corvuscorvax

[QUOTE=Pamestique;15654650So sorry its been so difficult for you... As much as I think them beautiful, I would never buy a german car... most of the dealers around here employ german mechanics and yes they are rude... they would as soon blame every problem on the customer then provide service...
That said... just know it is cultural.
[/QUOTE]Wow. I have always found Germans to be warm and polite. But ... there's nothing wrong with his wheel, as confirmed by an independent shop. Why on earth should he ask for a refund on something that isn't broken?

Gloor

Are you guys talking about 130 F? Because that is 55C and that is way too low for water that is meant to release all the flavour etc in coffee. I don't think you are talking about 130C as that is virtually impossible to achieve under normal conditions as water boils -> evaporates at 100C
Regardless of the topic I started. I find it the whole experience here very frustrating as it almost feels like everytime I go to point something out I have to be ready for a fight rather than customer service. That is emotionally draining and I would rather prefer that I don't have to deal with that. I was praying that the other store would tell me that its normal so I don't have to deal with the hassle. He did say its normal but he also said I should have it adjusted as they can fix it.
If that happen in UK I would ask for a new bike. In fact, there wouldn't even be anything so huge as perhaps they would even offer it there.
However, here its difficult (first store refused to order me new one when the one he received came with a dent!!!!!)
I just want peace and working bike, that is why I am here to know what is and what is not normal.
All of you were super helpful so I am grateful for all your input. Thank you so much.
Let's hope that things will be normal for now.
Btw. one thing I have noticed and I had this experience with all the bikes I've had before (however those were cheap ones) is this:
Sometimes I have a gear and I don't change it at all. It stays on the whole time. Its middle in the front and about 3rd from the lowest one in the back. Very comfortable to ride for certain stretches of the road. However, sometimes I stop at red light and when I start again I put force on the pedal (normal force applied) the chain makes crazy noise like if I was applying force whilst changing the gear. When I check, the gear position etc is the same and nothing gets changed so what do you think is causing it? Is that normal? Needs to be adjusted? Or something wrong (I hope not ).
It also happens when I'm on flat road riding and I decided to go faster so I stand up on the bike and put more effort into the biking. All the gear remains the same. Any ideas, please?

Zephyr11

Enough with the social/racial commentary. Take it to P&R.

Daspydyr 

Back on track, when a shop sells something new, the owner has a right to expect a "new bike experience." That should last for a season. When you buy new with a warranty you pay more than buying used or refurbished. Gloor's NEW BIKE experience seems to have lasted 24 hours. What is the status of the bike Gloor?

dminor 

The thread has been cleaned of all the OT culture and politics discussion and has been restored and unlocked. If it can stay on-topic, it will stay. If it derails again, it will be permanently removed.

xlDooM

The grinding might come from the front derailer. It sometimes happens on cheap/old/nasty bikes because the crank skews. I've never had it on a new bike, it appears the skewy cranks with plastic parts have disappeared from entry-level mountain and city bikes and are now reserved for department store level bikes. On the other hand, your bike has a Suntour XCR crankset and a quick google search suggests it really is quite skewy...

If the grinding comes from the rear, there is definitely a problem. I've seen some bikes back in the day that had issues with the rear derailer when pedalling backwards (like you sometimes do at a stop light to get the crank arms in starting position). It's easy to check: turn the crank backwards and watch the rear derailer. If the chain does not glide through smoothly, but instead is a bit choppy (derailer moves fore and aft when the chain catches on it), there is an issue.

Gloor

Ok, moderator came in and stopped all the fun. )))
Ok, we will be good from now on, then.

Well, i haven't turned the bike upside down if that is what you meant but I did pedalled back and it all looked fine. On the otherhand, if I just stomped on it from still position (not massively forceful) then the chain jumped out but i assume that is normal.
So, if the crank is in the front, can it be fixed? It's really annoying to know that its another thing that is "weird". It just feels like the chain slips or something with a noise and the pedal jumps a tiny bit (like for a split of a second there is no resistance).
And if it is in the Suntour XCR pedals, does it mean that it is inside the frame where the pedals are connected together? As I can't imagine any other place where it could cause this.
What would you do with this problem? Is that warranty issue?

corvuscorvax

I agree that this sounds like flex in the crankset or the bottom bracket when you put a lot of force on the pedals. The feeling of the pedal jumping a little is probably because the chain is not engaging perfectly with your cassette (the cogs on the rear), because the chain is being pulled to the side a little by the flex. This kind of thing is common with bikes using low-end components like Acera and Alivio (that's why people shell out the big bucks for expensive bikes -- they work better). It could also be that your derailleurs are not perfectly adjusted, which would make the problem a little worse than it would otherwise be. But I doubt it will go away altogether, even if things are adjusted properly.

