General Cycling Discussion - Nasty gear shift

I'll try and keep this as non-technical as I can :D When I shift from 1st to 2nd the gear moves up with such a clunk that my feet can come off the pedals. Is this an adjustment thingo or is something buggered?

Other gear changes are reasonably smooth.

something's buggered, butI don't think it's your bike.

something is buggered. You need to get rid of those gears...and go fixed!

I believe that Das is either cursed, prone to bad luck or buys equipment meant for people in the northern hemisphere.

I believe that Das is either cursed, prone to bad luck or buys equipment meant for people in the northern hemisphere.

Is it true that the cranks spin in the opposite direction down under?

Enough humour lads. I demand answers as Melton would say. Does it need more lube or is there something more sinister going on? Could my gear changing technique be less than desirable?

I don't think lubrication will help improve your technique. Maybe you need some dual training on a tandem.

Try to pedal without putting too much torque on when you shift, lower the RPM for a sec and then when you feel it go down, pedal harder.

Play with it, until you can get it too feel fairly smooth. If it still doesn't, bring it in to your shop.

go friction. rivendell has a nice website. look at their catalogue to gain access to the best fricters on the planet.

The cogs may be out of alignment causing the 'clunk'
Do you have an older style cogset? Shimano use to have one where the first gear is threaded onto the freehub?

Perhaps your chain is a link too short, causing binding as it travels ovet the large 1st and then it slams into the second.

Try turning the barrel adjuster at the downtube a quarter turn CCW. (If that doesn't fix it, return it to its original position.)

Thanks for the tips. The bike still hasn't been back for its free service, so I'll request he follow up on that stuff.

what kinda ride you got?

I've got two bikes Merton. My original Speargun Blue Malvern Star Boys Bike is in disuse now, hanging in the laundry. Now I'm riding a Giant Upland SE .. second edtion I suppose. 21 Gears. The lowest - underdrive is where I spend most of my time :D

PS, may I ask what the go is with the gif of the bloke apparently washing his magenta and green hair is?

i think it's a japanese soap advertisement.

i can't find out what the symbols on it mean.

you can see them by copying and pasting it to a word document.

oh.. no. with the original you can do that. this one ya dcan't

That explains everything. :D Yeah, the bike is less than a month old too by the way. I must say, I really enjoy riding it except for that.