Gear advice on new bike please.

Yodacat1979

After a little bit of advice please. I recently brought my first road bike, a triban 3 from decathlon. I only wanted a low price bike as I prefer my giant mtb. Well went to Coventry decathlon to get sized up etc. I'm a 5'8 lady so they suggested the 54, at the time I queried it but they said from position it was fine. Anyway after two visits to size up I finally collected. First time out I noticed it wasn't going into low gears. So phoned decathlon and was advised to let gear cable slacken, so took it out couple more times still no low gears. I'm also getting pain in elbows and my fingers going numb which my local bike shop has said is due to it being too big a frame for me. They have also said bike should never have left shop with gear problems. The chap did say as I walked out that he hadn't checked gears but that it would be fine. I wish now I'd insisted on it. So again I've got to drive 60 miles to go and get bike sorted, I'm not impressed that after 2 weeks Im having to return it, seriously thinking of asking for a refund but don't know where I stand on the issue. So any help/advice be gratefully received.
Yoda

diamonddog

It's not uncommon to have gear problems on a new bike, the cables will stretch a bit after you have ridden it awhile and then it could need adjusting or it may settle in and be fine, just take it back after you have done a few rides if the problem remains. The shop should be able to do the job in a couple of minutes.

The numbness you are feeling again is not unusual, you need some proper padded cycling gloves and at the moment you will probbably be riding tensed up and gripping the bars too tightly and putting all your weight on to your hands and elbows. In time you should start to relax and the pain and numbness should go away.

kajjal

Compared to mountain bikes road bikes are less comfortable until your body adjusts to them and also you adjust the riding positon on them. The gear problem should be a very easy fix and the bike shouldn't have left the shop like that. As you ride a new bike the cables stretch a bit and the gears just need a slight adjustment which is why decent local bike shops give you a free service after 6-8 weeks. This is why people if they have the budget pay more and go to a good local bike shop as they get generally better service and advice but you can do most of it yourself.

For your riding position on the road bike there is no reason to be uncomfortable. Things to check are firstly is your saddle high enough , which owning a mountain bike you will find easy to sort out. Best to be a little low than a little high.

Next is the saddle in the right foward / backward position on the rails, if you look up KOPS this give a useful starting point but it not a hard and fast rule. Also make sure the saddle is level as this also helps distribute your weight properly.

The final adjustments are firstly the vertical amount of drop from the saddle to the handlebars. This is a compromise between comfort and speed / power. While I wanted power I have my drop set at about 1" which is comfortable for me. The reach is the final adjustment and roughly speaking you should be able to ride on the bar with your arms slightly bent. The same is true for the hoods but you will be a bit more stretched and lean into it a bit more.

Take your time with any setup adjustments and make sure you get it right for your needs.

Hope thet helps as I found road bikes a real pain to start with but after a bit of experimenting with setup my road bike is comfortable to ride long distances. If the bike is still too big for you then they need to replace it with a suitable sized one or give you a refund, Good Luck

Inutero

If your 5'8, i don't think a 54 frame will be too big for you. I'm 5'9 and have the 57 frame. I went from a mountain bike to this over a year ago, and to start with I had wrist/ elbow pain. But it was because it was a different riding position. Once my body got used to the different position, I was fine.

Yodacat1979

Yeah I'm hoping they will sort the gears. I'm still in tweaking stage of moving things about to suit me. And I know once sorted it should be fine. The numbness in my hand did worry me as was quite painfull and took a couple of days to go. Hopefully get the gears sorted then can continue tweaking and hopefully get there in the end. Trouble is I'm used to the comfort of my trusty giant, and kinda wish I'd stuck to my guns and gone for giant road bike but hubby brought the btwin as a gift :-/
Many thanks for the feedback though. Newbie to road biking, can you tell!

diamonddog

Don't give the hubby a hard time , TBH you possibly would still have had the numbness etc and gear problems with the Giant road bike, just stick at it all will come good.

Yodacat1979

Oh I won't give him hard time, it was a nice thing of him to do. Think it was more coz he was fed up of me nagging about wanting a road bike. As I'm always out and about and mtb a heavier old one. But I do love cycling and as I have a back injury it is one of the few things I can do and it seems to be improving it rather than aggravating it!

diamonddog

When you get used to it you can always get him to buy you another one for 'sunday best'

Yodacat1979

Haha now there's an idea! I'm trying hard to get him to come out with me, but unfortunately he is not that way inclined so have to go on my own or drag out a friend lol.

diamonddog

Enjoy it.

sloppyschleckonds

Yodacat1979 wrote:

Haha now there's an idea! I'm trying hard to get him to come out with me, but unfortunately he is not that way inclined so have to go on my own or drag out a friend lol.

Join a club

Yodacat1979

It tends to men only clubs round near me, only ladies one rides too early, and not really enough distance for me.

StillGoing

At 5' 8" I'd go the opposite way and say the frame is too big. At best I'd say a 52" frame allowing you to fit a longer stem and have the seat raised rather than on top of the frame. Decathlon's sizing chart is a joke in my opinion. You can't assess someone's frame size from overall height alone. Things like upper body length and reach have to be considered. Yes riding a road bike is different to an upright hybrid or mountain bike, but it isn't meant to be unbearably uncomfortable. Personally, I'd be asking for a refund and be taking my business elsewhere.

Yodacat1979

Funny enough my local bike store said 52 men's and 53 women's. At decathlon I was asked if back straight I did say I dunno I can't see but I did say it didn't feel right. The chap advised it look right. Also they only allow to rest ride bike in store. Which when customers, staff, kids and equipment around really isn't a good indication in my opinion. Off there in a bit so will see what the outcome is. Although I may have to take a hit on it and sell it elsewhere in few months if still not right.

baznett

Wondering what happened with this in the end seen as I work in the Coventry store.
54cm is definitely not too big, I'm 5"8 and ride the Triban 5 in the same size frame and more than comfortable on it doing 100+ miles. I had a little try on the 51cm doing a few miles and felt very small and bunched up on the bike.

Yodacat1979

Was refunded as was a fault on gears. But the chap who I dealt with also said too big. Whilst a 54 would have been fine for most I'm a woman so obviously built differently lol. But must say staff were helpful the times I have visited the store.

giant_man

No opinion re the gears, but sizing wise I will say places such as Decathlon and other 'bike related' retail establishments don't have much of a clue about fitting etc.

And to be fair they are a 'jack of all trades' retailer, with all sports catered for. Cheap too. If you know what you're looking for.

Yodacat1979

I only really went decathlon as hubby suggested it then he brought the bike. I must admit after returning it and buying one from my local bike store I know what I will be doing in future! Local store listened to my issues ordered in what they thought would be suitable, and was under no obligation to buy it even though was special order. Tried it out they also allow proper test rides. Not just up and down a crowed aisle like in decathlon. Loved it so brought it. After that they tweaked set up to suit me, and off I went, a happy cyclist again. Now need my child to get better so can take it out for a proper run!!!