Does my bike or my LBS suck?
 

I've recently bought a Trek 1.1 2015 from Brands in Wantagh. I'm on Long Island so they are local to me. I bought it at end of May. I've got around 350 miles on it and the more I ride it and ride with other people the more I notice things on my bike that don't feel / seem right and I can't tell if it's Brands or the bike.

One thing I know now is that I should have asked for a new bike in a box but paid top dollar for a floor model... that's a crappy feeling to have off the bat but I don't really care about that. I know it's an entry level bike but at this point I'm thinking it's just a POS.

The bike seems to make a lot of noise, a lot more noise than other bikes that I hear, and occasionally has trouble shifting through the rear sprockets. When I'm pedaling uphill hard or when coming down hill where it begins to get flat and I'm pedaling hard to maintain speed and out of my saddle a bit - I get this "torque" like feeling, only on the right pedal and a creaking type of noise just as my foot goes through the downward to upward part of the pedal stroke. They told me today that was the rear derailleur and that it's fine but doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me.

I also have trouble rapidly shifting through gears when I'm on flat land and building speed fast, it seems to get jammed on a gear then will shift through two of them - which sucks if I'm not ready for it. I had to take it back twice today and each time they made adjustments, it seems to shift a bit better, still seems incredibly loud and the trim doesn't ever seem to stay trimmed.

I'm not opposed to learning how to maintain this all completely myself b/c the people at Brand's seem incompetent, but did I get ripped off overall? Is the Trek 1.1 a POS? With all the tuning up in the world will it still sound ratty and feel like it can’t handle a lot of power when I’m really pressing?

After 350 miles or so, the cables need to be adjusted. Take it to the LBS, which should have included free adjustments. Or, search YouTube for adjusting and indexing the dérailleurs.

I did, I brought it back twice today and it still sounds like crap and makes a noise when I pedal hard. I'm not sure if it's worth it to keep taking it back. I've bought a book on bike repair / maintenance and have checked out some GCN videos on YouTube which seem great. If I go through all that will my bike better or is it just a crappy bike?

Bikes make noise when shifting, some more than others. My SRAM Force is at least twice as loud as my old Ultegra.

Clean and lube the chain, avoid cross chaining, and pick gear ratios where you're pedaling a bit faster. When you're really pressing down and putting a lot of stress on the chain, it's going to have a little tougher time shifting, and make more noise.

if it's kind of a low growl sound when torquing hard on the right pedal it's likely your front derailleur rubbing where the chain passes through.

easy fix

I would look at your shifting technique. Are you unloading the cranks when shifting?

Have a look at the inline cable adjusters. From the pics of the 1.1 I could find there are two adjusters on the frame just behind the forks. I have a bike with inline adjusters but there are in the cables. The problem is they never stay where you set them and will happily unwind themselves thus making them completely useless.

The rear derailleur will also have a cable adjuster and the brakes each have adjusters but these are indexed so they stay where you set them. If the adjusters on the frame are not indexed then I sounds like they may be unwind themselves. You can dab a bit of paint on them to see if they move over time.

But why should he? He bought this from a LBS and has 300 miles on it. Surely the LBS should look after this rather than him looking up videos on youtube.
OP I would demand the LBS make it right. Unless you've dropped the bike or some how damaged it I don't see it as being your problem. Be sure to point out your positing your experience on bike forums ...

+1

It sounds like all these issues occur when shifting under a heavy load. Its not the bike or the lbs, its you

Sounds like an incompetent/uncaring bike shop.

[Extra points to non-Long Islanders who can pronounce Wantagh!]






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["Juan-taw"]

Trek 1.1 looks like a solid bike. Sounds like you need to find a new shop to do the adjustments.

Because when he next takes the bike in he might be able to tell them exactly what the problem is.

Or he could keep living in blissful ignorance and continue taking his bike into the shop every day for an adjustment, hoping that the minimum wage "mechanics" at the bike shop stumble upon a permanent solution.

Since when has the pursuit of knowledge been something to be avoided?

I use the term "mechanics" because unlike a motor mechanic which may require an apprenticeship and formal qualifications a bicycle mechanic does not need any formal qualifications and will usually be trained on the job.

I still think op needs to learn how to shift. A perfectly tuned dura ace drive train is going to exhibit the same issues if shifting while hammering it up hill, while sprinting out of the saddle or shifting several gears while hammering down. Thats simply not how to uae the drive train

When it was new my 1.1 had similar issues. Look carefully at the chain rings (front sprockets) do they run true or is there wobble? Mine were so bad they ground under load no matter how far the front derailleur was adjusted or trimmed. They required replacement (under warrantee).

What did the LBS tell you when you took the bike back to them? Did they do anything to the bike?

That looks like a very nice bike :thumb: its entry level but still fine. Under shifting you should pull max 30% for safe nice shifting. Give it some more miles and am sure it be fine. You just start dating your new lady, get to now her and treat her nice:beer:

Not sure why you think this. A floor model in May is fine. A new out of the box bike needs to be built, tuned, and test ridden. What difference does it make if you get a floor model that was built a couple of weeks ago, or one that was built today? That it was test ridden around a parking lot a couple of times?

