I've just bought a cheap bike..tell me I haven't made a mistake.

damsmi2002

Nor meaning to put a downer on things but its all very well saying the bike works,but were crucial safety check done? for instance the crank bolts must be torqued up to 40Nm otherwise the crank arms can just fall off when riding along, were the handlebars tightened evenly and strongly? otherwise these can work loose and come off. Also with sorting the gears there are limit screws, if these are not set correct the chain will fall off and this could cause further problems.

I used to think that bikes were easy to assemble, which i suppose is correct, but to make them safe is another thing. My advice would be as it is almost completely set up, take it to a bike shop and they will probably only charge a tenner to give it a quick check, tighten the loose bolts and set the limiters up. At least you know its safer

aliasojo

damsmi2002 wrote: »

Nor meaning to put a downer on things but its all very well saying the bike works,but were crucial safety check done? for instance the crank bolts must be torqued up to 40Nm otherwise the crank arms can just fall off when riding along, were the handlebars tightened evenly and strongly? otherwise these can work loose and come off. Also with sorting the gears there are limit screws, if these are not set correct the chain will fall off and this could cause further problems.

I used to think that bikes were easy to assemble, which i suppose is correct, but to make them safe is another thing. My advice would be as it is almost completely set up, take it to a bike shop and they will probably only charge a tenner to give it a quick check, tighten the loose bolts and set the limiters up. At least you know its safer

The bike only needed partial assembly. The rear wheel/gears/brake etc were already in place. It was only the handlebars and seat that needed inserted in the frame and the nut tightened to hold them on. The pedals needed screwed on and the front brake needed to be adjusted so the blocks were not rubbing.

Nothing is loose. Her Dad has checked everything over since she's been on it and everything is tight. I don't feel there is a need to have it checked tbh but I'll bear it in mind. Thanks.

damsmi2002

Thats how all boxed bikes come but the points remian valid. You say you screwed the pedals on, were they then tightened with a spanner? If not its things like this which are overlooked and could lead to accidents

aliasojo

damsmi2002 wrote: »

Thats how all boxed bikes come but the points remian valid. You say you screwed the pedals on, were they then tightened with a spanner? If not its things like this which are overlooked and could lead to accidents

I appreciate your points but you'll just have to take my word for it that all fixings have been properly put on and tightened.

Her Dad used his own bike/car tools rather than the flat multi fit thing that came with the bike as he felt the supplied tool was not sufficient. If anything had not gone together the way it should have, or something hadn't tightened as much as it could have, we would obviously have got the bike professionally checked. We're not stupid people and would not take a risk with our daughter's safety if there were any cause for concern at all, no matter how slight. As it is, I'm happy that the bike is solid enough and built well enough to have no concern.



Edit: I hope I didn't come across as being dismissive of your points, I do appreciate your advice and the fact you took time to post in an effort to advise me.