit.

In which case it's a maintenence issue... Check all of the drive chain and all the spinning bits before you work out why your so sluggish, could ever be a rubbing brake though you'd hear that...

Sorry I was joking I am tubby and unfit. My bikes are not guilty.

cooldad

Maybe it's just not a racing snake type bike.

The Rookie

at 160mm travel, no its not.......but it shouldn't really feel sluggish either....

I have to say if its not freewheeling cleanly that would be the first thing to resolve, AIRC the spicy is an external BB, as most seem almost as robust as chocolate that would be a thing to consider.

Simon

cooldad

Except the bb has nothing to do with freewheeling. I could be totally seized and the bike would still freewheel.

Gobs

The freewheeling is sluggish, and also there's a slight grainyness under pedalling, so either some crap's got into the BB or the pedals

cooldad

I don't understand sluggish. In another thread you say the wheels spin fine, the brakes don't bind.
BB won't stop it freewheeling.

Has it always felt sluggish, or were you just expecting something else?

Gobs

No this is a separate issue. Freewheeling it's slow. Aside from that there's grainyness from either the BB or the pedals, I'm just not sure which

cooldad

Turn the pedals - grainy, there's your problem.
Turn the BB - grainy, there's your problem.
Turn the wheels - stiff, there's your problem.

Why is it so hard?

Devastazione

Zesty,Spicy and Froggie are Crackpierre lousiest bikes. All show but no content. Pathetic bikes with an outrageous pricetag.
Stick with their road bikes or do not go beyond their XC rigs if that is the case.

cooldad

Devastazione wrote:

Zesty,Spicy and Froggie are Crackpierre lousiest bikes. All show but no content. Pathetic bikes with an outrageous pricetag.
Stick with their road bikes or do not go beyond their XC rigs if that is the case.

We've all seen your previous thread - not biased are you?
To balance - have a friend who rides his Zesty really hard, no problems, and having ridden it it's superb. Had me going faster than I normally ride straight away. Unfortunately out of my price range.

robertpb

Turn the bike upside down spin the wheels, if they rotate freely, make no grinding noises, have no play in the bearings then there is nothing wrong with the freewheeling.

cooldad

Would appear the op has lost interest.

nwmlarge

i don't get why people slag of bikes or makes when its clearly down to the odd random component which is probably user at fault anyway.

meh

The Rookie

I guess you've checked tyre pressures, makes any bike feel sluggish if they are at 5psi.... (exageration of course).

Simon