Help - Problems with second hand bike

robeasby

So I've decided to give road cycling a go. Being on a very limited budget (£200) I went for the second hand option and got myself a Trek 1000 SL for £170. After my first ride I discovered that the chain was slipping when in the outer chain ring. I took it to my local bike shop for advice and they said I need new chain rings, chain, cassette and jockey wheels and quoted me £170. Now obviously if I had another £170 I would of spent a lot more on a bike! As it was the outer chain ring and I could see that was worn (the teeth were very sharp) I replaced that but the problem still persists. I now assume the reason this only happens in the bigger gear is because of the force being applied. I also gave the drive chain a good clean and oil

But what now?? I think it might be the chain but I really don't want to keep throwing money into a pit only to find it doesn't help.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

chrisgal

I'd say the lBS are probably spot on with regard to the diagnosis. Obviously if you could replace the parts yourself it would be much cheaper. If not the only options you have are to look around for somewhere cheaper to do the work or sell the bike and try and recoup what you spent.

ForumNewbie

You could check the chain yourself with a cheap tool or even a ruler to see if the chain has stretched - just google how to do it with a ruler.

gethinceri

Go to halfords, buy a chain for less than a fiver, cut it to size and fit it. Index the gears and see what happens. If it doesn't work Buy a sram cassette for less than fifteen quid and fit it. Index the gears and see what happens.
Works for my Trek 1.1

robeasby

Thanks for the advice. Apart from this problem I really like the bike so fixing it myself (cheaply) is definitely my preferred option.

sparklehedgehog

youtube tutorials are your best friend in this instance

Mad_Malx

If the chainring is worn it's almost certain that the cassette and chain will be too. If you only replace the chain but it also needs a new cassette then the chain will wear much faster.

In addition to new chain and cassette (£25 and upwards for both) you will need tools - chain whip, cassette removal tool and chain breaker. These will add about another £20 from one of the big on-line dealers. If the bike is well used the other thing that will likely go wear out is the bottom bracket - another £15, possibly no unusual tools needed depending on the type. In my experience derailleurs tend to keep going much longer even when worn (unless bent) and I don't think damage the rest because the wheels are plastic and under muchless load.

But- fixing this stuff is easy even for someone as clumsy as me. Assuming you stick with cycling these will all be reused - road chains need changing (very roughly) every 2000km, and cassettes every 6k (cue the debate, it all depends on conditions).

Edit - £250 (including all the replacements above) doesn't sound to bad to me, so don't feel too robbed. Apart from brake pads, cables, tyres, which are all consumables anyway, there isn't much else that you should need replace.