tex88

Newbie rider on a new Giant Escape 2..
Shifting on the front gears is sometimes sloppy.
Am I just doing it wrong?

VIDEO
See these times in my video -- 0:13, 0:32, 1:10, 1:22, 1:43, 2:32

Hmm, I don't have enough forum-points to link directly to the video, but you can search YouTube for "Shifting on front gears (Giant Escape 2)".

Thanks for any tips!

Skipjacks

What do you mean by sloppy?

Like you click into the next gear but the chain doesn't actually move?

trailangel

You are slow with the shifter.... PRESS THE LEVER WITH AUTHORITY

Brooke1687

My Trek DS sometimes has trouble catching when shifting on the front. I’ve just learned to deal with it by learning when it’s the right time to shift by feel but even then it still happens. I had it adjusted which helped some. You need to shift with authority as the poster above said. My range of motion is limited in my left hand which is what causes me to have an issue.

Brian25

I am an ex bike store owner and mechanic for many years. ( I saw your video) Your problem is that I think that the derailleur wire for the front derailleur needs to be a little tighter. When the bike is in the mid chain ring and largest cog in the rear, the chain should be just short of grazing the inside of the front derailleur. There is a barrel adjuster on the shifter, You need to dial (turn) it out until the derailleur is as close to the chain as possible. Second of all when you are pedaling slowly, it may be necessary to hold the shifter when shifting for an additional second, to give front derailleur more time to engage the chain onto the larger chainring. The biggest thing that I see Is the cable not tight enough.

Oilsausage

My Giant Escape does the same thing, just hit the lever harder and hold it for a second. Your derrailluer doesn't need adjusted at all.

Waltsmith

I seem to have a similar problem on a couple of bikes. My fix? Back off the pressue you have on the pedals when you shif the front ring. Worth a try

In your video you can see that the derailer is moving fine, but the chain dosent want to climb. If it were only the small ring to middle ring, I would suggest loosening your cable adjuster about 1/2 turn.

I’m 99% certain if you basicly pedal while freewheeling, you will find it shifts fine. Same when you put it up on the stand and shift with no load

I have this issue on two different hybrids