Doctor Raichu

So my bike was fine, but now for some reason when i try to switch between my front gears it doesnt work. The smallest one is fine, but when I try to switch to the medium one it just makes an annoying noise and stays at the small gear. When I try to switch to the largest gear, it just goes to the medium one. I am not mechanically inclined, please help.

Retro Grouch 

Most likely it just needs a cable tension adjustment. That's common on relatively new bikes. Since you say that you're not mechanically inclined, I'd advise taking it to a shop. If you start fooling around with your front derailleur without a basic understanding of how it works, you're more likely to screw it up than fix it.

Doctor Raichu

I don't want to do that. Where do I learn about front derailleurs

techsensei

Front Derailleur Adjustment | Park Tool

techsensei

Assuming nothing is wrong with the shifter, and the limit screws are/were adjusted properly when you got the bike from your brother, it could be that the cable is just a bit loose. Put it in the low gear (the chain on the small chainring). Is the cable somewhat taut, or is it slack? If it is slack, loosen the cable anchor bolt on the derailleur, pull it taut by hand, and re-secure the anchor bolt. Any further cable adjustment needed would be done with the barrel adjuster on the downtube (or on the inline adjuster near the lever).

Maelochs

You bike is terminally ill. You could not possibly afford the medication needed to save it .... and even if you spent until you were bankrupt and deeply in debt, it would likely not survive. Take it to teh local bike shop, lay it gently down by the dorr, pait its seat, and walk away .... cherish your memories of happier days together.

Doctor Raichu

Rest in Pepperoni

unterhausen

the cable has too much slack. If there are adjusters on the shifter, you could prove that to yourself by tightening the cable there. You should be able to tell when it's tight enough by looking at it. Don't mess with the limit screws on the front derailleur itself, that's a common error.

Oh, and moved here from General Cycling

Dave Cutter

Is this the same bicycle your brother gave you? If so... it's going to need a tune-up.

I am a firm believer that if you can't fix something yourself... you don't really own it... you're just renting it from the repairman. But just to get things going (and you bicycling)... you might be better off to get the bike to a good Local Bicycle Shop for a tune up. Then take your time, gather your tools, and learn about bicycle maintenance. Just... MHO.

DrIsotope

So the front derailleur is out of adjustment. You probably can't make it any worse, so watch some YouTube videos, grab an allen wrench and a screwdriver, and make it work. That's what I did with mine.

NYMXer

Sounds like this can be fixed without tools by turning the cable adjuster and removing some stretch slack

rydabent

The cable is probably too slack. This is an easy two step adjustment. First adjust your trim adjustment nut probably on the shifter. Turn it all the way in, and then out about a turn and a half. Second loosen the cable on the FD then with the shifter in the lowest gear pull the cable tight with the FD over your lowest gear, and tighten the cable. Adjust the trim thumb screw for minor adjustments.

AlexCyclistRoch

People, this is another troll (probably the same guy on a different login). Just ignore him, and he'll go away eventually.

AnkleWork

+1
It doesn't matter as long as most respondents don't read previous replies, or even the initial post in many cases. This forum is getting like talk radio: "just take every opportunity to say what you want, tell us all about yourself, and ignore everyone else."
And usually a thread starter does not expect or want to be read carefully or taken seriously, thus the preposterous postings and anger when their words are questioned.

TheLibrarian

Could be it needs adjusting, you could be shifting wrong too. You need to be pedaling when shifting front or back but you also need to release a little bit to shift the front. Thats why you shouldn;t shift the front going uphill because you're pushing too hard on the pedals and it wont shift. probably needs adjusting though.

fietsbob

Rust y cables you ignores it too long Its spring Tune up time at your Local Bike shop .

best to beat the crowd.

Then have money in your hand when you go back to get the bike when they Have finished fixing it ..

rmfnla

NYMXer

What's wrong with my bike, it has a flat tire, but only at the bottom....so I spun it a 1/2 turn yet it is still flat at the bottom. I tried over and over to give 1/2, /14 spins, yet it is always flat at the bottom. What should I do?

DrIsotope

Hey, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt here. It's not like he's tuning a piano.

rmfnla

I see you are relatively new here.

Just give it time...

DrIsotope

I do sometimes forget that there is a vast legion of people who are mechanically inept. My brother-in-law once tried to change a doorknob on his house and "locked" himself outside. Called me up, and I let him back in by turning the pin with a screwdriver.


One of my sisters also locked herself out of her car, called AAA and everything... and the driver's side window was rolled down.

AnkleWork

fify

rmfnla

Love it!

My father was one (and he was a Harvard lawyer!).

When I was in college he called to tell me he'd borrowed a Skil saw to build a deck behind his house.

I was home the following morning (I think that was his plan all along)...

AlexCyclistRoch

You know, I filled my tire to 60 psi. But it's still 60 psi even when I'm sitting on the bike. Why???

Camilo

Cognitively inept, that's a loaded statement implying a unacceptable deficiency. When I think I'm superior to someone else because I can figure out how to fix a bike and they either can't or don't bother, I just remember the things I can't do: like figure out how to make a decent painting or sculpture, how to write an interesting story, how to set up a decent offensive system for even a kid's football team, or how to play guitar decently in spite of trying for 25 years.

I'm cognitively inept even though I know how to fix a bike.

For general use on the OP: if you have to ask how to adjust a front derailleur, get the original installations/adjstment instructions from the manufacturer, or get a generic version from Park Tool or similar and start from step one: unhook it, remove it, and re-install from the very first step as if it's never been installed.

You won't miss any steps, you'll find out that it's not rocket science and you'll learn enough to figure out how to fix or adjust it in the future.