Awaqa909

I bought a cheap Vilano bicycle off Amazon. Some of the problems I have are the spokes, lube, brakes adjustment, cassette slipping? I was hoping I could ride a little bit tonight after assembly, but it's not looking like it. (I finally bought myself a bicycle after "talking" about doing it for a long time)


I guess we can go over the quicker bits first.


Adjusting spokes, should I use a adjustable wrench or will I tighten them too much? They're kinda noisy and I assume that means they're loose, but they don't have any real flex.

Lube, I was going to hold off for a bit on chain lube, but the manual was saying to lube the seat post? For the time being I put it in dry.

Brake adjustment, I should probably watch a youtube video on it, but I wonder things like pad spacing, and how much lever pull. (I already adjusted the pad position and removed nearly all the slack in cable adjustment)

My main concern right now it that when I try to pedal, I can see both gears and chain moving, but if I put enough torque on it, it slips. I tried to "tighten" it by pedaling with the brakes but wasn't sure. I didn't do it much and actually only sat on the bike while doing some setup. It's the rear cassette that seems to be slipping. I don't want to break it, so here I am.


Thanks,

Awaqa909

JohnDThompson 

Is the cassette itself slipping, as in the pawls not catching, or is the chain not engaging the cogs properly?

prathmann

1) Don't start tightening spokes unless you know what you're doing. You can easily knock the rim completely out-of-true so it wobbles badly. Spoke tightening must be done gradually while repeatedly checking on the effect it's having on the trueness of the wheel. Also using an adjustable wrench on the spoke nipples is likely to round them off and prevent future adjustment. Get a proper spoke wrench - but only after you learn about wheel truing.

2) Hard to know without info on which bike model you bought, but if it has a freewheel instead of a cassette that might explain the 'slipping' feel. Freewheels are just threaded onto the hub so if it isn't tightened down enough initially then it will be tightened by your pedaling. That's normal and once the freewheel is tight on the hub you won't get any more slipping.

3) Brakes should be adjusted so the pads are as close to the rim as feasible without rubbing when the brake lever is released. Leave just a bit of extra clearance to allow for minor changes in rim position.

PS: the advice to lube the seat post is to prevent it from eventually getting stuck in position due to corrosion between the post and the frame's seat tube. Not a big deal if you delay a little, but it's a good idea to pull the seat post out to put some lubricant on it before you forget about it and leave the bike out in the rain a few times.

noglider 

What a mess.

Awaqa909

I guess I rushed this thread a bit. It's a Vilano "Aluminum Road Bike Commuter Bike Shimano 21 Speed 700c" Turns out to be a freewheel. I went to pedal on it a bit more and I think it's pretty snug now. I've got a spoke tool on the way. I plan to carefully adjust the spokes, with youtube as guidance. I want to use this bike as a learner and see how I like cycling. (I'm a DIY person)
Here is the bike, I was having issues typing after inserting the link. So it's at the bottom. Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Andrew R Stewart 

Question- You mention the spokes are making noise. Can you be more descriptive as to when and how they sound? You seemed to suggest you really haven't ridden the bike so I wonder under what conditions the spokes make noise. Reason I ask is that playing with a spoke wrench can be either good or bad. Doing so when not needed to isn't the good part. Andy

canklecat

It's normal for a hand-tightened freewheel to feel like it's slipping a fraction of an inch during the first serious pedal strokes. It'll tighten up quickly. I usually pre-tighten mine with a wrench to avoid surprises on the road. The freewheel may slip only a fraction but on the first climb or hard effort it can be disconcerting and feel like something is seriously wrong.

If the chain is skipping across the teeth in some gears, it may be a mismatch between chain and freewheel, particularly if it's a Shimano MegaRange freewheel. The MegaRange freewheels aren't so much bad quality as bad design -- they'll work reliably only with chains clearly labeled "narrow," usually from Shimano or KMC. The slightest added width in links, rollers and plates will cause the chain to climb across the spacers between the cogs. I finally ditched my MegaRange freewheel and switched to a SunRace. Much better shifting too, not picky about chains.

If you ever decide to redo the freewheel be sure to grease the hub and freewheel threads. Makes it much easier to unscrew later with the appropriate freewheel tool and any 12" or slightly longer wrench. Otherwise a jammed freewheel may need a cheater bar or bench vise to remove.

Awaqa909

I've put about 12KM on it (I live in USA, TX, but idk if I should change it to MPH) Seems to be reading 0.5-1kmh low vs gps. I consider it acceptable. A brake pad ended up falling off and I lost the washer but found the nut. Might go to the hardware store today or tomorrow. While assembling the bike I thought I heard the spokes making noise, but I think it was just the rear derailleur kinda clanking around. I have not touched it with the spoke tool that I now have. It was making a hallow ping kind of noise. I have not heard it during riding.

I'm seeing the quality of this bike in the drivetrain. While trying to tune the front and rear derailleur I had to put it upside down on the seat since that was the easiest way I could think of. I would pedal it and then stop and the freewheel kinda wobbled and that made the bike almost bounce off the seat. But the rim looked to be running fairly true. This doesn't seem to be a problem while riding or maybe the road roughness just hides it that well. I'm not sure still if the front derailleur is low enough, but there lies another problem. There is a bit of runout with the crank gears and the chain will rub either end of the derailleur and specific spots. I'm not sure if this is something I can tune out of not. The brakes are kinda bad. This style of brake lever is different then say a mountain bike. It's hard to get any leverage. If I pull my brake pads away there is more slack in the braking, but once you get past that, it seems easier to brake. I noticed some screws inside the brake levers. Is that a adjustment or how they are secured to the handlebars?

Andrew R Stewart 

Common spoke looseness noises usually don't happen with no load and when not riding. I suspect the sounds are not spokes (that are loose). The bike's hopping when upside down and the rear wheel is spinning could be a wheel with a off centered weight. Are there wheel reflectors? They can cause imbalanced spin. Chainring run out might be wobbled rings or a loose BB. Both are not hard to make better but with vastly differing methods. Chain rub, even with a well adjusted BB bearing and true rings, is common when using extreme combos of rear cogs and ft rings. Any time the chain is having to "cross" from the inside to the outside combos it gets near the ft der cage plates. Some shift levers can compensate for this, others can't. Brakes that have had a pad fall off generally are not very effective Really this is an indication to the poor assembly and check over,could be rather dangerous. One more reason to have someone who knows how to do this stuff do this stuff. Adjusting the brakes so there is more pad/rim gap isn't the usual way to increase their effectiveness. The screw in the brake lever is likely for tightening the lever onto the bars. But hey,why not loosen and ride the bike to see what happens. It seems that you don't have too much concern about how well this bike is made and assembled before you ride it. Andy (Hoping that you recognize the satire in that last bit)