Kona Dr Dew - built on a friday afternoon?

I've just got a Kona Dr Dew, and after 350 miles I've noticed the following (sorry there's a
fair amount!):

The cassette has a wobble of about 1mm lateral movement.. is this normal? (what I mean is, am I
being paranoid because I just spent a lot on a bike, or does this indicate a damaged axle)

The shifting is awkward, dropping down the cassette is noisy and slow compared to other [cheaper]
bikes - could this be a long chain (115 links apparently)

Out of the saddle in top gear the chain hits the front cage, but it doesn't if I'm pedaling hard and
sitting - Is this normal movement for the bottom bracket given the load I am exerting, or is it
knackered?

It uses a 105 derailleur, but Deore flat bar shifters - is there any problem with this combination?
Currently i can only use the smallest three cogs whilst on the big ring because of the chain rubbing
the cage. Someone recommended the SL-R440 flat bar shifters because they have a half step - worth
it, or should I just put it on the middle ring?

Finally when I get out of the saddle and go for it the forks make an unnerving groaning noise..
could this be flex making the brake pads rub (it's disc braking), imminent structural failure or
nothing to worry about.

It's the first time I've bought a new bike and I'm worried it might have been built on a friday
afternoon! Any ideas/advice/hints - all will be gratefully recieved!

Cheers

Simon

 

Most new bikes come with something like a free 6 week service as all sorts of things can appear when
a new bike which has never been riden before actually gets riden. Things like cable stretch are
particularly common.

My suggestion would be to take the bike back to the shop for its initial service and get
things adjusted.

I have a small amount of lateral movement from my cassette which doesn't cause a problem (it is a
much cheaper bike than yours though) but if you're unhappy ask to have it checked and perhaps
tightened.

The shifting problems are pretty much to be expected as new cables stretch initially and
re-adjusting the gears is standard practice for the 6 week type services.

You'd be suprised how much extra force can be applied to the pedals by standing (add in all your
body weight for a start) compared to sitting, the chain hitting the cage is probably just the chain
flexing, the frame too can flex, I doubt that it's the bottom bracket moving. It might be gotten rid
of by adjusting the front derailleur but messing up front shifting to avoid it is IMHO not worth it.

I ride a rigid bike so I'm not sure about the forks groaning but I'm fairly sure that many
suspension forks take a while to bed down properly.

I'm no expert but am probably a few months further along than you. When I bought my bike I wanted
value for money and wanted everything just right, I was forever taking it back for tweaks or to
silence odd noises, some of which only I could hear . I think that a good service (and as I say
most companies include a 6 week (or similar) free service to sort these sort of things out in the
price of the bike) should do the trick. But mention everything that you're not happy with and see
what the shop mechanics think.

Happy cycling,

Kind Regards, Paul.

 

Simon

Front road derailleurs are not compatible with mountain bike shifters.

I had a bike with a Sora front derailleaur and Deore shifters/brake levers. The front shifting was
TERRIBLE. I solved my problem by replacing the Sora derailleur with a 12+ year old Deore DX
derailleur.

Shimano specifically makes a front derailleur that is compatible with road sized chain rings
(30/42/52) and flat bike shifters. This is what Kona should have spec'd on the bike.

Jeff

"Simon M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've just got a Kona Dr Dew, and after 350 miles I've noticed the following (sorry there's a fair
> amount!):
>
> The cassette has a wobble of about 1mm lateral movement.. is this normal? (what I mean is, am I
> being paranoid because I just spent a lot on a bike, or does this indicate a damaged axle)
>
> The shifting is awkward, dropping down the cassette is noisy and slow compared to other [cheaper]
> bikes - could this be a long chain (115 links apparently)
>
> Out of the saddle in top gear the chain hits the front cage, but it doesn't if I'm pedaling hard
> and sitting - Is this normal movement for the bottom bracket given the load I am exerting, or is
> it knackered?
>
> It uses a 105 derailleur, but Deore flat bar shifters - is there any problem with this
> combination? Currently i can only use the smallest three cogs whilst on the big ring because of
> the chain rubbing the cage. Someone recommended the SL-R440 flat bar shifters because they have a
> half step - worth it, or should I just put it on the middle ring?
>
> Finally when I get out of the saddle and go for it the forks make an unnerving groaning noise..
> could this be flex making the brake pads rub (it's disc braking), imminent structural failure or
> nothing to worry
about.
>
> It's the first time I've bought a new bike and I'm worried it might have been built on a friday
> afternoon! Any ideas/advice/hints - all will be gratefully recieved!
>
> Cheers
>
> Simon

