disappointed in new bike

scott w
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 7:10 pm
Location: mount gambler SA

disappointed in new bike

Postby scott w » Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:02 am

earlier in the year after turning 40 i got myself a mountain bike and got back into cycling losing a few kilos and getting fit , i decided to buy a road bike to have a go at a few local events .
after several months of pondering over what to buy i bought a new felt F3 from a bike shop 100ks away , i picked it up last wednesday , i was told it was all serviced and ready to go .
i took it for my first ride after setting the seat height anfd fitting my pedals , i am thinking this is great , riding along enjoying myself , i go to change up to the large cog on the the crank and off comes the chain and i am thinking bloody great , cranks scratched and its new .
put the chain back on continued on my ride staying in the small cog for a while , then tried to change to large cog again , off it tried to come again but as i was paying attention i back peddled and kept it on clicking back down to small cog again .
This bike has sram running gear so i came home and googled deraileur set-up , took what i had learnt and had a go at checking the way it was adjusted , i adjusted a few things ,spent hours trying to get it spot on and seemed to have of got no where.
i rang the bike shop and explained what was going on , they said it sounds like you're on the right track adjustment wise , i thought i had it spot on .
went for a ride , NO GOOD , i have made sure the gate is parallel to the crank sprocket , 1-3 mm off large gear , in lower gear on crank and large sprocket on cassette its .5-1mm off touching bike side of gate , i can get it to change onto large sprocket but when i adjust it so its .5-1mm off gate and down shift again i cant get it to up shift again with out adjusting the travel screw then it tries to jump off sprocket .
i am disappointed to say the least as i shouldn't have to spend time adjusting a bike thats new and should be out enjoying myself on it , i know i am going to have to take it back to the bike shop .
am i missing anything .
thanks scott

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14781
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby MichaelB » Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:28 am

Take it back to the shop and get them to do it properly.

hkgts
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:00 pm
Location: Perth, WA

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby hkgts » Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:36 am

MichaelB wrote:Take it back to the shop and get them to do it properly.
+1 pity your 100 clicks away but it will be worth the hassle when u can enjoy your new ride worry free.

jpgibson
Posts: 257
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:32 am

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby jpgibson » Sun Oct 07, 2012 11:40 am

google and youtube is great.I'd persist yourself as a 200km drive isnt worth it.Youve only got three things to check: cable tension,two 'travel screws'.I'm a numpty and Ive got mine all working well.Just remember to go in small increments and you'll eventually hit the sweet spot.Having a bike stand makes it a lot easier.Given the distance, and the apparent lack of attention to detail from the shop, I'd be buying tools, a maintenance book and doing it all myself.Good luck and stick at it.It is ONLY a bike afterall ( and not an A380!).Frustrating all the same though! :lol:

User avatar
biker jk
Posts: 7001
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby biker jk » Sun Oct 07, 2012 11:43 am

That's the problem with many bike shops. They don't provide a decent service, especially for the lofty prices charged. The gears should have been set up properly from the start, which requires riding the bike and doing numerous gear changes.

If you have set the high and low limit correctly and the chain doesn't go onto the large chainring then it's a cable tension issue. You should have a gap of 1mm or less between the front derailleur cage (outside side) and the large chainring (should be in smallest rear cog).

User avatar
open roader
Posts: 3642
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:05 pm
Location: Dueling Banjo Country, Otway fringes, Victoria

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby open roader » Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:44 pm

disappointed in new bike


I'd say you should be disappointed with bike shop service.

Woeful attention to basic detail on the part of the shop.......... take it back and make a strong point......on principal
3rd class cycling is always better than 1st class walking

scott w
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 7:10 pm
Location: mount gambler SA

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby scott w » Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:22 pm

thanks everyone for the replies i will try and have more of a play the cable tension , its inconsistent it will change up gears , then it won't , aren't happy to say the least i had to tighten the front wheel bearings before i rode it as it was loose , i am a fitter and turner by trade and work on machinery all day and i would have thought i would have had it sorted by now , bloody frustrating .
i will take it back if i have to , there is a felt dealer in town who i have purchased a bike off before i could take it too , i am just not sure of what they will be like as i bought it elsewere .
have spent the week-end in the shed with it on the trainer trying to get it spot on.

User avatar
gururug
Posts: 1531
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:05 am

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby gururug » Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:01 pm

Yeah, shop should sort it. Bikes aren't perfect though, there's a bit of learning involved for most.....but that's half the fun!

