Originally Posted by
caroline162
So, my question again is, what's wrong with this bike?
There is nothing wrong with this bike.
It's cheap because it's simple: no front derailleur, only 7-speed, no shocks.
But it has a rack.
The top tube is slanted; so, it's good for a female.
The handlebars are North Road, the best for a commuter.
It maybe slow for racers because it has only a small front chain ring; but for you it's perfect.
You may change the saddle, put smaller tires, add fenders in the future.
You can adjust the brakes by turning the small screws on each side of the brakes.
Here is how you adjust the rear derailleur:
The shifter has ‘click stops’ and the derailer needs to be adjusted to calibrate with those positions.
Shift into the gear that has the most problems slipping. Dismount and, from the rear of the bike, sight in on the chain, the gear and the derailer. You may see that they are not in a flat plane. Notice the nurled barrel that the shift cable passes through. Turn that barrel right or left and watch the derailer move. Turn the barrel until the derailer appears to be straight in line with the desired gear. This should clean up the shift for the middle 5 gears. If there are problems with the top or bottom gears after this manuver shift into the problem gear and adjust the ‘Stop Screw’ with a phillips screw driver until the derailer is aligned.
Also, lube the chain when it starts to creak.
