bikes

[Bunk Moreland]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I’m going to be completely honest. I want to sell it because I fucking hate the color. It’s bright ass orange and I don’t like looking at it.
https://www.salsacycles.com/bikes/2020_vaya_grx_600

[close]

Would you stop trying to talk yourself into selling the damn bike. You’ll loose a grand on the deal. How about recoating? Do you know any powder coaters in your area?

https://pittsburghsprayequip.com/blogs/pittsburgh-spray-equipment-company/powder-coating-over-an-existing-coating

[close]

Yea I’ve used this shop in deep east Oakland before. $180, stripped and coated a frame for me. Turned out great. I don’t know if I’m ready to do that though, I’ll just ride the thing how it is.

[close]

Whatever your decision is I will support it.

Preciate’chu.

[SaySo]

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

[SaySo]

You guys kinda talked me in to keeping the gravel bike. I can have 4 bikes…

You know what they say: "The perfect number of bikes is N+1, where N is the current number of bikes one has." Unfortunately I apply the same logic to skate products and shoes...

...I need to declutter. Hahaha.

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

[close]

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

This is a common failure to square taper bottom at this section. Pardo has a good explanation as to why.

[SaySo]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

[close]

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

[close]

This is a common failure to square taper bottom at this section. Pardo has a good explanation as to why.

Ah. Stress concentrations due to area/cross sectional changes. Figured that a heavy use part like the axle would be heat treated to alleviate some of the inherent stresses. Getting flashbacks from my statics class back in the day.

Odd that would happen with a Campy BB though. I've been riding square taper (Shimano, Sugino, and Hatta) on both mountain bikes and track bikes for years and never had that issue (knock on wood) but it makes sense.

Cheers for the link.

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

[close]

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

[close]

This is a common failure to square taper bottom at this section. Pardo has a good explanation as to why.

[close]

Ah. Stress concentrations due to area/cross sectional changes. Figured that a heavy use part like the axle would be heat treated to alleviate some of the inherent stresses. Getting flashbacks from my statics class back in the day.

Odd that would happen with a Campy BB though. I've been riding square taper (Shimano, Sugino, and Hatta) on both mountain bikes and track bikes for years and never had that issue (knock on wood) but it makes sense.

Cheers for the link.

I hadn't even noticed that it was Campagnolo. I'm just shooting from the hip here, but it's also possible that the skinnier tapered end of the ISO bottom bracket failed to ever properly mount with the JIS Sugino crankarm. Over time, the rocking resulted in some metal fretting which eventually lead to failure, although if this were the case, I would expect that the failure would occur in the softer aluminum crankarm.

[Hash Slinging Slasher]

I have an aero road bike, and  gravel bike, and I really enjoy the gravel bike. It's not that slow. I would recommend a gravel for a newer rider. It requires next to no maintenance, flat tires can really be discouraging for newer riders.
I understand what you guys are saying, but where I am, you have to drive to trail areas. I can ride my gravel bike from my house to trails or paths in my area and its fast enough. I only ride 35 c tires so it's not too sluggish.

anybody doing the Paris to Ancaster race in April? (Ontario gravel race)

i'm not so sure about that... i've had mine for a little over a year now and it's required quite a bit of maintenance. i'm definitely hard on the bike, but all that dirt, dust, mud, etc. wears out parts quick.

[trash]

Expand Quote

I have an aero road bike, and  gravel bike, and I really enjoy the gravel bike. It's not that slow. I would recommend a gravel for a newer rider. It requires next to no maintenance, flat tires can really be discouraging for newer riders.
I understand what you guys are saying, but where I am, you have to drive to trail areas. I can ride my gravel bike from my house to trails or paths in my area and its fast enough. I only ride 35 c tires so it's not too sluggish.

anybody doing the Paris to Ancaster race in April? (Ontario gravel race)

[close]

i'm not so sure about that... i've had mine for a little over a year now and it's required quite a bit of maintenance. i'm definitely hard on the bike, but all that dirt, dust, mud, etc. wears out parts quick.

