Ok I bought a Gotham 2, fedex came I felt like a kid at Christmas time. Unpacked it, set it up, went for a ride. Thats where the fun ends. While riding I heard a weird grinding like noise and while shifting, my chain flew off my crank. I was able to put it back on. But it still making a grinding noise. I didn't know what to do ( being my first bike with gears ) so I took it to a bike shop. The guy asked me if my bike came in a box and continued to explain how this bike is cheap and how it would cost $65 for a tune up. The hell with that, I left.


So I just need some advice and/or pics on what could be causing this problem and how I can go about fixing it. I really don't want to return it. Thanks.

My advice is to look on the internet for videos about setting up a new bicycle.

There really isn't much to set up, you unpack it and unfold it. It might be the cassette lock ring from what I did my research on.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure our bike shop would also have charged $65. This would cover the initial set up and adjustment of the bike. It would not include the cost of any repairs or any parts that might have to be replaced.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

Yea most shops charge that much around me but he wouldn't look at with out me forking over that $65. I didn't want it fixed, just what the cause was. It is what it is I guess.

The problem with that I find with some bike shops is that if you didn't buy the bike from them they don't feel like it's their obligation to help and would expect you to take it back to the store you bought it from. But another thing i'm wondering if anyone can confirm if citizen tunes their bike up before shipping to their destination? or do they just repack the bike they got from the shipping container and send it out to the next customer as is? if it's the latter there might be some post package tune up needed. Hope some citizen bike owners can answer that here.

Call Citizen. They are a respectable company sand they should be able to help to diagnose the problem and hopefully provide a solution.

I don't go to my most local bike shop because of this attitude. There loss ,I spend. A lot of money on spares for 7-10 bikes I own at any one time. Their loss......
As julia roberts said to shop worker in pretty women "big mistake,huge!!"
I expect if they go under thay might blame the economy.

Sure there is....



Here's what I do to all the bicycles I buy before I go for a long ride on them.


Check and grease headset, bottom bracket, hubs.
Lubricate hinges, brake cables, brake pivot points, stem, quick releases.
Adjust brakes, grease and install pedals.
Check derailleur hanger to make sure it's not bent (happens more often than you would believe when shipping a bike), adjust derailleur tension and limit screws for correct shifting.
Check and tighten all bolts.
Pump up tires to proper pressure.
Check tires for true and tension.
Clean chain of OEM lubrication and re-lube.


There's also a list of things to check if the bike is a used bike, but I'm assuming your Citizen is new out of the box.

A bike shop would check bearing adjustment, gear adjustment, derailleur adjustment, nuts and bolts, true wheels, etc on any new bike out of the box. All things you can learn to do. For starters look on YouTube for front derailleur and rear derailleur adjustment and watch a few videos. Your bike may even show up but they all work basically the same. Hang the bike with rope from a rafter or tree so you can pedal it, observe and adjust. That will help you understand whats going on. Sounds like at least the front needs adjustment, something useful to know and be able to do yourself.

That $65 tune-up would prolly be worth it in the long run. If you're looking to save money,Google to see if there's any bike co-ops/kitchens in your area,or any bike clinics. It sounds like your derailleur needs the cable adjusted and limit screws tweaked.

Spin the cranks backwards and listen carefully. If nothing then forwards. Locate the cause for the grinding noise. Then come back with questions.

Thank you guys for suggesting a few things. I watched a bunch of videos on setting up a rear derailleur and I made a few changes with the high and low limits and to the b-tension adjuster. But from 5-7th gear it sounds like its grinding but from 1-4 its smooth as butter.

Tony,

See if there is a bicycle cooperative near you that you can go visit. They will have tools and members who may be able to assist you. I would definitely check your hanger, but it would be hard to check without the right tools which a coop would have.

Fyi, I know people do not like to list their location under their screen name, but it helps other BF members make recommendations or to offer assistance if we knew where your are.

How do you like the bike so far beside the issues?

What did the box look like when it arrived? Did the bike take a beating innside the box so that you are looking at bent der or similar or is it more about tuning and adjusting?

I only go to bike shops who work on bikes for free. Those bicycle mechanics are a drag on society and are only working there because the jails are overcrowded. Where do you work and what do you offer that I can have for free?

I love it no complaints other from the problem i'm having. It's a little heavy but I knew that from the start. And the way the wheels click into this clip when you fold it is a little cheap. Other than that for the price it's well worth it.

I love sarcasm I was hoping he would literally take my bike and trade it for a brand new Brompton w/ a free tune up. But seriously I wasn't asking for anything for free except for him to look with his eyeballs and tell me what it MIGHT be so I have an idea for my self. But I guess that was asking to much.

Good to see you've post your location. Just an fyi, Times UP runs a bicycle co-op in case you need some assistance or to borrow tools.

https://communitycycles.org/links/bike-collectives.html

This is awesome, thanks!

If you're in DC I do the Glover Park one. May or may not be there tomorrow,the forecast is calling for t-storms.

Hey, I gotta plug Times Up. The little I know about wrenching I learned there. They helped me true my wheels and overhaul my cups and bearings. I learned to change cables, though I haven't had to do it yet. My Brompton doesn't have a derailleur, so that's not an issue. I learned to change the chain and sprocket by myself. In the Lower East Side space, they have classes on Mondays, and open shop on Thursdays. The classes are useful, and the guy who runs Thursday evenings is quite knowledgeable and patient. I ponied up for a membership to help pay back the help I got. I think it helped that I went at the end of winter so I got lots of personal attention; I would guess that they're more crowded now. Warning, their space and their equipment are very, um, pre-gentrification, shall we say (I miss the old Lower East Side)?

You might also want to check out Recycle a Bicycle (also nonprofit) up the street on Ave. C. I don't know what services they offer, but I stopped in to use their pump. My tire kept bulging and the bead wouldn't seat properly, and the guy there helped me fix it, no attitude, no charge.

if you have a smartphone maybe you can take a video and post here. there's so many things that could happen when the bike was shipped. derailleur hi lo adjustment, bent rear derailleur, loose chains, cable tension and others. we can't tell you with definite answer on what to fix. but in all honestly, the $65 your bike shop is charging is quite reasonable. once you pay them, you'll become a good customer to them. what you can also do is let the bike sit on it's seat on the floor and crank it. that way you can listen and see where the rubbing sound is.

The problem is $65 is a non-trivial fraction of the bike cost, so I quite understand the reluctance to shell out $65 just to have a look.