Bicycle Servicing Costs

Sgt_Pepper_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

No, it's got 7 on the right bar (that's easy) .... and on the left a multi-clicking H-L thing .... that's the start of my troubles every time.

I can always cycle in 5-6-7, it's when I start moving the left hand part that it all goes boobs up.

I said had not has.

thelawnet

PasturesNew wrote: »

No, it's got 7 on the right bar (that's easy) .... and on the left a multi-clicking H-L thing .... that's the start of my troubles every time.

I can always cycle in 5-6-7, it's when I start moving the left hand part that it all goes boobs up.

These gears need a lot of maintenance, which is a shame that they are fitted to cheap bikes that don't get any (it's often cheaper to throw the bike away and buy a new one!)

This is the sort of bike that suits that kind of usage

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/elops-5-2012-id_8202827.html

You've got a 3-speed no-maintenance hub, pannier rack, dynamo lights, a rack, and a nice built-in lock so you can leave it for a few minutes outside the post office or whatever.

The average cheap bike has:

no lights or lights which the batteries haven't been changed in a year and are so dim as to be useless
no luggage facility
brakes that are disconnected or don't work properly due to lack of adjustment/new brake pads
derailleurs that aren't smooth
worn out cassette due to grit and lack of oil on the chain
underinflated tyres because they don't have a decent pump
a Tesco carrier bag on the handle bars, which interferes with steering and could cause an accident

The bike above solves most of these problems except the tyres, and bikes like these sell by the million in Holland, where, by no coincidence at all, the majority of the population rides a bike regularly.

In this country we are sold useless 'mountain bikes', which require about £100 spent on them to make them useable for practical cycling.

Sad.

rxbren

most standard bike services will have nothing to do with bearings (bottom bracket/crank or wheel) all the service will cover is lubrication of chain, adjustment of gears and brakes, balancing of wheels and maybe tyre pressure checked all not including any parts

to be honest bike maintenace is pretty simple and you dont need much space
for your gear problem if the chain comes off of the bottom of the front cog simply select the lower cog on the left lever and have the chain on the cog there will be two screws on the derailer (part that moves the chain across) there stoppers possibly labled l and h so all you have to do is screw the lower one in till it touchs the derailer- youll feel the screw tighten if it pops of the top of the front cog its the same principle but the other way round.
if the chain pops off of the rear cogs the rear derailer also has two screws for adjustment all they do is limit how far the derailer can move
id imagine there are plenty of videos on youtube

rxbren

gears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngm6dr-1na0

custardy

for basic gear adjustments you need a screw driver and allen keys
then it goes from there
tons of videos on you tube. Park tools offer guides on their site
As does bike magic
lube for the chain is good. paying for a 'dry' type,means you dont get a claggy greasy chain.
about £3-6,but it last a good while

Norman_Castle

I can always cycle in 5-6-7, it's when I start moving the left hand part that it all goes boobs up.

Ask you local shop how much they charge to adjust the front deraliuer to stop the chain being pushed off the inner cog. Its quick and simple to do.

Dave_C_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

No, it's got 7 on the right bar (that's easy) .... and on the left a multi-clicking H-L thing .... that's the start of my troubles every time.

I can always cycle in 5-6-7, it's when I start moving the left hand part that it all goes boobs up.

I think I see the problem! Assuming you have three cogs on the front It sounds like you are are using the smallest cog on the front (L or 1 on the left selector) and 5-6-7 on the rear. This is a bad combination as the chain is going from the inside small cog on the front at an angle to the smaller cogs on the back. This makes changing gear difficult!

Ideally use the middle cog on the front and 2-3-4-5-6 on the back. This keeps the chain at a reasonable angle

Only use the small cog on the front for going up hills or against a strong headwind..

For a 21 speed bike you should be using the following combinations

For going uphill etc, use the small cog on the front (left selector) and 1-2-3 on the rear (right)
On the level use the middle cog on the front (left selector) and 2-3-4-5-6 on the rear (right)
Going fast downhill use the big cog on the front (left) and 6-7 on the right. If you are like me, I usually coast downhill and don't bother with this.

Provided you use the combinations above, Shimano gears should change as smooth as silk without clunking and any need for prayer. Easing off the pressure on the pedals as you change gear will help.