Only thing I can surmise he's referring to is most gravel bikes running a 1x groupset vs a 2x or 3x of a "traditional" road bike.

IMO if a beginner wants a "fuck it and ride" bike, they should spend a few hundred on a single speed and decide whether or not they like it. And if they do, throw the ss on Craigslist and build something out.

[Beeda Weeda]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I have an aero road bike, and  gravel bike, and I really enjoy the gravel bike. It's not that slow. I would recommend a gravel for a newer rider. It requires next to no maintenance, flat tires can really be discouraging for newer riders.
I understand what you guys are saying, but where I am, you have to drive to trail areas. I can ride my gravel bike from my house to trails or paths in my area and its fast enough. I only ride 35 c tires so it's not too sluggish.

anybody doing the Paris to Ancaster race in April? (Ontario gravel race)

[close]

i'm not so sure about that... i've had mine for a little over a year now and it's required quite a bit of maintenance. i'm definitely hard on the bike, but all that dirt, dust, mud, etc. wears out parts quick.

[close]

Only thing I can surmise he's referring to is most gravel bikes running a 1x groupset vs a 2x or 3x of a "traditional" road bike.

IMO if a beginner wants a "fuck it and ride" bike, they should spend a few hundred on a single speed and decide whether or not they like it. And if they do, throw the ss on Craigslist and build something out.

I am saying, riding tubeless gravel tires when you first start out road might be a good way to get started without having the deal with flats. Flat tires were frustrating for me when I first started to cycle. People can do absolutely whatever they want.

[SaySo]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

[close]

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

[close]

This is a common failure to square taper bottom at this section. Pardo has a good explanation as to why.

[close]

Ah. Stress concentrations due to area/cross sectional changes. Figured that a heavy use part like the axle would be heat treated to alleviate some of the inherent stresses. Getting flashbacks from my statics class back in the day.

Odd that would happen with a Campy BB though. I've been riding square taper (Shimano, Sugino, and Hatta) on both mountain bikes and track bikes for years and never had that issue (knock on wood) but it makes sense.

Cheers for the link.

[close]

I hadn't even noticed that it was Campagnolo. I'm just shooting from the hip here, but it's also possible that the skinnier tapered end of the ISO bottom bracket failed to ever properly mount with the JIS Sugino crankarm. Over time, the rocking resulted in some metal fretting which eventually lead to failure, although if this were the case, I would expect that the failure would occur in the softer aluminum crankarm.

Yeah, I thought about the crank arm issues, after I replied to your previous post. It's way more common to see failure of crank arms. I've had lower price/quality square tapered crank arms get stripped out over time/removal to the point they'd bottom out on the axle. (Hence why one can often find used single crank arms for sale on eBay, etc.) Thought about switching over to splined/outboard BB's but at the end of the day, can't be bothered. (The exception being the nuke-proof Profile splined 3-piece crankset.)

[PC500]

Expand Quote

You guys kinda talked me in to keeping the gravel bike. I can have 4 bikes…

[close]

You know what they say: "The perfect number of bikes is N+1, where N is the current number of bikes one has." Unfortunately I apply the same logic to skate products and shoes...

...I need to declutter. Hahaha.

...surfboards, guitars, motorcycles...

[PuffinMuffin]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

[close]

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

[close]

This is a common failure to square taper bottom at this section. Pardo has a good explanation as to why.

[close]

Ah. Stress concentrations due to area/cross sectional changes. Figured that a heavy use part like the axle would be heat treated to alleviate some of the inherent stresses. Getting flashbacks from my statics class back in the day.

Odd that would happen with a Campy BB though. I've been riding square taper (Shimano, Sugino, and Hatta) on both mountain bikes and track bikes for years and never had that issue (knock on wood) but it makes sense.

Cheers for the link.

[close]

I hadn't even noticed that it was Campagnolo. I'm just shooting from the hip here, but it's also possible that the skinnier tapered end of the ISO bottom bracket failed to ever properly mount with the JIS Sugino crankarm. Over time, the rocking resulted in some metal fretting which eventually lead to failure, although if this were the case, I would expect that the failure would occur in the softer aluminum crankarm.

