Tammynovice

Im completely new to bikes and just bought a used bike £10 to learn how to ride on ( im 22). everything seems to be in working order I pumped up the tyres, as that was the only fault specified, gears seem to work as they click into place, and it moves only had a quick question about pedals. if I push the pedal backwards with my hands it spins but I can't push the pedal forward with my hand. It moves when I'm sitting on the bike and I put some pressure on the pedal it does make the bike move forward but if I'm not sitting on the bike I can't make the pedal move forward with just my arm I just wanted to check if that's right? it still moves if I put pressure on the pedal with my foot just not with my hand.

Andrew R Stewart 

The first thing I think of is that your legs are stronger than your arms are and there's some friction that your arms can't over come but your legs do. A common cause is a rubbing brake. There are other reasons this might be happening but a brake pad pressing on the rim's side wall happens often. Andy

Crankycrank

Try to isolate the problem. Can you spin the rear wheel freely forward and backward without peddaling, is it hard to pedal in all the different gears? The fact that it moves easily pedaling backwards can at least rule out, to some extent, a stiff chain, gunked up derailleur pulley wheels and a bad bottom bracket (the bearing that your crankset turns on). Also, I'm assuming you live in the UK and in the US we have co-op's where people there can offer you, assistance, advice and tools to use for usually a nominal fee to work on your bike. Not sure if they use the same name where you live but something to look into.

sovende

Having some difficulty visualizing your issue . If your bike is standing with both wheels on a solid surface (driveway, road, street, etc.), pressing down on the forward pedal will make the bike roll forward. If the bike is kept from rolling forward, you won’t be able to move the crank arm by pushing on the pedal. If the rear wheel is lifted off of the solid surface and free to spin in both directions, you should be able to push the forward crank arm down with just your hand. If not there’s an issue.

Aardwolf

You could always turn the bike upside down and stand it on a flat surface.
That's 'frowned' upon because it may damage cables etc long term,
But if you do that the back wheel should be free to rotate in both directions and you can check if the pedals rotate freely or if anything is sticking.

Iride01 

Is the rear wheel on the ground when you try to move the pedal and crankarm with your hand? If so, then lift up the rear wheel so it can spin freely and then try moving the pedal and crankarm with your hand.

If this is multiple speed bike then depending on what gear ratio is selected, even with the wheel off the ground it might be difficult to turn the crank/pedals initially if in a high ratio gear selection.

Oh...

Putting air in your tires is a normal thing to do. Depending on a lot of stuff, this might be something you do weekly or every time you ride the bike. With my 700C 25mm tires and butyl rubber tubes I usually have to air up my tires every every other ride, or about every 4 days to keep them within the pressure I prefer to ride. The thin higher pressure tubes and tires we use for cycling aren't like the big low pressure tires we use on our cars.

SurferRosa

tkamd73 

Well, your supposed to pedal a bike with your feet anyway, so I think your good.
Tim

Tammynovice

Why laugh?

Tammynovice

Thank you all for your help!

SurferRosa

Insane, nonsensical post.

Andrew R Stewart 

Does this post mean you have found what was going on? If so please share so we can stop wondering what you really were experiencing. Andy

rm -rf

no.
Not everyone is good at mechanical things. Standing next to the bike, trying to spin the crank forward with both wheels on the ground, the crank won't spin forward, but will go backward, just like the OP asked.
You and I know to have the rear wheel off the ground, or notice that the bike is trying to move forward. It's not obvious to every person.

rm -rf

Have someone hold the seat to lift the rear wheel off the ground. Can you turn the pedal and crank arm to spin the rear wheel forward, or is it very hard to turn? It should turn easily with light hand pressure. If it's very hard to turn, the bearings at the crank axle probably need servicing. (I'm guessing it's easy to turn, though.)

SurferRosa

It's not??

Tammynovice

i think it was just me not understanding how bikes work i didnt know the pedals would not move forward without the back tyre up so i thought it was stiff, this is the first bike ive had so im just learning the basics. But thanks to the people here im getting there

Tammynovice

thats a bit rude i said ive never had a bike before. this is the first time ive even been around one i dont know thatkind of stuff i saw the pedal spin backwards and not forwards and thought it might be a problem now i know its not a problem this stuff isnt common knowledge to me

Tammynovice

yep it spins freely when the back tyres up!

Hondo6

First: welcome to Bike Forums. I don't think anyone has welcomed you here yet.

Second: please don't be put off by a couple of the somewhat terse responses above. Some of the commenters here are literally professional bike mechanics with years or decades of experience, or are amateurs with similar levels of expertise who've worked on and around their own bikes most of their lives. It's easy to forget that newcomers really can be completely naive concerning a given subject - and they often have answered the same question literally hundreds of times before.

That can get tiresome, and sometimes it shows. Replies are sometimes terse or abrasive as a result.

Please stick around. This is a great place to learn the practical and technical end of biking. Whether or not that's your "thing", knowledge about how your equipment works is always good. It can help you get out of a jam - or avoid getting taken.

Again: welcome. I'm glad you got an answer to your question.

epnnf

yea, this place can be kinda harsh. jus sayin

SurferRosa

Sorry. It sounded so absurd, I just assumed you were trolling us. The next question I expected was, "is the seat for sitting? Where do my hands go?"

Bill Kapaun

Just one of the many people that have achieved my Ignore List.

etherhuffer 

Cool! Now you have to post a picture of the bike so everyone here can give you all sorts of unsolicited advice! This is a fun forum and you can learn a ton on how to care for your new ride. No matter how obscure a problem, someone here always has the answer.