Help with bicycle chain
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Help with bicycle chain
Hi, The name is Ernie. I bought my first bike today, a 2009 Specialized Vienna 2 at a LBS. I test rid it at the shop and everything was fine. I do not have a bike rack so I placed it on the back of my brothers truck laying down. I get home and decide to ride the bike around when I noticed that there is a problem with the chain. I apologize in advanced if this question has been answered but I really need help...Correct me if I am wrong with the terms or names of the parts but for some reason I cannot get the chain to basically function. If i pedal at any direction the chain comes off. I tried adjusting it but it seems that its impossible because I have tried setting the chain on every chain ring and cassette and its just not keeping in place. I have pictures and I truly hope that you understand what I mean. I do not have a car and the shop is about 20 minutes away from where I live and finding a ride to go over there is a big pain.
Here is a link to four pictures, if you need more ask please. https://img97.imageshack.us/gal.php?g...1006012206.jpg
I hope I will be able to fix this myself, I spent 400 on the bike and it would downright suck if I somehow damaged it. Thank you.
Here is a link to four pictures, if you need more ask please. https://img97.imageshack.us/gal.php?g...1006012206.jpg
I hope I will be able to fix this myself, I spent 400 on the bike and it would downright suck if I somehow damaged it. Thank you.
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you may have bent the derailer, or possibly just need to adjust a cable. Put the front derailer into the middle position, pedal forward only, and tell us what happens...
#3
Lost Again
I suppose you laid it in the truck, derailler side down? I wonder if you bent the rear derailler. That bike uses an Altus/Acera if I remember right and that's not a real heavy duty rear derailler. It's OK as long if it's not abused. The good news is a new one does not cost much.
Also make sure the chain path goes thru the rear derailler's idler pulley and jockey pulley. It may have just popped off.
Also make sure the chain path goes thru the rear derailler's idler pulley and jockey pulley. It may have just popped off.
Last edited by gitarzan; 06-01-10 at 08:45 PM.
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It's coming off the front I'm assuming? Have you tried shifting the front derailleur (left shifter) so it's in the middle gear? Which side was the bike laying on in the truck? I'm hoping that the chain ring didn't get bent.
When you pedal watch the front set of gears and make sure there they're not wobbling in and out. If they're not bent, you need to adjust the limit screw on front derailleur so that it doesn't travel so far out (if the chain is falling off to the outside) or in (if it's falling off to the inside). Your owner's manual may have instructions.
When you pedal watch the front set of gears and make sure there they're not wobbling in and out. If they're not bent, you need to adjust the limit screw on front derailleur so that it doesn't travel so far out (if the chain is falling off to the outside) or in (if it's falling off to the inside). Your owner's manual may have instructions.
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What do you have the shifters set to? What happens if you stand next to the bike and lift the rear wheel off the ground and turn the crank forward? Try setting the left shifter to 2 and the right to a middle gear like 4. With the rear wheel off the ground will the chain move to those gears? Or, you can move the chain to the middle front gear by hand?
WAs the bike lying on it's left side (good) or it's right side (maybe not good) in the truck?
WAs the bike lying on it's left side (good) or it's right side (maybe not good) in the truck?
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I had the shifter on the left hand side at 3...when I put it back to 1and pedaled the problem seemed to fix itself. I messed around with the parts quite a bit and will bring it to a nearer local bike shop tomorrow so that they can have a look. The derailleur's aren't bent I believe as they are not wobbling. I did manage to get grease on my hand and wonder if I should have the chain greased tomorrow. Unforuntaetly I forgot what side the bike was on but I do remember that the bike was never completely flat and the handlebars were resting on a hump in the back of the pickup truck.
Are you talking about that? I unscrewed that part thinking I could work with the bike easier. I put that piece back and screwed the screws half way.
The bike rattles as I pedal backward as the bike is upside down, is that normal? And should I take the bike out for a ride considering the chain is in place now? And finally can you explain what exactly happened. Thank you all for being so helpful and quick with your responses.
If they're not bent, you need to adjust the limit screw on front derailleur so that it doesn't travel so far out
Are you talking about that? I unscrewed that part thinking I could work with the bike easier. I put that piece back and screwed the screws half way.
The bike rattles as I pedal backward as the bike is upside down, is that normal? And should I take the bike out for a ride considering the chain is in place now? And finally can you explain what exactly happened. Thank you all for being so helpful and quick with your responses.
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Those are limit screws. Try reading this https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=75
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Went out for a 30 sec ride...I wish I knew the technical jargon but the left shifter was at 1 and the right was at 1 and there was rattling...as soon as i shifted to 2 on the second shifter everything was real smooth. BUT when I shifted from 1 to 2 it was really rough and did not sound good at all. I did my research on this site and originally planed on getting a single-speed bike but I when I gave this bike a test ride I really liked how it felt and how I will be able to control the bike using the shifters. Perhaps I should have bought a single-speed.
Last edited by EccentriccErnie; 06-01-10 at 09:53 PM.
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Try reading this article about gears and shifting https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html. You might be best off getting back to the bike shop and having them not only readjust your derailleurs and check for possible damage from your transporting the bike (like a bent derailleur hanger or something), but also show you how to shift and how to select gears etc.