It was a freak occurrence while sprinting uphill behind a box truck. maybe there was a void in the metal or something. Got a rear pinch flat as well somehow as evident in the photo. Went over the bars, but gracefully rolled out of it. There were only some small scratches on my back. Took off my cycling shoes and walked 6 miles home.

[cky enthusiast]

i’ve seen crank arms get bubbles but never a sq taper bb

[Swithflip]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Submitted without comment

[close]

Super pretty, wouldn't have much faith in the headtube though. But I destroy everything I ride somehow, even snapped a campy record square taper bottom bracket. 

[close]

Whoa!!!

Was it a manufacturing defect? Can't really tell from the shot, but the fracture looks dull, so it looks like a catastrophic failure?

Do you have the power of a track racer on PEDs? Did you crash?

If it was the latter, hope you get well soon. 

[close]

This is a common failure to square taper bottom at this section. Pardo has a good explanation as to why.

[close]

Ah. Stress concentrations due to area/cross sectional changes. Figured that a heavy use part like the axle would be heat treated to alleviate some of the inherent stresses. Getting flashbacks from my statics class back in the day.

Odd that would happen with a Campy BB though. I've been riding square taper (Shimano, Sugino, and Hatta) on both mountain bikes and track bikes for years and never had that issue (knock on wood) but it makes sense.

Cheers for the link.

[close]

I hadn't even noticed that it was Campagnolo. I'm just shooting from the hip here, but it's also possible that the skinnier tapered end of the ISO bottom bracket failed to ever properly mount with the JIS Sugino crankarm. Over time, the rocking resulted in some metal fretting which eventually lead to failure, although if this were the case, I would expect that the failure would occur in the softer aluminum crankarm.

[close]

It was a freak occurrence while sprinting uphill behind a box truck. maybe there was a void in the metal or something. Got a rear pinch flat as well somehow as evident in the photo. Went over the bars, but gracefully rolled out of it. There were only some small scratches on my back. Took off my cycling shoes and walked 6 miles home.

I love Campagnolo

[pugmaster]

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

 

[GardenSkater77]

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

I’m a tinkerer and @life is a hell ride is a former mechanic I believe.

I would make sure when you shift the chain arrives on the gear you want. If the tension is off the derailleur can move as you pedal.

Do you shift both the front and back gear at the same time?

I tend to leave the chain in the middle chain ring and just shift the back. For commuting a 7 gear bike is sufficient.

I actually like single speed for everything but I live in a flat area.

Hell Ride or one of the other expert mechanics can probably tell you how to trouble shoot but I tend to just work around issues.

[pugmaster]

Expand Quote

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

[close]

I’m a tinkerer and @life is a hell ride is a former mechanic I believe.

I would make sure when you shift the chain arrives on the gear you want. If the tension is off the derailleur can move as you pedal.

Do you shift both the front and back gear at the same time?

I tend to leave the chain in the middle chain ring and just shift the back. For commuting a 7 gear bike is sufficient.

I actually like single speed for everything but I live in a flat area.

Hell Ride or one of the other expert mechanics can probably tell you how to trouble shoot but I tend to just work around issues.

Great question. It happens even when I am not changing gears. I usually don't change gears on the way to work, since it is slightly downhill.

It doesn't take me out of the same gear I am in, it just skips ahead for a brief moment.

[IUTSM]

Just watched the methed out neighbor who splits wood all day pedaling a BMX wheelie, up a slight hill for at least 3/4 mile

[cky enthusiast]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

[close]

I’m a tinkerer and @life is a hell ride is a former mechanic I believe.

I would make sure when you shift the chain arrives on the gear you want. If the tension is off the derailleur can move as you pedal.

Do you shift both the front and back gear at the same time?

I tend to leave the chain in the middle chain ring and just shift the back. For commuting a 7 gear bike is sufficient.

I actually like single speed for everything but I live in a flat area.

