Poor gear change after service
supers
Posts: 33
Collected my bike from its service yesterday. Went straight out for a ride and found the gear changes were clunky and the gears were poorly aligned (clicking as if it wanted to change gear).
I took it straight back to the LBS and demanded they sort it. At this point, he claimed he hadn't even serviced the gears (that's another post althoghter!). Anyway he played with the rear barrel adjuster and told me 11 speeds get knocked out of alignment easily, although I'd had no problems in 1100 miles.
Rode away and still issues:
When on big chain ring: rubbing noise when in 21st and 22nd gears
When on the small chain ring: massive delays and jumps when cross chaining (wasn't like this before)
When changing up under strain there is a delay and then a jump on some gears. (again, this wasn't an issue before) Changing down is smooth.
Funnily enough, as the ride went on, it got better.
One thing I have noticed is that he has cut the cable to the front mech so there is no overhang. It was frayed when i took it in. I'd rather have paid for a new cable.
I've got 28 days for them to sort it, any ideas?
I took it straight back to the LBS and demanded they sort it. At this point, he claimed he hadn't even serviced the gears (that's another post althoghter!). Anyway he played with the rear barrel adjuster and told me 11 speeds get knocked out of alignment easily, although I'd had no problems in 1100 miles.
Rode away and still issues:
When on big chain ring: rubbing noise when in 21st and 22nd gears
When on the small chain ring: massive delays and jumps when cross chaining (wasn't like this before)
When changing up under strain there is a delay and then a jump on some gears. (again, this wasn't an issue before) Changing down is smooth.
Funnily enough, as the ride went on, it got better.
One thing I have noticed is that he has cut the cable to the front mech so there is no overhang. It was frayed when i took it in. I'd rather have paid for a new cable.
I've got 28 days for them to sort it, any ideas?
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Comments
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Get refund, take it somewhere else or follow the MF guide to setting up gears on t'other thread.
Posting on here ain't gonna do nowt.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
now is the time to learn to do it yourself.
it isn't difficult its immensely rewarding when you discover you will never have to go to another LBS again .. unless you buy a cheap Chinese frame filled with foam and cant get a cable run through it
I vote youtube0 -
SuperS wrote:
One thing I have noticed is that he has cut the cable to the front mech so there is no overhang. It was frayed when i took it in. I'd rather have paid for a new cable.
You've ridden a bike with a frayed cable? I'm out with advise.I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles0 -
The stories I hear about LBSs being sh*t. Is it that the customers aren't prepared to pay what it takes to pay a good mechanic?Pegoretti
Colnago
Cervelo
Campagnolo0 -
on-yer-bike wrote:Is it that the customers aren't prepared to pay what it takes to pay a good mechanic?
no, it means that someone has looked for a bike shop local to them, booked in for a service/work to be done and the bike shop has done a crap job
Like garages some are good ... but others are crap
If you omit the "local" part from the LBS and just go to a bikeshop you open your options up more as you can enquire to the best places to go0 -
How much are you paying for your 'service plan'?0
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If he'd not looked at the gears - then what has he done ?
As above - sort it out yourself. It's not rocket science and it's quicker than arguing the toss on here.0 -
on-yer-bike wrote:The stories I hear about LBSs being sh*t. Is it that the customers aren't prepared to pay what it takes to pay a good mechanic?
Or that - SHOCK HORROR - just because it's a LBS the mechanics can be as shy yet as say - SHOCK HORROR - Halfords et al?
THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!!Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
SloppySchleckonds wrote:SuperS wrote:
One thing I have noticed is that he has cut the cable to the front mech so there is no overhang. It was frayed when i took it in. I'd rather have paid for a new cable.
You've ridden a bike with a frayed cable? I'm out with advise.
