rear cassette issue

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gaz911

New Member
I have just bought a Specialized Allez Elite from my local LBS.

The ride home from the shop was fine, but after taking it out tonight the gears on the rear cassette are slipping. When I say slipping I mean every say 4 rotation of the pedal the gear will try and change (but not change).

As I spent over £1000 at the shop then I will take it back, but is theresomething I could do, ie its a simple issue and fixable with a screwdriver/spanner.

Sorry I am novice rider and never really messed with the macanics of a bike.

Ta
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
There is but you should take it back really. Indexing the gears is a skill worth learning though.

Check this site

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=64
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Yep, take it back to the shop. As it's a new bike they will index them for free. Then you should take back in a months time as I would be sure your lbs will do a free one months service as the cables would have stretched.

PS listen to the Old Uncle Rich above.. he talks sense.
 
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OP
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gaz911

New Member
Cheers for replys.

Will take back this week, no point me tweaking and breaking it.

On another note how the h'll do I get the pedals off to put on my new ones? I am either weakest man in the world or doing something wrong.
 

battered

Guru
Left hand pedal, left hand thread. RH pedal, RH (conventional) thread.

15mm spanner usually, which is an unusual size in repair kits. DO NOT use a cone spannerif you want it working and not knackered.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
gaz911 said:
I have just bought a Specialized Allez Elite from my local LBS.

The ride home from the shop was fine, but after taking it out tonight the gears on the rear cassette are slipping. When I say slipping I mean every say 4 rotation of the pedal the gear will try and change (but not change).

As I spent over £1000 at the shop then I will take it back, but is theresomething I could do, ie its a simple issue and fixable with a screwdriver/spanner.

Sorry I am novice rider and never really messed with the macanics of a bike.

Ta

Completely normal for the gear indexing to go out of wack soon on a new bike due to cable stretching usually. 2 minute job for LBS ,ask them to slacken your pedals for you at the same time .

I put a dab of grease on my pedal threads which makes them easier to get off at a later date.

Enjoy the new bike.
 
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gaz911

New Member
All sorted now. LBS did tighten cable but was issue with chain, one link had been manufactured poorly and was forcing the chain off everytime it hit a cog. LBS changed link and is running smooth now.

Has anyone got tips on keeping the bike clean after rides where the rain has got you? is it as simple as wet cloth and grease on chain?
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Sponge and car shampoo. Get some bottles of chain lube, like Finish Line Pro Ceramic.... drip a drop on each roller, spin chain and wipe off excess.

Aerosols waste loads of oil and aren't worth it.
 

gavintc

Guru
Location
Southsea
Most shops will tell you to bring the bike after a week to tweak the gears as the cable will have stretched in that time. The stretch is most noticeable immediately after fitting. It should be OK once it has been reset for a few weeks at least. But, it is worth googling how to do it. It really is a 5 min job - and one worth knowing how to do.
 

RecordAceFromNew

Swinging Member
Location
West London
Since your bike is new the general advice is NOT to lube the chain for a while until it gets gritty inside the rollers (probably after a few hundred miles for road riding). The reason is that new chains come from the factory with a waxy lubricant, which has the advantage of being excellent for lubrication as well as being neither wet nor sticky like most lubricants people would apply which collect grit and dust, and which are the main reasons for chain wear.
 
Location
EDINBURGH
If it is a Shimano set up with Shimano cables then it will take about six weeks of regular riding to settle down as the springs in the derailleur stabilize and the cable stops stretching, there is probably an adjuster where the cable enters the shifter or the derailleur that can be used to tighten or loosen the cable tension slightly, that is where you fine tune the indexing. If it is SRAM it takes about three weeks.
 

e-rider

crappy member
Location
South West
RecordAceFromNew said:
Since your bike is new the general advice is NOT to lube the chain for a while until it gets gritty inside the rollers (probably after a few hundred miles for road riding). The reason is that new chains come from the factory with a waxy lubricant, which has the advantage of being excellent for lubrication as well as being neither wet nor sticky like most lubricants people would apply which collect grit and dust, and which are the main reasons for chain wear.

I don't entirely agree with this statement. I would agree that the lubricant that is factory applied is very good but it will need to be 'topped-up' with a decent normal chain lube well before a few hundred miles - if your first ride is in wet conditions you'll need to apply chain lube straight away.

The main reason for (quick) chain wear is not enough lube!
 

RecordAceFromNew

Swinging Member
Location
West London
tundragumski said:
I don't entirely agree with this statement. I would agree that the lubricant that is factory applied is very good but it will need to be 'topped-up' with a decent normal chain lube well before a few hundred miles - if your first ride is in wet conditions you'll need to apply chain lube straight away.

The main reason for (quick) chain wear is not enough lube!

The reason for (quick) chain wear is the internal rollers/sleeves being worn down by a grinding paste (based on a mixture of road grit, and wrong lube or right lube wrongly applied). This subject has extensively been covered by the late great Sheldon as well as Jobst Brandt.
 

Fattman

Active Member
Location
Roydon, Essex
gaz911 said:
Has anyone got tips on keeping the bike clean after rides where the rain has got you? is it as simple as wet cloth and grease on chain?

It can be as simple as that. But pretty soon, it's the clean rag/oily rag, then the degreaser, water dispersant... it ends up with cotton buds and rubbing alcohol and cassettes in the kitchen sink and grumpy wives and divorce and living under a bridge... at least you'll have a clean bike, mind!
 
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