User avatar
Cardy George
Posts: 751
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:10 pm
Location: Red Cliffs, Vic

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby Cardy George » Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:04 pm

scott w wrote:i am a fitter and turner by trade and work on machinery all day and i would have thought i would have had it sorted by now , bloody frustrating .
Don't get too put off, I have fiddled with these things for 15 years, yet it still took me 12 months to work through the bugs on mine. Look at it as a learning experience. They can be finicky things at times and a bit of patience and a softly softly approach will get it sorted. I believe the Park Tools website has a great step-by-step (but I've haven't had to use it yet).

I'm in a similar situation as you. The owner of the shop I bought it from is useless, and the other shop has dodgy customer service. The next closest is approximately 300km away.

User avatar
MarkG
Posts: 2147
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:02 pm
Location: Perth, Australia

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby MarkG » Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:16 pm

Did they offer you a ride on the bike after you bought it, to test the seat height etc?

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk 2
Proudly "a hater of academics with helmet cams"

User avatar
damhooligan
Posts: 3409
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:16 pm
Location: melbourne
Contact:

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby damhooligan » Mon Oct 08, 2012 12:02 am

open roader wrote:
disappointed in new bike


I'd say you should be disappointed with bike shop service.

Woeful attention to basic detail on the part of the shop.......... take it back and make a strong point......on principal
I agree.
The bike sounds fine, the service however... :cry:

I would go back, and ask/demand a new crankset, as the current one is damaged due to their fault !
Depending on their reaction, if not satisfactory, ask for a full refund , you are entitled to one.

I feel they stuffed up, and should do more then just adjust the bike then they should have in the first place.
Some form of compensation is more the logical, in my humble opnion.
The dutch have one word to describe the aussie MHL, this word is ;
SCHIJNVEILIGHEID !!

warthog1
Posts: 14311
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:40 pm
Location: Bendigo

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby warthog1 » Mon Oct 08, 2012 12:39 am

Cardy George wrote:
I'm in a similar situation as you. The owner of the shop I bought it from is useless, and the other shop has dodgy customer service. The next closest is approximately 300km away.
Rob (AT) Bikehub is OK on most things. The owner is not much chop though as you say.

Mick (AT) Superstore is a good mechanic but is a bit disorganised, I agree.
Dogs are the best people :wink:

scott w
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 7:10 pm
Location: mount gambler SA

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby scott w » Mon Oct 08, 2012 5:53 am

they didn't offer to set the seat height for me , but that part didn't bother me to much as i didn't mind putting it on the trainer and setting that part up , they did assure me that the bike was all serviced and ready to go .
i adjusted the front wheel bearing as it had too much play in it for me , i do feel i am getting somewhere with the derailleur ( Sunday arvo ) and will take it for a ride today after work .
the crank only has one tiny mark on it which is amazing , it may polish off , the shop owner told me he hadn't had anything to do with sram stuff before and its his daughter that puts the bikes together , so i am hoping i can get it sorted myself as they didn't get it right the first time .

marinmomma
Posts: 2039
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:12 pm
Location: Southside Brisbane

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby marinmomma » Mon Oct 08, 2012 7:16 am

If you can find someone who has worked with SRAM to service your bike if you can't get the gearing right.
I bought my bike that runs Rival from a store that had minimal experience with the brand and the shifting on the front was woeful took the bike back for its first free service and it was worse.
Took it to another shop and they had to replace the cables as they'd been cut too short and once the shifting was tuned correctly it's been great since.
Lesson learnt and I've never gone back to the original shop...
Lisa

User avatar
silentbutdeadly
Posts: 2294
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:52 am
Location: Somewhere flat...

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby silentbutdeadly » Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:33 am

warthog1 wrote:
Cardy George wrote:
I'm in a similar situation as you. The owner of the shop I bought it from is useless, and the other shop has dodgy customer service. The next closest is approximately 300km away.
Rob (AT) Bikehub is OK on most things. The owner is not much chop though as you say.

Mick (AT) Superstore is a good mechanic but is a bit disorganised, I agree.
You are probably being generous to both. Especially with the 'a bit disorganised' part.

To the OP, here begins a journey towards being an effective bike mechanic. Honestly, the SRAM stuff is actually quite straightforward to set up especially when you follow the instructions (which can be downloaded from SRAM site). I find it is easier to disconnect cables and start from scratch rather than persist with endless adjustment...
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

scott w
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 7:10 pm
Location: mount gambler SA

Re: disappointed in new bike

Postby scott w » Tue Oct 09, 2012 10:36 am

thanks everyone for the replies , i went for a ride last night and it seems to be fine now .
i have read that they upgraded the front derailleur this year as the sram red with the titanium cage had a few issues and that people had upgraded and were impressed with how much better it worked .

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users