Bicycle Mechanics - is ultegra for weenies?

I just purchased a Lemond titanium bike on thursday, the 5th of August, and it today (Saturday) I almost did not make it through a 30 mile ride. The functioning of my full ultegra set up has totally degenerated over the past 2 days/60 miles of riding.
+ My BB clicks the star wars theme (da da da da dada da dada) no joke, on hilll climbs standing up.
+The right sti shifter gets stuck when trying to go from the largest rear cog to number 8. It only works if I push it forward, for there is quite a bit of play front to back.
+ The left shifter does not drop to the smallest crank cog until you press it twice. And in some gears I hear the chain rattling along the front deraulleur walls, but only for 1/3 to 1/2 of the pedal stroke. this seems to indicate to me that the dainty ultegra crank is already bent, due to my monstrous thighs of course!!!

Can anyone decipher if this is a tuning problem or a faulty set of components, or is ultegra just made for weenies. Is 105 stronger/more durable(although heavier of course). thanks :eek:

If you bought it at a bike shop, bring it back there for an adjustment. Definately mention the noise from the BB also.

Cables stretch. When cables stretch, things don't work as they should. This happens with whatever component group you have. Bottom brackets will loosen up. It just happens. Take it back and the bike shop will take care of it.

Quite simple new stuff stretches out and needs adjustment usually right around the 50 mile mark. Take it in let the shop do the adjustments and go ride. Mention that BB thing that's not right.

I'm not sure if you know this but Ultegra does have a few "trim" positions for the front derailleur so its pretty normal to have to "double-click" to get it to drop a gear in some cases.

+ My BB clicks the star wars theme (da da da da dada da dada) no joke, on hilll climbs standing up.
+The right sti shifter gets stuck when trying to go from the largest rear cog to number 8. It only works if I push it forward, for there is quite a bit of play front to back.
+ The left shifter does not drop to the smallest crank cog until you press it twice. And in some gears I hear the chain rattling along the front deraulleur walls, but only for 1/3 to 1/2 of the pedal stroke. this seems to indicate to me that the dainty ultegra crank is already bent, due to my monstrous thighs of ourse!!!

You appear to be searching for ways to justify your opinion that Ultegra sucks. You must have had a feeling along these lines before you spent the money, so why did you buy it?

Bottom bracket - there are several reasons why you may hear the clicks - and they all sound similar. Pedal spindles in need of grease and loose chainrings are very common, especially on new bikes with only a few miles. I've built 2 bikes this year w/Ultegra and heard the same noise - I assure you - it wasn't a faulty bracket.

Right STI - By chance, does this happen while riding in the 53/25 combination. If not, it's a cable adjustment.

Left Shifter - did you not know that it has 4 positions for 2 gears? And that most LBS will adjust it "loose" - meaning that the first 1 or 2 positions can be rendered meaningless. Which translates into having to press it more than once to get it to fully drop to the smaller chainring. It also means you have to be aware tof the trim positions so the derailleur doesn't rub against the chain.

Everything you mentioned sounds like an adjustment. How closely do you monitor chainline management?

55/Rad

Well thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I brought it in to the shop where i bought it and told them the situation. It turned out that the cables must have stretched, but they also found a "slightly???" broken right STi lever, (the small black button) so they will replace it in a few months. For the bottom bracket, there were some loose bolts...unfortunatly my small pedros allenwrenchset does not have enough torque,so when I tried this nothing happened. Nor do I have a whopping 10mm allen head.

I going out for a spin now, hopefully everything is as good as ultegra should be.

-Ian

but they also found a "slightly???" broken right STi lever, (the small black button) so they will replace it in a few months. -Ian

A few months? Did they really say MONTHS? If it's broke, tell them to get you a new one from the manufacturer or order a pair and replace it that way. You shouldn't have to wait months.

The shop probably let their new hire from the Burger Doodle, use your bike during training to pactice set ups. You aren't the first and won't be the last to get a very poorly setup bike from an LBS. But you can make a nuisance of yourself by taking it back as many times as needed to get it right.

The shop probably let their new hire from the Burger Doodle, use your bike during training to pactice set ups. You aren't the first and won't be the last to get a very poorly setup bike from an LBS. But you can make a nuisance of yourself by taking it back as many times as needed to get it right.

Oh yeah, for instructions on this see my thread about the creaking Specialized Elite!

[QUOTE]For the bottom bracket, there were some loose bolts.
HUH?

It's also not uncommon for a crankarm to come a bit loose when first ridden, and it was usually the left arm when I was spinning wrenches. On new bikes, re-tightening once has always held them in place for me. But I put a drop of loctite on the crank bolts just to make sure on my own rides. Paranoia? Probably.

Edit: No, Ultegra's not for weenies.