Newbie with gear skipping problems
07-12-07, 10:15 PM
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Newbie with gear skipping problems
Hello all,
I'm very new to cycling, I started a month ago. So I'm still not very familiar with cycling terms concerning bike mechanics. I'll try my best to make my problem as clear as possible. I have a mountain bike: Giant-Boulder, 21-speed. That's all I know about it. I had been wanting to get road tires for it, but as I'm nearly broke I can't afford them. An acquaintance of mine had a schwinn that had road tires that were the exact same size as mine, and he just got a new bike so he gave me the schwinn. I switched out the tires, rims and all. About a couple of days after I put the new tires on, my bike started skippin a gear. It skips first gear, unless, I hold it there with my thumb. If I let go, it slips back down to second gear. All of the other gears work great. The gears and the chain appear clean to me, there's no built up gunk on either one. When I changed the tires I made sure that I was in the lowest gear so that I could easily remember which gear to put the chain back on. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong, or if I need to have my bike repaired. Does anyone know what the problem might be?
I'm very new to cycling, I started a month ago. So I'm still not very familiar with cycling terms concerning bike mechanics. I'll try my best to make my problem as clear as possible. I have a mountain bike: Giant-Boulder, 21-speed. That's all I know about it. I had been wanting to get road tires for it, but as I'm nearly broke I can't afford them. An acquaintance of mine had a schwinn that had road tires that were the exact same size as mine, and he just got a new bike so he gave me the schwinn. I switched out the tires, rims and all. About a couple of days after I put the new tires on, my bike started skippin a gear. It skips first gear, unless, I hold it there with my thumb. If I let go, it slips back down to second gear. All of the other gears work great. The gears and the chain appear clean to me, there's no built up gunk on either one. When I changed the tires I made sure that I was in the lowest gear so that I could easily remember which gear to put the chain back on. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong, or if I need to have my bike repaired. Does anyone know what the problem might be?
07-12-07, 10:33 PM
#2
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Originally Posted by adab
Hello all,
I'm very new to cycling, I started a month ago. So I'm still not very familiar with cycling terms concerning bike mechanics. I'll try my best to make my problem as clear as possible. I have a mountain bike: Giant-Boulder, 21-speed. That's all I know about it. I had been wanting to get road tires for it, but as I'm nearly broke I can't afford them. An acquaintance of mine had a schwinn that had road tires that were the exact same size as mine, and he just got a new bike so he gave me the schwinn. I switched out the tires, rims and all. About a couple of days after I put the new tires on, my bike started skippin a gear. It skips first gear, unless, I hold it there with my thumb. If I let go, it slips back down to second gear. All of the other gears work great. The gears and the chain appear clean to me, there's no built up gunk on either one. When I changed the tires I made sure that I was in the lowest gear so that I could easily remember which gear to put the chain back on. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong, or if I need to have my bike repaired. Does anyone know what the problem might be?
I'm very new to cycling, I started a month ago. So I'm still not very familiar with cycling terms concerning bike mechanics. I'll try my best to make my problem as clear as possible. I have a mountain bike: Giant-Boulder, 21-speed. That's all I know about it. I had been wanting to get road tires for it, but as I'm nearly broke I can't afford them. An acquaintance of mine had a schwinn that had road tires that were the exact same size as mine, and he just got a new bike so he gave me the schwinn. I switched out the tires, rims and all. About a couple of days after I put the new tires on, my bike started skippin a gear. It skips first gear, unless, I hold it there with my thumb. If I let go, it slips back down to second gear. All of the other gears work great. The gears and the chain appear clean to me, there's no built up gunk on either one. When I changed the tires I made sure that I was in the lowest gear so that I could easily remember which gear to put the chain back on. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong, or if I need to have my bike repaired. Does anyone know what the problem might be?
If the bike is new, take it to the shop, they'll adjust it. Have them show you how.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-12-07, 10:40 PM
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Does your new wheel have the same number of cogs as the old wheel?
The rear derailleur needs adjusted for the new wheel. Have your LBS adjust it or study the directions at Parktool.com and learn to do it yourself.
The best bet is to have your LBS do it and show you what they are doing.
edit - Ok....I'm too slow and you beat me to it.
The rear derailleur needs adjusted for the new wheel. Have your LBS adjust it or study the directions at Parktool.com and learn to do it yourself.
The best bet is to have your LBS do it and show you what they are doing.
edit - Ok....I'm too slow and you beat me to it.
07-13-07, 01:51 AM
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Welcome to the sport. Nice to see you jump right in and get messy. The advice and the link the previous posters gave you was perfectly sound. NOT messing with the limiter screws is also good advice, esp if you're new. BUT what you should do is this:
Get your buddy to hold the rear wheel up in the air while you pedal the bike (I assume you don't have a repair stand!). Stand on the right side of the bike and turn the pedals. Push on the center of the rear derailleur (the large rectangular part) and see of you can physically push it up onto the largest gear in the back.
If the derailleur can go up there then you have a cable tension issue. Go to the Park Tool site the previous poster mentioned.
If you can't push it up there than you need to also read about the limiter screws.
Let us know how it works out.
Get your buddy to hold the rear wheel up in the air while you pedal the bike (I assume you don't have a repair stand!). Stand on the right side of the bike and turn the pedals. Push on the center of the rear derailleur (the large rectangular part) and see of you can physically push it up onto the largest gear in the back.
If the derailleur can go up there then you have a cable tension issue. Go to the Park Tool site the previous poster mentioned.
If you can't push it up there than you need to also read about the limiter screws.
Let us know how it works out.
07-13-07, 02:01 AM
#6
Really Old Senior Member
You probably need a bit more tension on the cable. Turn the barrel adjuster a bit. Keep track of where you started so you can revert in case you turn it the wrong way or it actually isn't the problem.
