First bike ever and idk what im doing.

[Fiberlish]

so when i got my bike the first couple rides were great. but now i feel like every time i change gears is rough and sometimes it dosnt change then sometimes it changes on its own which i hate because if im going fast and it changes it messes with my balance and i can eat **** very easy. so riding my secteur isnt really ejoyable when i have to worry about that. i hear alot of noises from the gears too! my bike shop says its fine but i dont know!.

 

[oldbobcat]

I'm inclined to say find a new bike shop because it's been a looong looong time since I've eaten **** on a shift, but here are some tips to try before you go back to the shop.

First, pedal at a snappy cadence. The chain has to be in forward motion to make it jump off one cog and onto another, so if there isn't enough motion it ain't gonna jump to well. Start in a low gear and shift up as you pick up speed. As a beginner, aim for a cruising cadence that's at least as fast as walking or running. As you get more coordinated and stronger, your feet will get used to moving even faster.

Second, don't "wimpy-shift." Some riders stop pushing the lever as soon as they hear a click. Keep pushing, not hard, until the lever hits solid resistance. As you get a feel for the levers you'll learn how to find the trim positions in the front (left) shifter.

Third, back off on the pedal pressure when you shift. Keep the cranks turning, just don't push so hard. Anticipate your shift points so you can back off, before you have to keep pushing hard just to keep moving forward.

And if this doesn't work, and your shop isn't being much help, get back to us with some more details. We'll get you going without having to spend another cent.

Alfeng is going to chime in now with his recommendation to buy Campagnolo levers, with the disclaimer that they're not as expensive as everyone thinks, but dammit, some of us still believe you're entitled to at least couple weeks of enjoying your new bike before feeling compelled to swap something out. Make that a couple years.

 

[AyeYo]

What kind of bike and shifter style? It's easier to give specific tips if we know what you're working with.

 

[Fiberlish]

Hey thanks for the well thought out tips man! i notice i whimpy shift alot because once i hear a click i stop . and i went to the bike shop and they said it was a loose cable!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

New bike cable stretch.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by Fiberlish
Hey thanks for the well thought out tips man! i notice i whimpy shift alot because once i hear a click i stop . and i went to the bike shop and they said it was a loose cable!

I'd second what Bob said, probably new bike cable stretch. Most builds need a minor tweek after a few weeks of riding.

If they told you "a loose cable", or for that matter if they told you anything without a mechanic throwing the bike up on the stand and running through the gears for a minute or two, I'd find a new shop.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by Fiberlish
Hey thanks for the well thought out tips man! i notice i whimpy shift alot because once i hear a click i stop . and i went to the bike shop and they said it was a loose cable!

Cool. Good shops will get it right, at least by the second try, if you give them a few minutes to look at it.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by oldbobcat
I'm inclined to say find a new bike shop because it's been a looong looong time since I've eaten **** on a shift, but here are some tips to try before you go back to the shop.

First, pedal at a snappy cadence. The chain has to be in forward motion to make it jump off one cog and onto another, so if there isn't enough motion it ain't gonna jump to well. Start in a low gear and shift up as you pick up speed. As a beginner, aim for a cruising cadence that's at least as fast as walking or running. As you get more coordinated and stronger, your feet will get used to moving even faster.

Second, don't "wimpy-shift." Some riders stop pushing the lever as soon as they hear a click. Keep pushing, not hard, until the lever hits solid resistance. As you get a feel for the levers you'll learn how to find the trim positions in the front (left) shifter.

Third, back off on the pedal pressure when you shift. Keep the cranks turning, just don't push so hard. Anticipate your shift points so you can back off, before you have to keep pushing hard just to keep moving forward.

And if this doesn't work, and your shop isn't being much help, get back to us with some more details. We'll get you going without having to spend another cent.

Alfeng is going to chime in now with his recommendation to buy Campagnolo levers, with the disclaimer that they're not as expensive as everyone thinks, but dammit, some of us still believe you're entitled to at least couple weeks of enjoying your new bike before feeling compelled to swap something out. Make that a couple years.

Well, I agree that riders should be able to enjoy their new bikes without swapping out parts ...

BUT, I will add that the rider should NOT need to learn to un-weight the drivetrain OR perform any other tricks to get the shifters to move the chain efficiently ...

SO, blame someone in Osaka who insists on continuing to use an eccentric take-up spool in their shifters!!!

AND (while we wait for a future generation of Shimano shifters to use a concentric take-up spool), be grateful that the "fix" is so inexpensive & easy to implement.

 

[pmallett]

Can you safely put Campy shifters on a Shimano cassette? I have Shimano 105's (yeh yeh ) but I HATE the huge shifters and their touchiness. And switching to Ultegra Di2 or Dura Ace is a little out of my price point....

 

[alfeng]

Yes!!! Absolutely. IMO, Campagnolo shifters love being mated to Shimano drivetrains. Let your budget & aesthetic sensibilities -- [COLOR=FF00AA]the current style vs. recent style with the smaller 'horns[/COLOR]' -- be your guide ... The eBay prices have been going up, recently ... You can still buy a pair of 10-speed shifters off of eBay for under $200 ... $150 if you are a wise shopper ... Closer to $100+ for a pair of used 10-speed shifters in good condition ...

 

[oldbobcat]

Understand that if UDK what you're doing, you're going to be depending on alfeng for advice from here out.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Could be worse...could be Swampy advising nothing but shimaNO for the rest of her life!

That would suck. But probably no worse than still getting ribbed for an inbred drivetrain.

 

[alfeng]

Understand that if UDK what you're doing, you're going to be depending on alfeng for advice from here out.

[COLOR=FF00AA]OY! [/COLOR] Here are old pics of my OLMO when it was equipped with a 10-speed Campagnolo shifters + 105 rear derailleur (10t upper pulley wheel to clear the over-sized Cogs) + 9-speed Ultegra front derailleur ... AND a 9-speed Shimano Cassette.

Currently, the bike has an XTR 950 rear derailleur which MAY be swapped at some future point in time to a Campagnolo rear derailleur for purely cosmetic reasons. 10-speed Shimano Cassette? No problem ...

The ramping on the Cogs makes a HUGE difference as far as how easily a chain transfers from Cog-to-Cog ...

• No ramping -- the indexing needs to be very precise
• Ramping -- the indexing with NON-Shimano shifters can actually be surprisingly imprecise

THANKS to ramping, a 10-speed Shimano Cassette may work with an 11-speed Campagnolo shifter without resorting to the hubbub.com connection. YES. I've done tests with Cassettes whose Cogs were unramped where the Campagnolo shifters could NOT overcome poor indexing.​

Unfortunately, it seems that oldbobcat is reluctant to test Campagnolo shifters with a variety of rear non-Campagnolo Cassettes BECAUSE he would then probably have to admit that there is something better than Shimano and/or SRAM! :big-smile: