Mountain Bike Assembled most of the way

"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen) 08/05/2014 at 15:00 • Filed to: None

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So this came to my from bikes direct "90% assembled", I'd say that's a reasonably fair statement. So far I've mounted rear wheel + disc to the back and got the rear derailleur installed. Got the front wheel on too, but still have to mount the disc brake caliper (hydraulic). Thankfully these work out of the box, so i don't have to worry about learning how to change the fluid just yet.

Definitely still have to get things dialed in, shifting isn't where it should be yet and the rear disc makes noise currently, when I spin the tire. So I have to fiddle with that. I've already tried loosening the mounts, clamping the brake down (to center it) and re-tightening, that didn't do the trick, so I need to mess with other adjustments... I assume. Will continue tonight!

JGrabowMSt > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:04

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Make sure your bearings are fully seated, and your wheels are aligned before you ride it anywhere.

It is definitely worth the change to have a bike shop double check this. Even if the shop charges you, bikes direct is cheap enough to still support the local shop. It's super important to make sure it's done right, or you'll screw up the bearings quickly.

Coming from me, I have a Bikes Direct road bike myself.

HammerheadFistpunch > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:04

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1. what brand of brakes?

2. the mounts on lesser bikes are not always faced, so you may never get it noise free

3. also, bike discs are thin and warp (temporarily) pretty easy, so you will always have some level of disk noise.

check that the headtube is done properly (loosen the bolts on the stem and then tighten the bolt on top and check for play, this is often neglected from the factory.

Your cables will stretch in the next few weeks so expect the shifting to go out and if you can never get it right, have a shop check the derailleur hanger alignment, it can be out from shipping.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:09

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Shifting will need a few miles to sort. You can get it to shift flawlessly now and after 50 miles of use it'll be out of adjustment again. I usually get it roughly okay then readjust it properly later.

Frank Grimes > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:10

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I need to get my fat lazy excuse making lazy fat butt out and ride my bike.

 V8 Rustler > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:11

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I'm still skeptical about 29" inch wheels, they are just massive.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > HammerheadFistpunch 08/05/2014 at 15:14

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1. They are Tektro Draco's (Hydraulic).

2. Possibly, this is a lower end bike.

The headtube is the thing that holds the handlebar?

I have a bike shop down the road offering $30 tune-ups, hopefully either I can get it right or they still offer that in a few weeks after I've ridden a few times. Getting the shifting dialed in does look tricky!

HammerheadFistpunch >  V8 Rustler 08/05/2014 at 15:16

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Perspective. This bike has 29 inch wheels.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > JGrabowMSt 08/05/2014 at 15:16

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Would it make sense to take advantage of the local shop here that is offering a groupon for a tune-up? It's $30. Thing is, if they dial it in now, it'll be out of adjustment after a few rides as things stretch. Or would they get me to a pretty good baseline that I'll only need to make minor adjustments after a few weeks?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs >  V8 Rustler 08/05/2014 at 15:17

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They are big, haha. But the trails I ride are on the faster side, so i think 29's will be good for that. From what I hear, anyone that switches to 29's is faster than they were on 26's.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Frank Grimes 08/05/2014 at 15:18

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Yeah you do! :P I've been having fun with both road and mountain biking lately.

HammerheadFistpunch > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:19

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The headtube is the tube on the frame that supports the shock, the stem (part that holds the handlebar) has two bolt parallel to the ground and there is one bolt perpendicular to the ground on top. Loosen the stem bolts and then tighten the headset bolt, check for play in the headtube (not the stem) and then retighten the stem bolts. be aware, before you go it, that you need to tell a shop to check specific things if you want them to. A $30 tuneup is literally thrown on the stand, make sure it shifts, a little lube on the chain and done.

tromoly > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:19

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Just to be safe, make sure to bleed the brakes, they bleed exactly the same as a car does.

JGrabowMSt > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:20

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Go for it. Nothing should lose adjustments after a few rides. If it does, you have a big problem, and the shop would likely recognize that when you're in there.

If you ride it regularly, unless you're pounding hard on it, the only thing you should have to check often is tire pressure. Brakes, steering, derailleurs, etc should stay where they are for the most part. You can always ask while you're there for them to show you if there's anything you should know about while you start riding for the first time.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:30

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hydraulic discs are awesome. if you adjust the disc or pads there should be no noise, i dont get any after a couple yrs of riding. it could be that the wheels isnt sitting in the axel holding thing properly. you should always have a little weight on the bike when you tighten the hub so its sitting right.

treesmakewater > JGrabowMSt 08/05/2014 at 15:33

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and chain wear if his chain stretches too much it can wear his caster quickly.

JGrabowMSt > treesmakewater 08/05/2014 at 15:35

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Yes, but if the chain stretches significantly when he first rides it, it should outright be replaced. Chain stretch takes a lot more than a few rides, unless your rides are 100+ miles a few times a week.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > HammerheadFistpunch 08/05/2014 at 15:36

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Here's what the tune-up includes:

Tune-up includes headset adjustment and grease; brakes adjustment and grease; shifting adjustment; pivot points lubricated; tire air pressure check; safety check of fasteners; chain and cassette cleaned; all cables lubed; and wheels spot trued

Looks like it covers quite a bit of what I need done?

treesmakewater > HammerheadFistpunch 08/05/2014 at 15:36

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my everyday bike has 26 inch wheels. I have demoed a 29inch bike and a 27.5 inch bike. The 29 inch bike is great for low traction, and high-speed runs(only if it is fairly straight). The 27.5 if my new favorite it is almost as agile as the 26 inch, but it has a lot more traction.

treesmakewater > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:37

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the trail I ride the most is technical with vocational high-speed areas. I'm saving for a nice 27.5. The 29's definitely are best for most trails.

HammerheadFistpunch > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 08/05/2014 at 15:42

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as someone who's wrenched at 4 different shops over 3 years i can tell you that is not what they Will do. also it goes to the new kid.

treesmakewater > JGrabowMSt 08/05/2014 at 15:53

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I guess I'm just weird. I check my chain every other ride (after having a tooth on my caster snap off, I'm kind of paranoid)

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > HammerheadFistpunch 08/05/2014 at 15:54

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Haha, I can stop in there and see what sort of impression I get, I suppose.

From their website I see they normally charge $75 for this. They must need the work, lol. At $35 that's $40 off... But like you said it may not be the greatest tune-up.

JGrabowMSt > treesmakewater 08/05/2014 at 15:59

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I'm overdue for a chain replacement myself, it's stretched to hell, but worse, it has a bit of a grind to it.

I also need a couple new chainrings, I've got a few shredded teeth.

I ride it pretty hard. It's my therapist and my personal trainer.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > HammerheadFistpunch 08/05/2014 at 16:11

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I'm thinking what you are telling me, is that I should just go into the shop and tell them what I need double checked and not worry too terribly much if it'll cost me more than $35? I may do this, because a major failure on the trail could result in fiery death.

treesmakewater > JGrabowMSt 08/05/2014 at 16:14

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i have to figure out what's wrong with my front Axel (wiggles a little now). I haven't ridden much this year (once a month or so) I miss riding 20-30 mikes a day, 2-3 times a week.

JGrabowMSt > treesmakewater 08/05/2014 at 16:20

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I'm in the same boat with you. I work way more now than I did last year, and it bites.

Check the wheel hub. I know my rear hub is a little bit off from a bad pothole I hit, but I just don't have the time and money to get a new one right now. I need to recover from the work I just did on my wagon.

Soon enough though. Rides pretty well, and I don't notice it until I'm well above 25mph

treesmakewater > JGrabowMSt 08/05/2014 at 16:40

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I notice mine when I take a sharp turn, that's about it.