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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
Struggling with gears on new mountain bike. Gears slip when dropping down, going from flat to up hill.? |
Struggling with gears on new mountain bike. Gears slip when dropping down, going from flat to up hill.? There are a couple of reasons this could be happening. Lets explore each one if you have the time... 1) If the bicycle started to do this soon after you purchased it chances are the cables and stuff are just settled in and it will take all of 5 minutes to adjust it so it works perfectly. Simply shift the bike so that the gears are in the full slack position (usually in "1" on the front and "7" in the back). Don't just move the shifters... actually shift the whole bike into the slack gears. Note if there is any "hanging" slack in the cables.... if so, use the barrel adjusters (located on the shifter for the front and on the rear derailleur for the back) and back out the adjuster until the slack is gone. If there is so much slack that you back the adjuster all the way out, screw it back in 1/2 way, loosen the cable fixing bolt, pull the cable taut, and carefully retighten the bolt.. these break off pretty easily. 2) If your bike is entry level quality, then it is probably the components themselves. This becomes especially apparent when shifting under pressure as you climb a hill. Let me see if I can explain this... On Shimano parts up to Alivio (this includes Altus, Tourney, and 1 or 2 others), some entry level SRAM, and ALL Sunrayce, the engineering is such that they can't respond to shifting under power (if you want more of an explanation email me)... if you are going up a hill, realize you are in the wrong gear, and try to shift the gears will moan and complain and usually eventually go into gear. Not pretty and by this time you have likely lost your momentum and are now stopped in the middle of the hill. Now, considering better component levels... if you are going up a hill, realize you are in the wrong gear, and try to shift, it will :::click::: and go right into place. The worst part of this is that the difference between a bike with entry level stuff on it and good stuff can be as little as $100 or $120... if you keep the bike for 3 years and ride it 50 days a year this turns out to be 80 cents per riding day, or just 11 cents a calendar day at the most! Don't be afraid of walking into a local bike shop. These people really do not look down on anyone and really DO (for the most part) want to take care of you. Source(s): 27 years in the industry When shifting gears, you are not supposed to pedal hard. Pedaling hard will bind the chain to the teeth of the gear it's currently on, and cause the slipping and grinding. You need to let the pedals coast through a full revolution until the chain fully engages the gear you are shifting to, then start pedaling with force again. It would also help to make sure your derailleurs are adjusted properly. You might want to take it to a bike shop and have it checked. Good luck. |
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