 

I'm actually taking the bike in for its 4/5 week service this evening, I just wanted some
information from sources other than the shop in case they try to feed me a line Thanks for the
advice, i think i am quite paranoid about it having parted with the money! The forks are rigid
Project 2's. I suppose a lot of it is down to running in, and parts just need tightening up again..
although I did tune the gears after a week because the cables seemed to have stretched a little
after that short period. However I guess they probably need doing again, changes from some gears
are very quick, whilst other gears take ages. I'm assuming this is because the indexing is slightly
out of whack.

Finally, when I'm out of the saddle I am sure I can see the ring getting closer to the cage when my
right foot is going down. It also makes a clicking noise when on the big cog and with my left foot
is at about 6 o'clock. The noise is there even on very light turning (i.e. very little force on the
pedal). I read somewhere else that this might be because the b/b needs tightening... hmm. Other than
that it's a lovely bike

"Paul" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Most new bikes come with something like a free 6 week service as all sorts of things can appear
> when a new bike which has never been riden before actually gets riden. Things like cable stretch
> are particularly common.
>
> My suggestion would be to take the bike back to the shop for its initial service and get things
> adjusted.
>
> I have a small amount of lateral movement from my cassette which doesn't cause a problem (it is a
> much cheaper bike than yours though) but if you're unhappy ask to have it checked and perhaps
> tightened.
>
> The shifting problems are pretty much to be expected as new cables stretch initially and
> re-adjusting the gears is standard practice for the 6 week type services.
>
> You'd be suprised how much extra force can be applied to the pedals by standing (add in all your
> body weight for a start) compared to sitting, the chain hitting the cage is probably just the
> chain flexing, the frame too can flex, I doubt that it's the bottom bracket moving. It might be
> gotten rid of by adjusting the front derailleur but messing up front shifting to avoid it is IMHO
> not worth it.
>
> I ride a rigid bike so I'm not sure about the forks groaning but I'm fairly sure that many
> suspension forks take a while to bed down properly.
>
> I'm no expert but am probably a few months further along than you. When I bought my bike I wanted
> value for money and wanted everything just right, I was forever taking it back for tweaks or to
> silence odd noises, some of which only I could hear . I think that a good service (and as I say
> most companies include a 6 week (or similar) free service to sort these sort of things out in the
> price of the bike) should do the trick. But mention everything that you're not happy with and see
> what the shop mechanics think.
>
> Happy cycling,
>
> Kind Regards, Paul.

 

If I make the replacement myself, would you recommend changing the derailleur or the shifter, and
which product would you suggest?

I found out about this problem on the third day of ownership after the chain came off when I was
shifting and bent itself. I took it into a different shop than the one I bought it from to get a new
chain they were amazed at the setup, and spent 20 minutes finding an article in some publication to
explain why it shouldn't be like that.

I wrote to Kona about this but they have not replied, so I'm assuming they don't want to know. Any
idea if they are a nice friendly company who like to ensure their customers get the best, or are
they just totally corporate - by that i mean is there any chance in hell that they would admit it
was a bad spec and change it for me?