Hell Ride or one of the other expert mechanics can probably tell you how to trouble shoot but I tend to just work around issues.

[close]

Great question. It happens even when I am not changing gears. I usually don't change gears on the way to work, since it is slightly downhill.

It doesn't take me out of the same gear I am in, it just skips ahead for a brief moment.

hey there.

so based off what you’re saying i’ve inferred a few things. riding a bike “into the ground” is slightly different than using a car into the ground because bike parts all have different wear rates- meaning you’ll have to piecemeal replace parts as they wear out even if you eventually wanna just get a new bike all together.

if you’ve been riding it into the ground it’s safe to assume you haven’t been doing preventative maintenance on your drivetrain (cleaning, lubing etc.). not a judgement on you just trying to get a full differential.

since you’ve been riding since january i’m assuming you’ve hit inclement weather (or the remains of inclement weather)- my guess is your chain and/or drivetrain is worn and causing the chain to slightly “skiff” and take a second to line up with the teeth on the chainring (chains stretch over time due to the force and oxidization etc will stiffen the links), hence the skipping feeling.

also, for my sake, take your crank arm (either one) and try to move it laterally. if there’s play in it at all your bottom bracket is probably pretty harshed too which only adds to your issue (harder to line up with the chain if your cranks are wobbling side to side).

a new chain + install was around 20-25$ when i was at a shop. lemme know if this helps or if i’m wayyyyy off

[thebacker]

Just watched the methed out neighbor who splits wood all day pedaling a BMX wheelie, up a slight hill for at least 3/4 mile

meth might be.....not so bad 

[ungzilla]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

[close]

I’m a tinkerer and @life is a hell ride is a former mechanic I believe.

I would make sure when you shift the chain arrives on the gear you want. If the tension is off the derailleur can move as you pedal.

Do you shift both the front and back gear at the same time?

I tend to leave the chain in the middle chain ring and just shift the back. For commuting a 7 gear bike is sufficient.

I actually like single speed for everything but I live in a flat area.

Hell Ride or one of the other expert mechanics can probably tell you how to trouble shoot but I tend to just work around issues.

[close]

Great question. It happens even when I am not changing gears. I usually don't change gears on the way to work, since it is slightly downhill.

It doesn't take me out of the same gear I am in, it just skips ahead for a brief moment.

[close]

hey there.

so based off what you’re saying i’ve inferred a few things. riding a bike “into the ground” is slightly different than using a car into the ground because bike parts all have different wear rates- meaning you’ll have to piecemeal replace parts as they wear out even if you eventually wanna just get a new bike all together.

if you’ve been riding it into the ground it’s safe to assume you haven’t been doing preventative maintenance on your drivetrain (cleaning, lubing etc.). not a judgement on you just trying to get a full differential.

since you’ve been riding since january i’m assuming you’ve hit inclement weather (or the remains of inclement weather)- my guess is your chain and/or drivetrain is worn and causing the chain to slightly “skiff” and take a second to line up with the teeth on the chainring (chains stretch over time due to the force and oxidization etc will stiffen the links), hence the skipping feeling.

also, for my sake, take your crank arm (either one) and try to move it laterally. if there’s play in it at all your bottom bracket is probably pretty harshed too which only adds to your issue (harder to line up with the chain if your cranks are wobbling side to side).

a new chain + install was around 20-25$ when i was at a shop. lemme know if this helps or if i’m wayyyyy off

yeah, what hell ride said, but i'll add that if this happens consistently with one revolution of peddling it is more likely a loose bottom bracket... a tight segment of chain would not necessarily occur every pedal cycle (it might take a chain like, i dunno, 3.2 pedal cycles to make its way all the around). however an extremely worn/stretched out chain that's slipping over the (presumably also very worn out) cogs might correspond to the highest power part of the pedal stroke.

