For those of you who go bike riding...

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thebutteredtoast
thebutteredtoast Posts: 141
in Fitness and Exercise
I just got an 18 speed bike a couple of weeks ago and took it for a ride today. It's in what's supposed to be an 'easy' gear for flat-land riding (since that's all it is where I live) but it's extremely hard to pedal! I've switched up my gears multiple times and it just gets harder with each one. Is there something wrong with my bike? And if there is ... anyone know how to fix it?

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  • thebutteredtoast
    thebutteredtoast Posts: 141
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    Anyone?
  • silverbullet07
    silverbullet07 Posts: 100 Member
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    For the easiest pedal, the chain on the front sprocket needs to be on the smallest gear and the back chain on the largest gear. Then just move the back chain from big sprocket to about 3/4 down to the small spracket and the pedaling will get a little harder. Do that until you get use to it. After that, move the front chain to bigger sprockets to make pedeling harder.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,224 Member
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    For the easiest pedal, the chain on the front sprocket needs to be on the smallest gear and the back chain on the largest gear.

    Other than this piece of advice, it is sort of difficult to know if there is something wrong with your bike since we can't see it. If you think something is wrong, take it back to where you got it.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    - Are your tires inflated properly?
    - Are you using the correct tires for the job (knobby tires for a trail, smooth tires for the road)?
    - If you pick the bike up off the ground, do the tires spin freely or do you hear a scraping sound?
    - Where did you get the bike? Did they set it up properly?
    - How much riding have you done in the past? Do you have an accurate judge of how much effort it "should" take?

    If you bought the bike new, I'd go back to where you bought it and ask them to check it out.

    If you bought it used, I'd take it to a local bike shop and have them check things over.
  • piesbd
    piesbd Posts: 196 Member
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    The first question to ask is, what type of bike did you get. Road, hybrid, mountain? That will help in answering some of the questions.

    Besides that, you will want to look for any mechanical issues with the bike to assure that everything is operating as it should.

    Finally, if the bike is in working order, I would suggest that you take it to the bike shop you got it at for some lessons in basic shifting. They can put you on the bike training to take you through the bike. While you are there, also ask about a bike fit. A lot of discomfort from riding can be alleviated by a proper fit.

    Also, you may want to check out this link.... a basic primer for shifting.

    http://bicycling.about.com/lr/shifting/428383/3/

    Basically (this is assuming you have a road bike), when riding you want to be in a combination with your back cassette (set of sprockets) and chainring (the front set of sprockets) to allow you to spin easily. It should not be a hard push down on the pedal, but almost a free flow revolution of the leg. If you have a cadence sensor, you will want to be spinning at ~80-100 evolutions of the leg per minute. The higher your cadence, the longer you can ride before leg fatigue sets in.

    When I ride, I am typically in the small chainring (sprocket in the front), but that is for a double. If you have a triple, in the front, typically you would be in the middle chainring, and only use the little for extreme climbs. On the back cassette, I move around the middle sprockets as needed to maintain my cadence.

    I only use the big chainring if I am doing intervals, or trying to grab a lot of speed quickly (to catch up to someone, or avoid a dog ;))

    Good luck, and welcome to cycling! :)
  • thebutteredtoast
    thebutteredtoast Posts: 141
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    Thanks for all the replies! I have rode bikes in the past; it used to be my number one exercise so I do know how a bike should feel while riding it. I've just noticed that when I shift the right shifter into the highest gear, it won't go onto the biggest sprocket in the back. It hops there for a moment, then jumps right back down to the second biggest one. It seems as if when I shift from 2 to 3 and 3 to 4, it stays on the same sprocket, jumps to the next one for five and then won't stay on the other one for six.

    I have a hybrid bike. It was a present so I'm afraid I don't know where my aunt got it from, but from everything I asked her, the store she brought it from said that it'll be great for roads and dirt trails (which is good because I always switch between the two of them).

    The tires spin freely when I lift the bike up so I think there's just the problem with the chain shifting onto the right gears.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,224 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies! I have rode bikes in the past; it used to be my number one exercise so I do know how a bike should feel while riding it. I've just noticed that when I shift the right shifter into the highest gear, it won't go onto the biggest sprocket in the back. It hops there for a moment, then jumps right back down to the second biggest one. It seems as if when I shift from 2 to 3 and 3 to 4, it stays on the same sprocket, jumps to the next one for five and then won't stay on the other one for six.

    I have a hybrid bike. It was a present so I'm afraid I don't know where my aunt got it from, but from everything I asked her, the store she brought it from said that it'll be great for roads and dirt trails (which is good because I always switch between the two of them).

    The tires spin freely when I lift the bike up so I think there's just the problem with the chain shifting onto the right gears.

    Sounds like it needs a tune-up. The derailleur is definitely out of adjustment and that would need to be adjusted at the very least. I usually take my bikes in for this once a year.
  • piesbd
    piesbd Posts: 196 Member
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    ITA! It probably needs to be adjusted....
  • thebutteredtoast
    thebutteredtoast Posts: 141
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    How would I go about fixing that myself?
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    How would I go about fixing that myself?

    It's not that hard, but there are plenty of sites with pictures that will get you started if you want to try it yourself. If it won't go to either of the outer rings but the rest of the gears are shifting just fine, it sounds like one of the limiter screws (limit stops) just needs to be loosened a bit on the derailleur to allow it a little more motion to push the chain all the way onto that final sprocket (don't loosen it TOO much or it'll push the chain right off that last sprocket).

    The other option is to take it to a local bike shop and ask them to adjust the gears and show you how. A good bike shop will gladly go over it with you and they're generally not that expensive.
  • piesbd
    piesbd Posts: 196 Member
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    You can start with this as a primer: http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/repair-maintenance/not-very-dirty-dozen

    There is a lot of good info there
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,224 Member
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    How would I go about fixing that myself?

    It's not that hard, but there are plenty of sites with pictures that will get you started if you want to try it yourself. If it won't go to either of the outer rings but the rest of the gears are shifting just fine, it sounds like one of the limiter screws just needs to be loosened a bit on the derailleur.

    The other option is to take it to a local bike shop and ask them to adjust the gears and show you how. A good bike shop will gladly go over it with you and they're generally not that expensive.

    youtube has a bunch of videos. It is not that hard, especially if it is only a limiter screw. If the gears are chattering a lot and not shifting onto the correct position easily, well, that is a little more difficult to dial in.
  • thebutteredtoast
    thebutteredtoast Posts: 141
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    I fixed it! It was the limiter screw. I loosened it a bit and now the bike is shifting perfectly! :D Thank you so much for all your help. I can now get out there and go bike riding!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I fixed it! It was the limiter screw. I loosened it a bit and now the bike is shifting perfectly! :D Thank you so much for all your help. I can now get out there and go bike riding!

    WooHoo!

    Enjoy the ride. I use a hybrid as my commuter (it's my most efficient bike) and they are nice bikes.
  • piesbd
    piesbd Posts: 196 Member
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    Good job!!!!!!! Have fun :-)

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