[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

I feel that you're worrying a bit - too much!

Besides, an update : The odo in my Bianchi is almost at 80km.

Lol. I will stop all that worrying now.
80km! Nice. If I wake up early enough tomorrow morning, I will do a quick palm beach road trip.

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

The real next options ...
Ride the bicycle for the next 6 months and then upgrade to a better bicycle. In terms of everything. Till then, happy riding.

Yeah- nearly 5 months are over...... Umm....This is the fifth month.

Are you upgrading?

OT : I know Surinder quite well. Have bought (all) my bikes from him. A total of 4.

[ecenandu]

Have you guys heard about this, airbag for cyclists.

http://youtu.be/4syjUva8yy0

[ecenandu]

Went for a camping trip last weekend, total of 161 Kms. But it was tough because I had to carry a ~12 Kilogram bag. While coming back, I carried two bags for 30 odd kms because the girl who was carrying got tired.

My average speed was only 19, we did take a lot of breaks. And the weather was awesome.

[abhjain]

Guys, any cyclists here from Noida? Would be fun to plan a group ride on weekends.

[kumar2007]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Here's the first proper shot of {Piranello a.k.a Pi3.14 (I'll give a reason for the name )}.

Why is a Bianchi called a Pina? Curious.

Also, that is a DISASTER waiting to happen. You cannot have a stand on a road bike stays. Sure to damage them. Serious.

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

[i]
Ladies and Gentlemen, say 'hi!' to Piranello (I know Piranello is a high end Italian bike manufacturer. Bianchi is one of the better- or even 'exotic' Italian bike manufacturers. It is like calling your Maserati or Alfa Romeo - a Ferrari! But I cannot think of any other name at the moment, lol)

OK, got the name :-)

Is a Maserati/Alfa Romeo better or worse than a Ferrari? Just trying to figure out whether you think a Bianchi is higher end or a Pina is.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Dreamy

coming here after a long hiatus , here is my SS/Fixie. after getting into bicycling its been addictive. and i'm enjoying it. for your eye only

Neat looking bike. Have fun with it!

[Turbo_asd]

Mind answering a few questions for the noob?
Our family bought two Btwin rockrider 5.1s 6 months back. While one bike performs well enough, the other has several issues. We bought both bikes from Decathlon.

Some problems we noticed were:
1. Gear changes seldom occur smoothly. The chain makes loud clattering noises.

2. The gears sometimes don't shift at all. For instance, when I'm on 7th at the rear and 2nd on the front, and I attempt a down shift to 6th, all I get is noise. I downshift further to 5th and then the chain actually moves to 6th. Then, when I attempt an upshift to seventh, the chain sits stubbornly on 6th.
The front gears are better. It takes some effort, but I can easily shift between 1st and 3rd.

3. The brakes make squeaky noises. I don't know which part to lubricate.

4. The pedal sometimes hits the chain when I'm pedalling

I've done some research and found that adjusting the rear dérailleur could solve the problem. I've tried to do that but haven't had much success. Also, I've noticed that the gear cable seems to be loose and hanging slightly.

On a related note, my chain and gears aren't in very good shape. That said, the gears have all their teeth and the chains are hopefully not stretched. Are there any degreasers and lubes you would recommend?

I'm trying to see if I can fix these issues myself instead of taking the bike to Decathlon. I'm 'trying' to gain more knowledge about my bike, and want to be able to do basic fixes in the future.

Apologies if similar queries were posted before and if I sound a little too ignorant.
I thank you all in advance for your help.

[LonelyPlanet]

After 5 months of effort since taking up cycling at the age of 45, this is what I have to show for my efforts last weekend.
Feeling proud.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by LonelyPlanet

After 5 months of effort since taking up cycling at the age of 45, this is what I have to show for my efforts last weekend. Feeling proud.

Congratulations LonelyPlanet!
I bought my self a Rockrider 5.2 a couple of years ago from Decathlon and was actively cycling for a few months after I bought it. A couple of months down the line, lost interest and that coupled with a knee surgery I had last year made me completely stop cycling. Well to cut a long story short, I started cycling again yesterday. Went on a short 20 KM ride in the afternoon and returned home feeling very proud. Wanted to make it a daily affair but as luck would have it, both the tires were flat when I checked the cycle today. I hadn't changed the tubes since I bought the cycle and I guess they may have gone weak. So this weekend I am off to Decathlon to get the tubes replaced, fix mud guards (what with the unseasonal rains!) and a pannier. Once all this is done, I hope to be back on the saddle more frequently.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

I'm trying to see if I can fix these issues myself instead of taking the bike to Decathlon. I'm 'trying' to gain more knowledge about my bike, and want to be able to do basic fixes in the future.

Apologies if similar queries were posted before and if I sound a little too ignorant.
I thank you all in advance for your help.