"Jeff Pitblado" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<5%[email protected]>...
> Simon
>
> Front road derailleurs are not compatible with mountain bike shifters.
>
> I had a bike with a Sora front derailleaur and Deore shifters/brake levers. The front shifting was
> TERRIBLE. I solved my problem by replacing the Sora derailleur with a 12+ year old Deore DX
> derailleur.
>
> Shimano specifically makes a front derailleur that is compatible with road sized chain rings
> (30/42/52) and flat bike shifters. This is what Kona should have spec'd on the bike.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
>
> "Simon M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I've just got a Kona Dr Dew, and after 350 miles I've noticed the following (sorry there's a
> > fair amount!):
> >
> > The cassette has a wobble of about 1mm lateral movement.. is this normal? (what I mean is, am I
> > being paranoid because I just spent a lot on a bike, or does this indicate a damaged axle)
> >
> > The shifting is awkward, dropping down the cassette is noisy and slow compared to other
> > [cheaper] bikes - could this be a long chain (115 links apparently)
> >
> > Out of the saddle in top gear the chain hits the front cage, but it doesn't if I'm pedaling hard
> > and sitting - Is this normal movement for the bottom bracket given the load I am exerting, or is
> > it knackered?
> >
> > It uses a 105 derailleur, but Deore flat bar shifters - is there any problem with this
> > combination? Currently i can only use the smallest three cogs whilst on the big ring because of
> > the chain rubbing the cage. Someone recommended the SL-R440 flat bar shifters because they have
> > a half step - worth it, or should I just put it on the middle ring?
> >
> > Finally when I get out of the saddle and go for it the forks make an unnerving groaning noise..
> > could this be flex making the brake pads rub (it's disc braking), imminent structural failure or
> > nothing to worry
> about.
> >
> > It's the first time I've bought a new bike and I'm worried it might have been built on a friday
> > afternoon! Any ideas/advice/hints - all will be gratefully recieved!
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Simon

 

I'm not sure that rigid forks should be groaning, try applying the front brake and then push the
bike forward to look for play in the headset. Another possibility might be the front rim or hub,
often spokes loosen when a new bike that may have sat around for a while in a warehouse and shop
hits the road. Alternatively it might not be the forks, sometimes noises are hard to track down, I
had a really wierd noise coming from what I thought was the rear rim (it had a couple of really
loose spokes) not long after buying my bike, it actually turned out to be a bent axle and a
mysterious bottom bracket problem turned out to be the seatpost.

I also get the odd click in certain gears which I've never been able to resolve.

As I say, I'm no expert but hopefully the guy at the shop who'll do the service is. Don't settle for
a quick once over and a gear tune up, point out everything that you're not happy with (make a list
before you go so you don't forget anything) and if possible get the guy to take the bike out on the
road as I can almost guarantee that lots of issues just won't show up with the bike in a stand.
Hopefully everything should be checked and all the fasteners checked to be up to torque. Gear
adjustments and a bit of lubing should be included too.

Good luck, once the initial teething problems are over I'm sure you'll be bitten by the cycling bug.

Kind Regards, Paul.

 

Simon

I would go back to the shop you bought the bike from. It is worth a shot to see if they will do
anything for you. In my case my LBS gave me a $25 credit for the Sora derailleur. I THINK that
changing the derailleur will solve your problem. I don't know if the shifters differ from standard
mountain bike shifters.

Can you help us out on this one Sheldon?

Front Derailleur (For Triple Crankset/For Use With SL-R440 Shift Lever) - FD-R443
http://bike.shimano.com/Road/FlatHandleBar/index.asp