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Thanks, that article helped. I will go to a local bike shop tomorrow around where I live this time. The only reason why I went to another bike shop is because there is no sales tax in NH. I'll let all of you know how my ride goes tomorrow as I am also commuting to work on the bike for the first time. Thanks again!
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You have a knack for taking the most useless pictures ever to show the problem
Chainrings are the big rings in front. The smaller the chainring, the easier it is to pedal. You can say small, middle, or largest/biggest chainring and we will know what chainring you are referring to.
Cogs are in back. The smaller the cog, the harder it is to pedal. the lower the gear, the easier it is to pedal, so you can say it was in the middle chainring and the smallest cog and we will know what you mean.
If you were getting a rattle, you were possibly crosschaining, which is what you get when the chain has to bend so far to make the gear that the chain rattles against the front derailleur. If you were in your smallest chainring, and the smallest cog, that is crosschaining. Different combinations (number of chainrings, number of cogs) have different tolerances for this, but in general you want to keep the chain on as straight a line as possible to a) prevent premature wear and b) prevent annoying rattle. If you were crosschaining, don't worry about having damaged anything, a little bit won't cause the drivetrain to fall apart next week
If the chain bounces between gears on the derailleur, either it is not set up correctly, or you bent the hanger that the derailleur resides on, so that it is no longer in alignment.
Hopefully you at least learned not to lay the bike on the right side (drive side), as you can bend the derailleur hanger. They are generally made out of a soft metal, strong enough to hold the derailleur in place while it shifts, but soft enough so that it bends rather than the derailleur when impacted in that area. A hanger is much cheaper than a new derailleur.
I agree, however, that you need to take it to the LBS, have them set up the front derailleur again (those screws you unscrewed are used to adjust the derailleur and usually even a fraction of a turn makes a huge difference), so your derailleur is now totally out of alignment, and check the alignment of the rear derailleur and if the hanger is bent (unless it is severely bent, they can just bend it back again). You then need to spend a lot of time on sheldonbrown.com or parktools.com and learn more about how your bike works so that you don't go unscrewing random things you don't know about, and you know the technical terms to describe parts and functions of your bike
Chainrings are the big rings in front. The smaller the chainring, the easier it is to pedal. You can say small, middle, or largest/biggest chainring and we will know what chainring you are referring to.
Cogs are in back. The smaller the cog, the harder it is to pedal. the lower the gear, the easier it is to pedal, so you can say it was in the middle chainring and the smallest cog and we will know what you mean.
If you were getting a rattle, you were possibly crosschaining, which is what you get when the chain has to bend so far to make the gear that the chain rattles against the front derailleur. If you were in your smallest chainring, and the smallest cog, that is crosschaining. Different combinations (number of chainrings, number of cogs) have different tolerances for this, but in general you want to keep the chain on as straight a line as possible to a) prevent premature wear and b) prevent annoying rattle. If you were crosschaining, don't worry about having damaged anything, a little bit won't cause the drivetrain to fall apart next week
If the chain bounces between gears on the derailleur, either it is not set up correctly, or you bent the hanger that the derailleur resides on, so that it is no longer in alignment.
Hopefully you at least learned not to lay the bike on the right side (drive side), as you can bend the derailleur hanger. They are generally made out of a soft metal, strong enough to hold the derailleur in place while it shifts, but soft enough so that it bends rather than the derailleur when impacted in that area. A hanger is much cheaper than a new derailleur.
I agree, however, that you need to take it to the LBS, have them set up the front derailleur again (those screws you unscrewed are used to adjust the derailleur and usually even a fraction of a turn makes a huge difference), so your derailleur is now totally out of alignment, and check the alignment of the rear derailleur and if the hanger is bent (unless it is severely bent, they can just bend it back again). You then need to spend a lot of time on sheldonbrown.com or parktools.com and learn more about how your bike works so that you don't go unscrewing random things you don't know about, and you know the technical terms to describe parts and functions of your bike
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Check out this message: New Posters - please READ THIS
It has links to good sites for learning about bike parts and how to deal with them - or not. For instance, as I'm sure you've learned by now, never lay your bike on the drive side (the side with the chain), and NEVER play with the limit screws - or any other screw-like device on your derailleurs - unless you know what you're doing.
Also try to get some instruction from your LBS on how to use your shifters. It's not intuitive.
It has links to good sites for learning about bike parts and how to deal with them - or not. For instance, as I'm sure you've learned by now, never lay your bike on the drive side (the side with the chain), and NEVER play with the limit screws - or any other screw-like device on your derailleurs - unless you know what you're doing.
Also try to get some instruction from your LBS on how to use your shifters. It's not intuitive.
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I agree, however, that you need to take it to the LBS, have them set up the front derailleur again, so your derailleur is now totally out of alignment, and check the alignment of the rear derailleur and if the hanger is bent (unless it is severely bent, they can just bend it back again).
Last edited by EccentriccErnie; 06-03-10 at 02:36 PM.
#14
Lost Again
Fantastic! I've the Vienna 1 Deluxe. It's a great bike. It's my commuter.
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