entukay

I bought a bike a little while ago, and its the first NEW bike i've ever bought (on my own) from a bike shop, though i've owned plenty of bikes. Approx. how many miles before the cables have fully stretched and I should take it in for a free tune up.

Thanks!

akeelor

You will notice a decrease in the speed which the gears change. Good time to take it in. Or... It is a simple cable adjustment that you can do yourself. Search for a YouTube video on how to do.

entukay

yeahhh, i mean I can do it, but i work next to the shop i bought from and i ride to work everyday sooo, i like having them do it.

monkeyevil

I dropped my wheels off to be trued and tensioned for the 30 day tune-up, and took care of the other small adjustments myself. Though I trust my shop, I would rather learn and take care of most of it myself.

UtahWasatch

Usually just on-going for me. Cable check, clean & lube, fine tuning, cleaning, etc.

Sounds obsessive I guess but really just a few minutes here and there

Pharmr

I would think 75-100 miles would be a good number.

dark13star

One ride?

Seriously though, your new cables will stretch a little at a time. You just need to turn the barrel adjusters on the rear derailleur and brakes a little as they start misbehaving. No reason to go to a shop for that, no matter how close it is. What if they say, "sure, pick it up in a week," for something that would take two minutes?

JMT114

I would give the bike 300-400 miles for the cables to get stretched.

Also, if it's free, I would definitely have the shop do the adjustment.

They will usually give the bike a once over and lube the chain for the first tune up in addition to adjusting the dérailleurs.

bbgobie

Best to learn to do it yourself.
You never know when you need to make slight adjustments on the road.
I'm fairly sure I need to adjust my cables depending on weather. When I take my bike out in the spring/fall and its cold outside my shifting is off...

Also its amazing how many ppl I ride with can't do basic things like turn barrel adjusters, or even work a bike pump properly.

crydee

When the cables stretch on new cables it's really just a matter of turning the barrel adjusters and perhaps adjusting the limit screws on the f-d. It's pretty simple check parktools.com

Blade-Runner

And remember at 2,500 miles you'll need to replace the chain.

entukay

again, guys, I CAN do it myself... i've been around bikes and working on them my whole life, the question was just how long before the cables are fully stretched.

Lebowski

i have close to 400 miles on my new allez with no tuneup. it still shifts like the day i rode it home. i had to adjust the front brake after the first ride but its all good.

80vette

3-400 miles seems like a good amount.

theextremist04

Our shop usually recommends bringing it back in after 30 days or so, but sooner if you ride a ton.

John H.

Cable stretch is a function of how (often) you shift, not how far you ride.

bbgobie

Take it in when it doesn't shift properly than!
Otherwise it's OBVIOUSLY not stretched...