Two questions regarding bike tuning...

[ericm]

Hey guys - sorry if this is somewhat of a newbie question, but lately I have been experiencing two annoying problems with my bike. The first has to do with what appears to be the chain "popping" when I am in low gears when I am using moderate to heavy power to pedal... The chain is not jumping gears or anything, it seems to give way for a second then grab again. The bike is still relatively new, it only has about 500 miles on it. Is this a simple chain tension adjustment? I have taken my bike back to the shop I bought it from and they haven't been able to fix it, or reproduce it...

The second question has to do with the front end of the bike feeling very "twitchy" at moderate to high speeds(28-30mph+). I originally thought it was my OEM tires which kind of sucked (Continental Ultrasports), and I ended up replacing them with some Hutchinson Carbon-Comps - the problem didn't really get better. I had thought it could have been me first, until I rode another similar bike and it didn't exhibit the same characteristics at all at those speeds. The bike is a 2005 Fuji Roubaix, which has carbon forks - some have told me this is an artifact of a very light front end. Can anyone recommend any type of adjustments? I don't feel confident on the bike over 28+mph at all. I've adjusted tire pressure across a range of ~95-115psi, with little differences.

 

[dhk]

Hey guys - sorry if this is somewhat of a newbie question, but lately I have been experiencing two annoying problems with my bike. The first has to do with what appears to be the chain "popping" when I am in low gears when I am using moderate to heavy power to pedal... The chain is not jumping gears or anything, it seems to give way for a second then grab again. The bike is still relatively new, it only has about 500 miles on it. Is this a simple chain tension adjustment? I have taken my bike back to the shop I bought it from and they haven't been able to fix it, or reproduce it...

The second question has to do with the front end of the bike feeling very "twitchy" at moderate to high speeds(28-30mph+). I originally thought it was my OEM tires which kind of sucked (Continental Ultrasports), and I ended up replacing them with some Hutchinson Carbon-Comps - the problem didn't really get better. I had thought it could have been me first, until I rode another similar bike and it didn't exhibit the same characteristics at all at those speeds. The bike is a 2005 Fuji Roubaix, which has carbon forks - some have told me this is an artifact of a very light front end. Can anyone recommend any type of adjustments? I don't feel confident on the bike over 28+mph at all. I've adjusted tire pressure across a range of ~95-115psi, with little differences.

Neither of these conditions should be occurring on a new bike. Your LBS doesn't sound to impressive to me, but I'd go back to them and demand service. Ride the bike and make the popping noise in their parking lot so the problem is obvious. It's likely either your rear deraileur is out of adjustment or broken, or your chain has a bad link. Should be a simple fix.

Carbon forks don't make a front-end twitchy. I'd ask the LBS to check the wheel and hub carefully for play or low spoke tension, as well as checking the headset for sticking and proper adjustment. Again, problem should be easy to fix on a new bike...assuming they have a bike mechanic who cares about service.

If you don't get these problems fixed promptly under warranty, tell them you want to talk with a regional Fuji about a replacement bike. Both these defects could be dangerous, and I'll bet Fuji will want to correct them quickly for you.

 

[ericm]

Neither of these conditions should be occurring on a new bike. Your LBS doesn't sound to impressive to me, but I'd go back to them and demand service. Ride the bike and make the popping noise in their parking lot so the problem is obvious. It's likely either your rear deraileur is out of adjustment or broken, or your chain has a bad link. Should be a simple fix.

Carbon forks don't make a front-end twitchy. I'd ask the LBS to check the wheel and hub carefully for play or low spoke tension, as well as checking the headset for sticking and proper adjustment. Again, problem should be easy to fix on a new bike...assuming they have a bike mechanic who cares about service.

If you don't get these problems fixed promptly under warranty, tell them you want to talk with a regional Fuji about a replacement bike. Both these defects could be dangerous, and I'll bet Fuji will want to correct them quickly for you.

Thanks for the response - If I don't get better service at the shop I bought the bike I will take it to one of the other local ones I guess, better to get it fixed then crash because of it

 

[gclark8]

I am interested in the rider's weight and the bike wheelbase. Had similar handling problems on a "long" bike with light rider and hard tyres.