According to the folks at Shimano, you have missed four or five essential steps. And, based only on what you SAY you are doing, your bike is not safe to ride.
yes, but my build-a-bookshelf came with a 4-page construction manual, too.
my bike is rarely safe to ride, but what about my method makes it so?
Originally Posted by supcom
It's easy to assemble many bikes with the fork backwards. The bikes come with the stem uninstalled. The fork (threaded) is already mounted to the frame but is turned around backwards so the bike fits into as small a box as possible. Most of the walmart bikes have straight forks and with no curve at the end. You have to look carefully to see which way is forward. When the bike is assembled, the fork must be turned 180 degrees before the stem is inserted. It's easy to forget to turn the fork. Many of the bikes have a sticker with an arrow pointing forward, but it's easy to miss that as well if you are in a hurry.
The small kids bikes are the easiest to do incorrectly. The forks are so short that the rake is not very apparent regardless of orientation.
ahh thanks. Of course, with wal-mart bikes you just have to get a firm grip on those handlebars, wedge the wheel between your legs, and twist - voila, everything is better.
I wonder why they put QR on those bikes - nuts are easier for the layperson to understand, and I would think cheaper. marketing scheme?