Did Halfords get my bike build right? Bizango

SickSnail

Hi. I am new to mountain biking. I have never owned a half decent bike with any kind of suspension before, and my ability to tell whether a bike is set up properly or not is limited!

Two days ago I picked up my VooDoo Bizango 29er. I rode it today, and actually I am very happy with it. I've read some horror stories about Halfords though and also some things to check to make sure they have built your bike correctly, and as a result I did have one concern.

The back tyre comes much closer to the frame on one side than the other. I have pics (below). You can fit your finger easily between the right-hand-side of the tyre and the frame, but there's only about half a centimeter gap on the left.

PIC 1: Close up of gap on left


PIC 2: Showing GAP on left from above


PIC 3: Showing GAP on right from above


PIC 4: Muck collects on the frame after first ride because of the closeness of the gap


I'm wondering if it's something that needs to be looked at, or am I worrying about nothing?

I did make a video (link here) if that helps, but it was hard to get the camera in to show it. The rear wheel looks like it spins straight in the video but to the eye it wobbles a bit, not outrageously though, but not an insignificant amount either.

Grateful to hear your views!

rockmonkeysc

Fairly normal. Most frames have asymmetric chain stays.
Is the wobble in the rim or tyre? Often tyres have a bit of wobble in them and it's perfectly fine.

JBA

That does seem very close, but may be normal for that bike.
Pop in to Halfords and have a look at another Bizango for comparison.

The Rookie

Its almost impossible for the assembly at Halfords to cause any issue there as the wheel/tyre come built and go into vertical dropouts, but you could undo the rear QR (just flip the lever, don't undo the nut) and push down on the saddle to make sure the wheel is in the dropouts properly and do it back up (while holding it down).

I've seen a fair few 'Halfords assembly issues' caused by the owners taking a bike home in a boot of a car and not fitting wheels properly when they get home!

SickSnail

Thank you all! That's some good news. I will stop worrying and carry on enjoying the bike.

To answer the question about the rear wheel wobble, I think it may very well be just the tyre actually and not the wheel itself.

The Rookie wrote:

I've seen a fair few 'Halfords assembly issues' caused by the owners taking a bike home in a boot of a car and not fitting wheels properly when they get home!

I didn't touch the rear wheel, honest - I put the seats forward including the front passenger seat, and we only had to remove the front wheel. However, I am totally not surprised by your comment, as after putting the front wheel back on, I read the manual front-to-back that same evening and I realised it should take some effort to close the easy release lever, and there's a method to adjust the tightness. Without reading that manual I'd have had no idea.

SickSnail

Actually I owe you a massive thanks, as I just did the check you suggested, released the QR (for the first time), bared down on the saddle, and felt it clunk down, and now there is double the gap there was, it's now nowhere near as close as it was, I can get my finger through it now, the gap distance on both sides is now roughly the same.

It's too late in the evening for me to ride it to see if this has affected anything. I genuinely, on my life, did not touch the rear wheel QR before today, I haven't been anywhere near it. It came like this. Does this mean it may need a little adjustment now to the chain or anything, considering it must have been set up with the wheel in the wrong position?

supersonic

If you are now sure it is in the dropouts correctly, and the QR done up right, then you may notice some brake rub due to the position change, in which case you will have to adjust the caliper. Similarly the cassette will be in a slightly different location, but this usually makes little difference to the gears, though learning how to set them up is always a good skill (and they will bed in).

SickSnail

Decided to go for a quick up and down the road to test it. I have just had the opposite experience!

My rear brake seems absolutely fine.

My gear changing is not.



Bit of a mess eh?
At least the gap between the frame is still good now...

supersonic

The outer edge of the derailer cage should clear the chainring by 2mm. And of course, it should be adjusted not to derail the chain straight off. Park Tools website has a good guide on how to set them up. Though it shouldn't have done this from new admittedly.

SickSnail

I do want to learn, I booked myself in for a Fix It course with Evans and I do my own motorcycle / car DIY when I can, I've replaced timing belts and head gaskets by reading manuals and learning on YouTube, even if it has taken me a week instead of a day.
However I don't know where to start when it comes to bicycles, and this one's going to be a job for Halfords tomorrow morning

StinkinHippy

If you can do timing belts and head gaskets bike work shouldn't be a problem for you. Just take your time and work through it with a web tutorial to hand. You'll soon be wondering why you ever let anyone else touch it

The Rookie

That had nothing to do with a minor tweak at the rear.

Chain only usually derails like that through back pedaling (£?) and is not always possible to prevent totally.

SickSnail

As soon as I hopped on the bike last night I noticed the bike was noisier around the gears/chain and then I only made it down the road before it derailed like that. Seems a bit of a coincidence? I didn't back pedal and it was spot in when I rode it 5 miles the day before. Now this morning I notice the gears aren't always changing properly, sometimes I click to change and it doesn't do it. This has only started since I loosened that QR, pushed down on the seat then re-tightened. I've not adjusted or touched anything else?

I'm scared to touch anything else in case I make things worse. I mean just look what's happened already.

The Rookie

That can't have happened while 'just riding along', in fact just rotate the pedals gently forward and it will probably sort itself out.

The rear gearing may have been put slightly out by relocating the wheel but it can't have had any effect on the front, have a look at parktool.com or youtube videos on how to index the gears, its something worth learning to do as an MTBer as you can sometimes need to tweak it mid ride.

SickSnail

I was changing cog at the front when it happened but I wasn't backpedalling. It has done it twice since as well. The gears are pretty bad. Even driving along a straight road I change gear and nothing happens except maybe a noise, and then after going over a bump 30 seconds later it might change when you don't even expect it to. Or I'll change down, nothing happens, so I'll change down again and it changes two gears at once.

I say it's happened since I released the QR and pushed the saddle down, but as I only rode the bike once before I did that and I was still getting used to the bike and the gear change method, maybe it was doing it from the start and the fluffed gear changes I did on my first ride (I remember there being some) I just put down to me getting used to the bike, not the bike itself.

I did take it to Halfords and ask about the gap (whether it was correct before with hardly any gap, or correct now with an even gap), he said it had a floating dropout and didn't matter which angle you had it at. He said it was fine like it is now. He put it up on a stand, spun it and said it looks fine. But it doesn't ride fine.

I have to get it sorted out one way or the other as I dread changing gear as I can't trust whether it will change or not and the chain getting snarled up has already taken a chip out of the paint. I hope it's just the paint that's missing...

_jon_

I blame Joe Murray.

Floating Dropout?? I also smell BS. It might be worth taking it to your local bike shop to sort out if you're not comfortable adjusting it yourself.

Definitely worth learning to do it yourself though

SickSnail

I wondered about the floating dropout. That's exactly the term he used.

I will try a different Halfords tomorrow.

I will learn how to do it myself, but now isn't the time for me to start tinkering. So far all I've done is remove/reinstall the front wheel and loosen the rear quick release, push down on the saddle and retighten. If I start altering adjustments to gears etc they could blame me! And as it's new I think they should get it all working smoothly to begin with

_jon_

There's no such thing as a floating dropouts. The wheels either properly inserted into the dropout or it isn't.

Halfords are very hit and miss when it comes to technicians knowing what they're doing. If you live close to a different Halfords then it's definitely worth trying to get them to sort it for free. The reason I suggested a LBS though is because sometimes life's just too short and it should be a cheap thing (10 minute job) to put right for someone who knows what they're doing.

JBA

Looking at the first picture you posted I'd say the high limit screw on the front mech needs adjusting. It looks like the front mech has over-shifted when you changed from the inner to outer chain ring (or if you were already on the outer chain ring then shifting to a high gear at the rear has pulled the chain line over too far).

FishFish

SickSnail dont be discouraged by this. The Bizango is a good bike with good components. The fact that you are currently unfamiliar with setting up gears, chain, alignment and so on is just a matter of time but for the moment it may be that you are wazzed off with the bike. Someone clued up and interested will be able to sort this out very quickly and then you are up and running. You can jump the learning exercise that you expect from your course by looking at utube - there is a lot of material which is helpful and really not too difficult to perform yourself. On a more negative note, you should really clean out your garage floor. From the video it is clear that your donkey has cacked all over the floor. Very unpleasant to witness.

SickSnail

Cheers all.

I rode it to Halfords in Southend and they had it on the stand, and gave it a proper test, noticed some problems, took it out back, and actually fixed it. So when I rode it there it was skipping gears and being a pain, when I rode it out it was fine, I've ridden it 3 hours and covered 22 miles on it today, because I was enjoying it so much

Now that it's working right, it's up to me to keep it that way, and I will learn.

PS) "your donkey has cacked all over the floor." - What the... I'm guilty of not picking up grass from the lawnmower, this is a pet free house... a donkey?!

penguin_of_death

_Jon_ wrote:

Floating Dropout?? I also smell BS. It might be worth taking it to your local bike shop to sort out if you're not comfortable adjusting it yourself.

They do have adjustable dropouts for running SS, might just be his term for them

_jon_

Penguin of Death wrote:

_Jon_ wrote:

Floating Dropout?? I also smell BS. It might be worth taking it to your local bike shop to sort out if you're not comfortable adjusting it yourself.

They do have adjustable dropouts for running SS, might just be his term for them

Even if it was (which I doubt) the wheel should still be in straight. He just didn't want to admit they were at fault.

The Rookie

Penguin of Death wrote:

_Jon_ wrote:

Floating Dropout?? I also smell BS. It might be worth taking it to your local bike shop to sort out if you're not comfortable adjusting it yourself.

They do have adjustable dropouts for running SS, might just be his term for them

No, standard vertical dropout.....

penguin_of_death

The Rookie wrote:

Penguin of Death wrote:

_Jon_ wrote:

Floating Dropout?? I also smell BS. It might be worth taking it to your local bike shop to sort out if you're not comfortable adjusting it yourself.

They do have adjustable dropouts for running SS, might just be his term for them

No, standard vertical dropout.....

The dropouts are vertical, but the entire dropout on the driveside and dropout+disk mount on the non-driveside can move forwards and backwards.
If not adjusted properly the wheel can be the dropouts and the disk aligned, but the wheel skewed in relation to teh frame

In your case the wheel just wasn't in properly