Mountain Biking - Dummy With Four Lever Shimano Shifter

Hi

I just bought this S40 7 speed Schwinn mountain bike. I haven't been able
to figure out how to shift it since my old bike you just twist the handle.
The owners manual I got isn't bike specific so it's no help at all. This
bike has a four lever Shimano shifter, two small levers on the front of
the handle bar and two larger levers on the back of the handle bar. Are you
supposed to use one lever on each side simultaneously or one at a time? I
can get it to upshift but when I try to down shift it seems to just go into
neutral.

On the right, the shifter that controls the rear Derailleur, to shift up (into harder gears), you use the forward lever. The other lever is for shifting into easier gears, or down. The other lever controls the front derailleur and is, smartly enough, reversed so that to shift into a bigger chainring, you use the lever in the rear. Downshifting is done with the front lever. Bikes don't have a "neutral". Use each side separate from the other to make riding easier or harder.

Hi

I just bought this S40 7 speed Schwinn mountain bike. I haven't been able
to figure out how to shift it since my old bike you just twist the handle.
The owners manual I got isn't bike specific so it's no help at all.
Take it back to Walmart and get a real bike from a bike shop. Trust me you'll be better off for it.

Walmart doesn't sell bikes, they sell bicycle shaped toys
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3986/toystorevslbs4om.jpg

It's taking some practice but I think I'm finally getting it right, Thanks.

P.S. Bicylce shops are for serious riders. My bike to me is a toy to be enjoyed.

My bike to me is a toy to be enjoyed.

You may be in the wrong spot...

It's taking some practice but I think I'm finally getting it right, Thanks.

P.S. Bicylce shops are for serious riders. My bike to me is a toy to be enjoyed.
Bicycle shops are for those who actually want to enjoy their bikes, not those who want garage clutter or waste money on an inferior product. For about the same amount of coin you could have gotten a bike that would last you TEN TIMES as long as that thing you bought

Okay I hate to admit it but you guys were right. This piece of %&@#$ is freezing in some gears and needs to be taken to a shop already.

Okay I hate to admit it but you guys were right. This piece of %&@#$ is freezing in some gears and needs to be taken to a shop already.


It's not said enough that "the hard way" is a perfectly legitamite way to learn just about anything.

Welcome to the world. Assuming you're not a growing kid, you can scrape together 600 bucks and get a bike to putt around on for the next decade. Or if you plan on doing more than putting around, a bike that wont get you killed out on the trail.

You dont even need that much. You can buy a basic Giant Boulder for $230 MSRP that would be perfect for someone that would otherwise buy from Walmart.

Spend another $50 for the Boulder SE and you get suntour fork with preload adjust, and acera RD on an aluminium frame. But lets not get crazy or anything :p