Advice for making my commute better?

[Enis Baysal]

I own a giant fcr 3 which I want to do longer journeys on and train to increase my average speed times.
I was just curious if it would be worth me investing in drop handlebars? what are the actual benefits?
also need to sort my gearing out as they make a horrible click when pedalling in certain gears.. im nit too sure if thats causing any drag :/

 

[jonny jeez]

Hi Enis, and welcome.The clicking is most likely your "indexing" which needs a little adjusting, I'm not sure what you mean by drag...but it will effect your ride.

Nice walkthrough here to help you sort it out.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ


As far as the drops are concerned I've seen plenty of FCR's with drops and they seem to work just fine. Although, If you like the look of drops, you might be tempted to go the whole hog and just invest in a road bike

 

[Arjimlad]

I had the exact same bike and by the time I'd factored in the new shifters into the cost of changing it across, it was worth getting a new bike instead. Lovely ride though !

It's easier to cycle with the drop bars on a windy day, you don't go along like some great big sail.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

hello. In short the benefit of drops are that you can get lower and more aerodynamic when rolling along at a good pace on the flat and when zooming downhill, also when being buffeted by headwinds, it does make an appreciable difference. Most people though spend a lot of their time on the top of the bars or 'on the hoods' hands wrapped round the top of the brake levers. It gives you more hand positions for comfort too.

Clicking is most likely indexing, as JJ says above, in essence your derailleur mechanism is coming to rest in the wrong place when the gear change is done and the clicking is the chain either rubbing against an adjacent cog, or if it is a louder rattling noise, the chain trying to jump into the adjacent gear. As long as the rear end hasn't had a bash and bent something then it is a relatively simple fix by turning the barrel adjuster to change the gear cable tension and thus the derailleur position. P.S. Not played the vid, I assume I've repeated what it says.

 

[Enis Baysal]

Hi Enis, and welcome.The clicking is most likely your "indexing" which needs a little adjusting, I'm not sure what you mean by drag...but it will effect your ride.

Nice walkthrough here to help you sort it out.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ


As far as the drops are concerned I've seen plenty of FCR's with drops and they seem to work just fine. Although, If you like the look of drops, you might be tempted to go the whole hog and just invest in a road bike

Thank you f5ir sharing the video jonny, I am a newbie and that has given me a good basic insight to idexing which I can now clarify when I said "drag", I meant the chain making a noise reting to jump to the next sprocket.
Thanks for the interest to reply guys im grateful.

1 other question that has bugged me, as he states in the video when indexing gears, if 1 changes with no problem they should all work and sit flush..I always use my middle front sprocket (2 of 3), I have 8 gears on the rear, and from 1-5 there are no problems, although as my legs have increased in strength I am now riding in 6th but thats the gear which creates the rattling sound trying to jump the sprocket.
should I just readjust the cable tensioner so counter this as I use that gear 90% of the time now.

Thanks again for the help guys !

 

[jonny jeez]

1 other question that has bugged me, as he states in the video when indexing gears, if 1 changes with no problem they should all work and sit flush..I always use my middle front sprocket (2 of 3), I have 8 gears on the rear, and from 1-5 there are no problems, although as my legs have increased in strength I am now riding in 6th but thats the gear which creates the rattling sound trying to jump the sprocket.
!

3 optiions I can think of here.

One, take a look at the "stop limit screws" on the rear mech (jockey wheel thing) the screws (as the video mentions I think) only set a limit by which the rear mech can operate, if you are struggling to reach an outer sprocket on the block (cassette) then there is a chance the stop limit needs adjusting on that side, to let the rear mech do its job. One screw adjust the upper, the other the lower gears...I'm not sure what you mean by 6th gear so I'll leave it to you to visually see where the chain sits on the block when you are in 6th

Or

Does the sound persist...or get worse as you change chain rings...(the pedal end cogs)...if it does the likelihood is its the front mech (derailer) that's causing an issue and will need to be pulled in or out with the small adjustment screws (which dont work quite the same as the stop limit screws found on the backside of the rear meck or jockey wheels). The derailier pushes the chain from one ring to the next and at it limits can rub on the chain.

Or

if the noise doenst get worse there is a good change you need to replace your rear gear cable inner and outer (very simple job once you google how to remove the shifter end of the cable) A sticky or worn cable will stop the spring in the rear mech from doing its job and letting the gears move across the block

of all of those I suspect its the stop limit screws...make very small adjustments and keep turning the pedals as you do...get someone to lift the bike or use a workstand if you have one...if you dont, they are a fantastic investment.

JJ

 

[jonny jeez]

just as an addendum...whilst the video says all the gears should work when one is set, I too have sometimes found a single sprocket can misbehave, I have just fettled back and forth with the barrel adjuster right though the entire block until I hear no noise in any gear.

I suspect there is no harm in trying this for your sticky 6th but be mindful that if, in doing so, the other sprockets complain, then something else is amiss.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

agree with the above, gear cogs aren't uniformly sticking up, some have a slight tilt either way to assist the Chan changing cog, this can sometimes be a cause of a rogue gear.

The rattling could be the chain rubbing on the front derailleur cage if you aren't moving the front cog at all. You'll also be stressing and stretching your chain. If you move to 3 x 8 or 3 x 7 gear combo do you still get the rattle? Minute changes in angle of the front cage and a bit better use of the full range of your gears may be the answer.

be careful of the Hi/Low limit screws, they shouldn't affect mid range gears they're there to stop the chain jumping off the top or bottom cog rather than adjusting across the range.

In a workshop ideal world when you get one gear right, you get them all right, in the real world there's usually a bit more to it and often swearing involved

 

[Enis Baysal]

agree with the above, gear cogs aren't uniformly sticking up, some have a slight tilt either way to assist the Chan changing cog, this can sometimes be a cause of a rogue gear.

The rattling could be the chain rubbing on the front derailleur cage if you aren't moving the front cog at all. You'll also be stressing and stretching your chain. If you move to 3 x 8 or 3 x 7 gear combo do you still get the rattle? Minute changes in angle of the front cage and a bit better use of the full range of your gears may be the answer.

be careful of the Hi/Low limit screws, they shouldn't affect mid range gears they're there to stop the chain jumping off the top or bottom cog rather than adjusting across the range.

In a workshop ideal world when you get one gear right, you get them all right, in the real world there's usually a bit more to it and often swearing involved

Ohhh I see, the video didnt really stress the importance of real world situations such as mine lol.

Just to clarify I always ride on *2-5* *2-6* gear combinations.

Ill have a good fiddle about.
THANKS GUYS^^

 

[jonny jeez]

be careful of the Hi/Low limit screws, they shouldn't affect mid range gears they're there to stop the chain jumping off the top or bottom cog rather than adjusting across the range.

good point I actually misread and thought that the sticky 6th was the outer sprocket, but I see Enis has an 8 speed block.

Doh! my bad