Hello everybody!
I'm quite new to the terminology of bikes as I've only been a happy rider so far, so I hope that I'm clear enough. Just let me know I'm being stupid if I'm not =] Also, I hope this is the right place to post this!
My brother gave me his old mountain bike for my birthday last summer, which, aside from some issues with the gears was in fine condition. It's a GT Avalanche, though I don't know more than that other than it's probably about four or five years old now. A few months after getting it I fell off in the rain and fractured the radial head in my left arm (another story that, but I was terrified that such a little crack could have caused such problems!). So basically, the bike had been unused for a couple of months while I healed and while it was too icy to ride here. The problem I've got now is that when I turn the handlebars in either direction, a horrible grinding sound emits from the front of the bike. It feels like the movement is restricted and occasionally it locks up briefly, though with a little more pressure it moves again.
As I've said, I don't know much about the inner workings of a bike (the closest I've come is trying and failing to replace brake and gear cables. I wasn't too far off though!), so I assumed it might have rusted up inside the front tubes. Does that sound reasonable? I've been looking into taking the front of the bike apart, though I'm not sure I'd even know what I'd be looking for. There's a bike shop in the next town over, but at the moment I don't have the time, the money or the transport to go there.
Any suggestions on what the problem might be and how I might be able to remedy it? You all seem like a clever bunch so I'm hoping someone will be able to help =]
Cheers, Karl
I'm quite new to the terminology of bikes as I've only been a happy rider so far, so I hope that I'm clear enough. Just let me know I'm being stupid if I'm not =] Also, I hope this is the right place to post this!
My brother gave me his old mountain bike for my birthday last summer, which, aside from some issues with the gears was in fine condition. It's a GT Avalanche, though I don't know more than that other than it's probably about four or five years old now. A few months after getting it I fell off in the rain and fractured the radial head in my left arm (another story that, but I was terrified that such a little crack could have caused such problems!). So basically, the bike had been unused for a couple of months while I healed and while it was too icy to ride here. The problem I've got now is that when I turn the handlebars in either direction, a horrible grinding sound emits from the front of the bike. It feels like the movement is restricted and occasionally it locks up briefly, though with a little more pressure it moves again.
As I've said, I don't know much about the inner workings of a bike (the closest I've come is trying and failing to replace brake and gear cables. I wasn't too far off though!), so I assumed it might have rusted up inside the front tubes. Does that sound reasonable? I've been looking into taking the front of the bike apart, though I'm not sure I'd even know what I'd be looking for. There's a bike shop in the next town over, but at the moment I don't have the time, the money or the transport to go there.
Any suggestions on what the problem might be and how I might be able to remedy it? You all seem like a clever bunch so I'm hoping someone will be able to help =]
Cheers, Karl