Hence one of the reasons I was having it serviced!0 -
oxoman wrote:Well if your in NWLDC or South Derbyshire area. I can recommend Just Bikes in Ashby De La Zouch / Cadence at Barton under Needwood or Jeff at Bikebot local mobile guy to South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire. There are others but these are who I currently use and trust. I tend to do my own unless I'm tight for time or special tools required.
Charnwood, so might give it a try, thanks.
Will give him the chance to sort it first, if he can't, then will ask for my money back.0 -
Rubbing noise in top 2 gears you say. Is this the chain rubbing the front mech cage outer plate? If so it's likely the front mech/cable tension he has messed with so playing with the rear isn't going to help. Are the limit screws set properly? Is there an inline adjuster on the front cable so you can adjust to slightly increase the tension? If not you may need to increase the cable tension by tightening the cable at the pinch bolt. On second thoughts, perhaps getting it properly adjusted at the shop is your best bet pending you acquiring enhanced bike service expertise
FFS! Harden up and grow a pair0 -
Yeah, if he's clipped the end of the cables it seems highly unlikely that he hasn't also "adjusted" the front mech. Since the front mech now appears to be maladjusted, it rather points to a shitty mechanic not taking responsibility.
FYI the going rate for a bike mechanic is about £20-£30 an hour. So, you need to ask him to account for what he did in 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Checking and aligning brakes, 10 minutes. Did he replace the pads? Another 5 minutes. Still about 75 at least to account for. Clipping the end off a cable, generously 60 seconds if he had to find the tool. Did he pump the tyres up? Another 2 minutes.Check for chain wear? 30 seconds. He's not replaced the chain though, by the sounds of it. I could generously think of maybe 5mins' worth of bolts to check the tightness of. Still over an hour to go.
If I were you I'd visit the bike shop on a Saturday afternoon when its busy and take this up with them.0 -
Many, many people have retrieved a car, bicycle, lawnmower or similar from service and felt slightly disgruntled. Sometimes, the disappointment or pique is sufficient to make any tiny issue seem like a complete disaster. I do not say that this is what happened here, but sometimes customers get so tightly wound about a fairly minor thing that the whole riding/driving/mowing experience is somehow compromised.
On the cable-end issue.... If it was just the addition of a crimped cable end, then that strikes me as a positive. A frayed cable end is just bound to make any bike mechanic want to crimp a cap onto it.
As to whether the shop is any good.... If they are a recent start-up and this is their norm, then they will go out of business. If they are established and trusted locally, then it might just have been a bad afternoon or the OP might simply not be the sort of customer they want.
On having things rectified, I would advise that demanding anything (as the OP says he/she did) may not be the wisest step as a first approach. That will not put people in a good and helpful state of mind. I find that with queries about the quality of service, a smile and a positive approach often do much better than a demand to put things right.
And on the matter of fixing it oneself.... I thoroughly recommend learning the ways of gear adjustment. I am no mechanic, but over the years (decades) I've picked up the odd snippet of information about one or another aspect of spannerisation and toolology. These days there is even YouTube, so easy has become easier still.
Get the bike on a stand, or hanging on ropes from the rafters or similar.... and follow the instructions. It may not mesh perfectly the first time or even the second.... but when it does the feeling of satisfaction will be palpable.0 -
Indexing gears is one of the things that is easier to nail bang on if you can ride and adjust. If that's the only issue I would get on YouTube and have a play yourself. Mechanical is three screws (one of which you probably won't need to touch) and cable tension. The only other thing that can go wrong is hanger alignment or a sticky cable.
I'd take the bike back and get the hanger alignment checked whilst you wait and watch. then get him to index it again. At least if the hanger is straight you can resolve everything else yourself.0 -
Best to learn to do it yourself. Even in the same bike shop some people are very good and others best kept away from anyones bike. My new bike was handed to me with a bent front rotor, cosmetically damaged shifter and wouldn't shift in to 11th gear. My previous bike from the same shop was setup perfectly and just needed a few tweaks once I got it home to get what I wanted.
I would only use the bike shop for jobs that I don't have the tools for.0