The solution to this is to learn to ride the bike properly: downshift when you are coming to a stop, rather than leaving it in the gear you were in when cruising at speed. Then you can start up without putting too much pressure on your drivetrain. Not every little noise your bike makes is a warranty issue.

Gloor

Ok, I guess all that will be checked in few weeks when I have my first inspection. Thank you.
I kinda thought that the bike could take that force from stop as its not anything crazy and I also thought that by shifting the gear less wears it off at slower rate so I only shifted when I actually really needed (like a steep hill) rather than at every moment. Hmm, different what I thought I guess )

All this is learning to me I guess. Can't wait to test the bike on a trail though. Still haven't had a chance.

Well, another question you could help me with, please. Probably a basic one. I sometimes go on a gravel path and do turns and was wondering how to maximise the speed yet not cause the bike to slip. What in your experience would be the tell that I have reached the max speed and angle for that given turn before its too late and the bike slips and i'm out on the ground. I know its hard to say but I would like to push my ability a bit rather then go always so carefully.

Daspydyr 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, now you are asking silly stuff. Sliding is fun! It can also introduce you to ER people, so be careful.

You also need to respect the trail that you are on. If it is a shared use trail and hikers or horse people will consider the sliding a way of damaging the trail-don't do it.

Pushing your ability is a natural part of bike riding. A natural result seems to be scar tissue. WE all have some. dminor has a bunch, but most of his damage shows on a chest xray. Do be careful, but see what you can do.

Gloor

Ok, I kinda thought that you will reply with something like that. ))))
Well, in that case I will wait with the pushing until my new health insurance kicks in as I'm still waiting for the letter of confirmation that I am insured. ))
Hehehehehheheh

samg07094

Well, from 60 years of playing around with bikes THAT is the very first thing that comes to mind. Consider one piece of evidence: the assembler did not tighten the handlebars properly.

That failure on such a simple thing indicates that other parts might also have been half-tightened. The crank itself could be loose. This poor bike could even have come from the factory with crankset threads misaligned.

For the longer run a simple repair tool kit might cost you 5 or 10 euro. Pliers, screwdriver or two, a multiwrench. Not enough to go after a loose crank, of course. More than enough to adjust a seat, tighten a cable, and align wheels. Enough to do 90% of bike jobs in under 5 minutes for yourself.

Look at the poor thing from the bottom. Be kind. It didn't do this to itself. Play with it. You can't hurt a bike much simply by turning the crank in the proper direction.

First off, you want to listen to the crankset ball bearings (written as "BB" in some biker postings) as the threaded metal pieces that hold these bearings in place have to be adjusted just right -- not too tight, not too loose.

Bike needs to be upside down for you to listen to their mechanical workings. To your unaided ear there should be no grinding whatsoever coming from the crankset ball bearings/BBs. These bearing should roll around calmly.

(I use a special tool for this test called a mechanic's stethoscope. It's like a doctor's stethoscope, but with a narrow metal rod coming from the sound box. It magnifies sound. Perfect for detecting BB noises and such as gear noises in automotive transmissions. But many competent bike shops go their whole lives and never acquire one. It's an engineering convenience.)

As to the wobble in your bike's wheels, that repair effort begins perhaps surprisingly with a replay -- aided hopefully by a combination of wine and popcorn -- of "Belleville Rendez-vous" (a.k.a. "Les Triplettes de Belleville" or "The Triplets of Belleville") from Silvain Chomet and the gods.

Your mind and soul need the rehab. There's also an instructive piece worthy of Khan Academy to the exercise.

You will discover, therein, the secret to curing this particular vehicular malady. The heroine, Madame Souza, demonstrates and expertly the interplay of music with spoke adjustment. If you have imbibed, feel free to play along.

You bike will also enjoy participation.

On its back you spin a wheel and you can see where the distortion occurs. You can mark it with a felt pen. Then you are going to use the spokes to bring it to true center line.

A pair of gas pliers is all you need to tighten or loosen spokes. You ping the spoke to see how tight it is. Tighter = higher pitch. Looser = lower pitch. Take 3 minutes at the process to tighten two and loosen one... or vice versa... and the rim should straighten out perfectly. When you tighten a left-side spoke a half-turn, you will see the rim come a millimeter or so to the left.

Let Madame Souza be your guide.

The film also depicts your Münchenfahrradgeschäftschurken disguised as French Mafia types. Who knew? Again, leave it to Madame Souza to set matters right.

Enjoy !! Life is good. With any bicycle, particularly when on its back, please try to proceed kindly.

Gloor

Great response, thank you.

Yeah, I guess I will see what they do at my first check and then will probably change shop

And biking is great, kinda wish I had more money for a bit better components Well, there is always next time. In 5 years or so when I'm ready to upgrade then I'm sure there will be something even more advanced and in the meantime I will at least have more experience