Question about gear changing...new bike!

[StatusKuota]

I have mountain biked for a couple of years but just recently got into road cycling. I also just bought my first new bike which happens to be a 09 Kuota Kharma. The bike looks great and has the Shimano Ultegra gruppo on it. My question is, when I was riding this afternoon I was in a chosen gear and I approached a large hill in my neighborhood and as I started my climb it either changing gears on me or skipping the cogs. I tried this on both the smaller and larger rings and this happened both times. Even on a small incline when I was cranking it out it would this. Now remember this brand new bike. I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to happen so if you guys and gals have any insight or know whats going on please chime in.

 

[King Schlooge]

I have mountain biked for a couple of years but just recently got into road cycling. I also just bought my first new bike which happens to be a 09 Kuota Kharma. The bike looks great and has the Shimano Ultegra gruppo on it. My question is, when I was riding this afternoon I was in a chosen gear and I approached a large hill in my neighborhood and as I started my climb it either changing gears on me or skipping the cogs. I tried this on both the smaller and larger rings and this happened both times. Even on a small incline when I was cranking it out it would this. Now remember this brand new bike. I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to happen so if you guys and gals have any insight or know whats going on please chime in.

It should shift flawlessly when you receive it from the dealer, but a new bike will need an adjustment after a few hundred miles, after the cables do their initial stretching. You can generally bring it back to excellent shifting with a small adjustment of the barrel adjuster at the cable end to take the slack and restore proper tension, like half of a turn, maybe another quarter if that doesn't get it. If your chain is not aligned properly it can ride up on the chainrings or cassette cogs or skip cogs. You should not have to adjust the stops, just the tension. After a couple of "stretch-induced" adjustments you shouldn't have to touch it. It is also possible you need to learn to use the shifters of a different type than you are used to, learning not to use the cross chain positions and learning to "trim" the front derailleur when your chain makes noise at the front, generally once you get to the smallest couple of cassette cogs. All of that said take it back where you bought it if you can. If it is truly brand new and you don't have enough miles on it for it to be cable stretch, they probably did not set it up properly. That is a great bike with a fine groupset, especially for a first road bike. Congrats.

 

[StatusKuota]

Thanks for the reply. From some of the research I have done you may be right on the money. It's not the first time I have ridden the back but just the first time I have really hammered it on a ride up a some real hills. The bike has been fantastic other wise and your also right with the shifting a different bike. I'll ge there. Thanks again.

 

[King Schlooge]

Thanks for the reply. From some of the research I have done you may be right on the money. It's not the first time I have ridden the back but just the first time I have really hammered it on a ride up a some real hills. The bike has been fantastic other wise and your also right with the shifting a different bike. I'll ge there. Thanks again.

The cycling buddy who I ride with most often was having the exact sympton of skipping under load on his 105 equipped Cannondale a few weeks ago. I took his bike home after a ride and cleaned and lubed the chain and adjusted the rear derailleur as I described and it solved the problem. You should also check your rear wheel alignment. If you clamp the quick release down with the wheel not perfectly straight it could contribute to chain/cassette misalignment.