If they are still clunky, then a service is probably needed. This is how to check for wear and tear on the chain

Dave

PasturesNew

Dave_C wrote: »

I think I see the problem! Assuming you have three cogs on the front It sounds like you are are using the smallest cog on the front (L or 1 on the left selector) and 5-6-7 on the rear. This is a bad combination as the chain is going from the inside small cog on the front at an angle to the smaller cogs on the back. This makes changing gear difficult!

Ideally use the middle cog on the front and 2-3-4-5-6 on the back. This keeps the chain at a reasonable angle

Only use the small cog on the front for going up hills or against a strong headwind..

For a 21 speed bike you should be using the following combinations

For going uphill etc, use the small cog on the front (left selector) and 1-2-3 on the rear (right)
On the level use the middle cog on the front (left selector) and 2-3-4-5-6 on the rear (right)
Going fast downhill use the big cog on the front (left) and 6-7 on the right. If you are like me, I usually coast downhill and don't bother with this.

Provided you use the combinations above, Shimano gears should change as smooth as silk without clunking and any need for prayer. Easing off the pressure on the pedals as you change gear will help.

If they are still clunky, then a service is probably needed. This is how to check for wear and tear on the chain

Dave

Thanks for that. I really had no idea what to do. I know that using 1-7 on the right would be like in a car ..... and I've never needed to go below a 5 (when I am particularly lazy cycling on the flat)..... but what happened on the left completely meant nothing as it isn't big chunks, but a series of tiny clicks..... so I'd change the right one, then randomly start twisting the left thinking "what DOES this do...?"

I'm usually at 7 on the right. I tend to go into 5-6 after 15 miles or so, when I'm getting lazy and just want the end to come, so I can get off and put my feet up

I'll keep the left about/close to H all the time then ... and stick to 5-7 on the right.

I don't do hills. Too hard. Even starding my full weight on the pedals at the start of a hill has never made the bike go forward.... I walk it up hills (and slight rises).....

As I don't usually go up hills, I rarely go down them..... and the one time I did I was hitting 40mph at the bottom, by the bend .... and shytting myself that if the wheel came off I'd not stand a chance

custardy

imagine your front gears(1-3) are like 3 separate car gearboxes
So the smallest ring at the front is gearbox (ring)1
its the easiest to turn
on the rear you have 1-7. getting harder to turn as you go towards 7
So you turn the gears and go up through the gears(1-7)
then you shift to gearbox (ring) 2,and move down to a lower number on 1-7
then climb through to the high numbers on 1-7 again
Then you shift to gearbox (ring) 3 and use gears 1-7 again
The reverse for dropping down to easier gears

On the flat I would expect gear 1 at the front to go unused
just shifting between 2 & 3 at the front,with shifting through the rear 1-7 (though generally 1 wouldnt be used)

its the kind of thing i could show in seconds on the bike,but is hard to describe
then personal preference and fitness come into it
I prefer to push against a higher(harder) gear
others prefer to spin faster on an easier gear

PasturesNew

custardy wrote: »

imagine your front gears(1-3) are like 3 separate car gearboxes
So the smallest ring at the front is gearbox (ring)1
its the easiest to turn
on the rear you have 1-7. getting harder to turn as you go towards 7
So you turn the gears and go up through the gears(1-7)
then you shift to gearbox (ring) 2,and move down to a lower number on 1-7
then climb through to the high numbers on 1-7 again
Then you shift to gearbox (ring) 3 and use gears 1-7 again
The reverse for dropping down to easier gears

On the flat I would expect gear 1 at the front to go unused
just shifting between 2 & 3 at the front,with shifting through the rear 1-7 (though generally 1 wouldnt be used)

its the kind of thing i could show in seconds on the bike,but is hard to describe
then personal preference and fitness come into it
I prefer to push against a higher(harder) gear
others prefer to spin faster on an easier gear

The trouble I have is that while the right handlebar has 7 distinct gears, labelled.... the left hand one says H ...... L and goes through about 30+ miniscule clicks between the two, without any distinct indication of what's going on, or what to do. If it had said 1-3 on the left and 1-7 on the right, with distinct positions/clicks ... it'd have been easier and the chain wouldn't have kept falling off when I randomly twisted the left one back/forth.