More to the point, wondering what your history is with bikes. What bikes have you owned besides the 1.1? How much do you weigh? Do you weigh more than 200 lbs? 250? About your pedaling technique. Do you spin the pedals or hammer them? When you shift, do you ease off the pedals as you shift? On hills, do you shift a lot under load or do you anticipate hills and shift before getting to the steep part of the hill. If not, you should. Entry level shifters and derailleurs are not happy when you try to shift under load. Are you cross chaining? (using the big chainring and the big cog on the cassette?) If you are, stop. Do you clean your drivetrain, or have you? It is pretty basic maintenance, but not a bad idea to learn the basics of cleaning, degreasing, and relubing your chain at the very least.

Aside from improving your technique and learning basic maintenance, I am wondering if something is going on with either the crankset or the bottom bracket.

do you ride with or know any experienced riders who could tag along with you? It is hard to tell for sure, but it sounds like, from your description that you have a shifting technique problem and are shifting under load. An experienced rider could help you determine if you need to work on your shifting or get another shop to tune your bike for you.

Sounds like an element of buyer's remorse in there. You really wanted a Trek Domane, didn't you! ;)

OP,

I too live on Long Island, not far from you, and would be happy to take a look if it would help. I have been to Brands and actually think they are one of the better bike shops. I have had similar experiences at the Mineola bike shop where I had derailleur noise. They changed the cables, their layout(California twist to parallel) and retuned. I ended up doing the tune up after they did one to correct my issues. I do not think they could get it right.

You could ask them to check if the rear derailleur is bent. there is a tool to check this and this can cause issues.

I belong to the Massapequa Park Bike Club and I am sure many would help. They are a great bunch. We meet up on Sat and Sun at the Bethpage Library on, I think, Prospect Ave at 8:30 AM. Bring your bike and ride with us! If you come a little early ( 8 - 8:15 AM), I am sure someone could offer suggestions.


When I was having issues, many also recommended going to Bike Junkie in Bethpage as another good shop. they are small but do good work.

Best of luck

You guys are awesome, thanks for all the great replies.

The front does sound like a low growl so maybe just the front derailleur needs adjusting - it's weird how it only happens when I'm pedaling hard. Would this just be the high limit on the front derailleur? I'm sure I can figure that out after watching how to do it. (I'm guess to just bring the high limit out a tad?)

My experience is that of a newbie but I know not to shift while I'm straining anything. Before I go up a hill I shift down to make it easier and when I'm coming down a hill and about to go flat again I shift through the gears until I start feeling some resistance in the pedals, then I hammer on them to keep the speed up. I usually need a new gear pretty fast, within seconds, so then I shift again and repeat.

I'm not saying my shifting is perfect but wouldn't the sounds go away after the shift was complete?

When I brought it in twice yesterday they kept going through the barrel adjusters on the front & rear derailleurs. The shop is right next to a big road so when I tried it out after I couldn't really hear it that great. I could "feel the noise" in my right foot if that makes any sense. The guy said it was fine and that it was just the rear derailleur??, after I got it home and took it for a short ride - I built speed fast on a flat road and went through the gears - it still has noise that I think is coming from the back and "stuttered" twice while going into a higher gears. I didn't have this much space by the bike shop to go through the gears like this.

I'm 6' and about 204lbs.

I have degreased and relubed the chain, I've also kept the bike clean. I clean it every Monday (I've only done the chain once).

I'm glad to hear the bike doesn't suck, it's a blast riding it and this experience lately has kind of turned me off to it (it's odd how it's 100x more frustrating than when a car has a problem). I don't mind having to learn how to maintain it all myself - I actually think it will be a blast, I love cleaning it and like the idea of knowing all the ins and outs of it. The system actually seems pretty straightforward, and that's what made me think the bike kind of sucks in the first place, there's really not all that much to adjust.

I just want to ride it and not feel like it's about to break down or sound like it's whining when I'm riding with other people. It def. adds a hesitation.

I do ride with other people but they're not very mechanical, they take their bikes to the same place I took my bike, there's do not sound like mine, they're mostly silent. One of the people I ride with is even taller and of slightly greater stature than I am.

I'm going to blame the bike. You bought an entry level bike with lower end components. They are just going to be louder and function less efficiently than more expensive ones. If everyone else you are riding with has higher quality components, their bikes will just be quieter.

The benefits of buying higher level components are quieter drivetrain and better shifting under load. With entry level Claris components you will have slower shifts and a little more noise. You will have to be extra attentive to unload the pedals before shifting. Don't be afraid to play with the cable adjustments to dial it in as best as you can just don't mess with the limit screws until you have a full understanding of how they work and their purpose. That bike will serve you well it will just need a little extra TLC occasionally. Learning to do you own work is one of the many benefits of cycling IMO.

Piece of cake.

likely