Jeff

"Simon M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If I make the replacement myself, would you recommend changing the derailleur or the shifter, and
> which product would you suggest?
>
> I found out about this problem on the third day of ownership after the chain came off when I was
> shifting and bent itself. I took it into a different shop than the one I bought it from to get a
> new chain they were amazed at the setup, and spent 20 minutes finding an article in some
> publication to explain why it shouldn't be like that.
>
> I wrote to Kona about this but they have not replied, so I'm assuming they don't want to know. Any
> idea if they are a nice friendly company who like to ensure their customers get the best, or are
> they just totally corporate - by that i mean is there any chance in hell that they would admit it
> was a bad spec and change it for me?
>
>
>
> "Jeff Pitblado" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<5%[email protected]>...
> > Simon
> >
> > Front road derailleurs are not compatible with mountain bike shifters.
> >
> > I had a bike with a Sora front derailleaur and Deore shifters/brake
levers.
> > The front shifting was TERRIBLE. I solved my problem by replacing the
Sora
> > derailleur with a 12+ year old Deore DX derailleur.
> >
> > Shimano specifically makes a front derailleur that is compatible with
road
> > sized chain rings (30/42/52) and flat bike shifters. This is what Kona should have spec'd on
> > the bike.
> >
> > Jeff
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Simon M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > I've just got a Kona Dr Dew, and after 350 miles I've noticed the following (sorry there's a
> > > fair amount!):
> > >
> > > The cassette has a wobble of about 1mm lateral movement.. is this normal? (what I mean is, am
> > > I being paranoid because I just spent a lot on a bike, or does this indicate a damaged axle)
> > >
> > > The shifting is awkward, dropping down the cassette is noisy and slow compared to other
> > > [cheaper] bikes - could this be a long chain (115 links apparently)
> > >
> > > Out of the saddle in top gear the chain hits the front cage, but it doesn't if I'm pedaling
> > > hard and sitting - Is this normal movement for the bottom bracket given the load I am
> > > exerting, or is it knackered?
> > >
> > > It uses a 105 derailleur, but Deore flat bar shifters - is there any problem with this
> > > combination? Currently i can only use the smallest three cogs whilst on the big ring because
> > > of the chain rubbing the cage. Someone recommended the SL-R440 flat bar shifters because they
> > > have a half step - worth it, or should I just put it on the middle ring?
> > >
> > > Finally when I get out of the saddle and go for it the forks make an unnerving groaning
> > > noise.. could this be flex making the brake pads rub (it's disc braking), imminent structural
> > > failure or nothing to
worry
> > about.
> > >
> > > It's the first time I've bought a new bike and I'm worried it might have been built on a
> > > friday afternoon! Any ideas/advice/hints - all will be gratefully recieved!
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > >
> > > Simon

 

Heh, I went down with a long list and they looked at me like i was slightly obsessive But still
listened patiently anyway. Alas I couldn't persuade him to take it out right then (the shop was
busy) but I'm hoping they'll do it all properly. They told me the lateral play in the cassette was
normal, they also said the 105 should work fine with Deore shifters (dubious about that, but I've
written to Shimano so maybe they'll shed some light on that one.)

I've been cycling for ages, but I've always had really cheap bikes and decided to splash out. I'm
not that technically minded though, which is why every click sounds like a fatal problem to my ears
Can't wait to get back on it, hammering through London traffic is just so much fun!

Anyway, thanks again for the advice, I'll let you know what happens

Cheers

Simon

"Paul" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm not sure that rigid forks should be groaning, try applying the front brake and then push the
> bike forward to look for play in the headset. Another possibility might be the front rim or hub,
> often spokes loosen when a new bike that may have sat around for a while in a warehouse and shop
> hits the road. Alternatively it might not be the forks, sometimes noises are hard to track down, I
> had a really wierd noise coming from what I thought was the rear rim (it had a couple of really
> loose spokes) not long after buying my bike, it actually turned out to be a bent axle and a
> mysterious bottom bracket problem turned out to be the seatpost.
>
> I also get the odd click in certain gears which I've never been able to resolve.
>
> As I say, I'm no expert but hopefully the guy at the shop who'll do the service is. Don't settle
> for a quick once over and a gear tune up, point out everything that you're not happy with (make a
> list before you go so you don't forget anything) and if possible get the guy to take the bike out
> on the road as I can almost guarantee that lots of issues just won't show up with the bike in a
> stand. Hopefully everything should be checked and all the fasteners checked to be up to torque.
> Gear adjustments and a bit of lubing should be included too.
>
> Good luck, once the initial teething problems are over I'm sure you'll be bitten by the
> cycling bug.
>
> Kind Regards, Paul.