Some problems we noticed were:
1. Gear changes seldom occur smoothly. The chain makes loud clattering noises.

2. The gears sometimes don't shift at all. For instance, when I'm on 7th at the rear and 2nd on the front, and I attempt a down shift to 6th, all I get is noise. I downshift further to 5th and then the chain actually moves to 6th. Then, when I attempt an upshift to seventh, the chain sits stubbornly on 6th.
The front gears are better. It takes some effort, but I can easily shift between 1st and 3rd.

Rockriders are known to have gear issues. I had one with mine - right from the day of purchase, the bike would never go to the last (rear) gear setting. I had put up a query on that issue last year, and got similar feedback out here.

3. The brakes make squeaky noises. I don't know which part to lubricate.
I'd warrant a guess that one side of the pads are hitting the tire rim. Try rotating the wheel(s) freely and see if the rubbing occurs. Either the fitting of the tire needs to be done or truing the spokes would be the solution. For a new bike, I'd say the former might be the issue.

4. The pedal sometimes hits the chain when I'm pedalling

This is weird and serious. Again never faced this issue or heard about it - did your pedal come bent by any chance? Can you put up a picture?

As for trying it on your own, you are good to depend on youtube videos; however considering your bike would be still in warranty and Decathalon offers cheap(er) services on their bikes, I'd say get it back to them and watch they do with the servicing. Back in Decathalon Pune, they would allow me to watch the servicing work. You could learn from them in that manner.

Originally Posted by ecenandu

Went for a camping trip last weekend, total of 161 Kms. But it was tough because I had to carry a ~12 Kilogram bag. While coming back, I carried two bags for 30 odd kms because the girl who was carrying got tired.

My average speed was only 19, we did take a lot of breaks. And the weather was awesome.

Sweet! That looks to be a lovely ride! Btw are you on Strava - would be interested to keep track of the rides etc

[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Sweet! That looks to be a lovely ride! Btw are you on Strava - would be interested to keep track of the rides etc

Thanks, mate.

I am on Strava but I don't use the app much, since it will drain my battery quite fast. I could upload my data from Sigma ROX but haven't bought the docking station yet.

[Turbo_asd]

Thank you so much for your response sir!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Rockriders are known to have gear issues. I had one with mine - right from the day of purchase, the bike would never go to the last (rear) gear setting. I had put up a query on that issue last year, and got similar feedback out here.

Is that so? Using five friends' Rockriders as benchmarks, my gearshift seems to be the worst of the lot. In fact, some of the bikes seem to shift quite seamlessly. Perhaps I've been given the lemon of lemons?
Ultimately, were they able to solve the problem for you?

I'd warrant a guess that one side of the pads are hitting the tire rim. Try rotating the wheel(s) freely and see if the rubbing occurs. Either the fitting of the tire needs to be done or truing the spokes would be the solution. For a new bike, I'd say the former might be the issue.

I will check this. Just to clarify, the tire rim refers to the side wall?

This is weird and serious. Again never faced this issue or heard about it - did your pedal come bent by any chance? Can you put up a picture?

Luckily, that wasn't the problem. Just found out on close inspection. The pedals hit the poorly installed centre stand. I re installed it properly, the problem is solved. Sorry for being scaring you there

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

Thank you so much for your response sir!


Is that so? Using five friends' Rockriders as benchmarks, my gearshift seems to be the worst of the lot. In fact, some of the bikes seem to shift quite seamlessly. Perhaps I've been given the lemon of lemons?
Ultimately, were they able to solve the problem for you?

Not really. I never really felt that much of an issue as I was mostly using the middle gears. I guess post servicing of the bike, the problem was rectified.

I will check this. Just to clarify, the tire rim refers to the side wall?

Nopes - the inner metal rim where the brake pads actually make the contact when you hit the brakes.

Actually these are minor issues - the folks at Decathalon would probably do it for free. Or just google it up on youtube - you'll find so many videos to solve rubbing issues.

[sudeep11787]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Not really. I never really felt that much of an issue as I was mostly using the middle gears. I guess post servicing of the bike, the problem was rectified.


Nopes - the inner metal rim where the brake pads actually make the contact when you hit the brakes.

Actually these are minor issues - the folks at Decathalon would probably do it for free. Or just google it up on Youtube - you'll find so many videos to solve rubbing issues.

You can try referring to some online videos for adjusting it yourself. Even mine was totally crap. In my 3rd go, I completely fixed them. Just keep trying, Front adjustment is easy and you can get away with not so precise adjustments, rear requires good precision.

I am using a RR 5.0. I have had gear issues and brakes touching the rim issue. It took a lotta adjustments but now it works well. Just try searching for some vids. You will defnlty fix it.

Also, if some one can comment on using engine oil for chain lubrication? I had some 20W50 lying around, used it and its working well for me.