[beandemon]

Expand Quote

Just watched the methed out neighbor who splits wood all day pedaling a BMX wheelie, up a slight hill for at least 3/4 mile

[close]

meth might be.....not so bad 

There was(is?) a dude in my hometown who was regularly seen all hours of the night, methed out, riding a bmx bike, wearing an open starter jacket and no shirt. We dubbed him “Meth-tacules” - play on Greek gods a la hercules. Dude was at it for 10+ years, and starter jackets were over by 10 years before he made his debut.

[pugmaster]

Thank you so much everyone for the insight! +1 to those of you who had the patience to deal with my ignorance

I went to the bike shop and bought a new Shimano chain and a chain breaker tool. 75 bucks all in.  I wanted to try riding again to see how consistent the issues were with the slipping of the chain. Previously, it was about every 2 to 3 pedal cycles. I again shifted gears because it was getting annoying and then the problem vanished.  I really don't get it.  Maybe the chain de-railer? Now my bike does not have the issues it once had.

My crank arms do move slightly when I mess with them, but very minimally. I plan on buying a legit (non-200$ walmart bike) but really want to see how much I can get out of this one before I do so, especially with summer coming up.

https://www.jaxbicycles.com/product/electra-loft-7d-260831-1.htm
This one I have an affinity for.

Riding bikes is pretty amazing and I have all kinds of newfound respect for cyclists. I have definitely become a more conscientious driver and pedestrian in this process.

[KoRnholio8]

I had a student bike that I "ran into the ground" quite literally - it was my brother's bike from our youth and is was worth next to nothing. The nut securing one of the pedals came loose and I didn't have right tool to properly tighten it and just did it by hand every day basically.
Until one day I stood up on my bike to get a fast start at when the street light turned green and the whole pedal fell off in the middle of the intersection (rush hour, no bike lane) and took me down with it. Got a used MTB soon after.

Years later, when that fine MTB was stolen, I again used a (decent) bike from my youth, but it was never properly serviced and the chain slipped if I applied to much force. I again meet the pavement when I was trying to apply max power and again it was quite a busy section of the road. I scraped up some cash to get my current bike, which now gets proper servicing when something feels about done.

[manysnakes]

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

It could be a zillion thing, but my first thought, especially after reading this thread and learning it was a Walmart bike and that your cranks rock, is that your bottom bracket is completely blown out and ovalized, making the pedal rotations difficult in certain spots. They're usually a poorly adjusted cup-and-cone style bottom bracket, and they are typically the first component which would require replacement when someone actually uses their Bicycle Shaped Object. It certainly could be a drivetrain issue, but a basic ~8 speed chain and freewheel are probably the most reliable parts of such a bike.

But, without seeing it or having it in my hands, there's absolutely no way to know. Maybe post a video of you pedaling it slowly, rock the cranks back and forth, something like this? Or stop into a local shop and just ask the mechanics - that's what they're there for. No one is ever excited to work on a department store bike and they are likely to advise you (correctly) that it's rarely worth fixing, but even if you just get a diagnosis, we can either help you or point you in the right direction (basically Park Tool's YouTube page) to learn how to fix it.

[Willie]

Expand Quote

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

[close]

It could be a zillion thing, but my first thought, especially after reading this thread and learning it was a Walmart bike and that your cranks rock, is that your bottom bracket is completely blown out and ovalized, making the pedal rotations difficult in certain spots. They're usually a poorly adjusted cup-and-cone style bottom bracket, and they are typically the first component which would require replacement when someone actually uses their Bicycle Shaped Object. It certainly could be a drivetrain issue, but a basic ~8 speed chain and freewheel are probably the most reliable parts of such a bike.

But, without seeing it or having it in my hands, there's absolutely no way to know. Maybe post a video of you pedaling it slowly, rock the cranks back and forth, something like this? Or stop into a local shop and just ask the mechanics - that's what they're there for. No one is ever excited to work on a department store bike and they are likely to advise you (correctly) that it's rarely worth fixing, but even if you just get a diagnosis, we can either help you or point you in the right direction (basically Park Tool's YouTube page) to learn how to fix it.

That kinda sounds like an issue I was having on my 25 year old mountain bike which was that the “teeth” or whatever they’re called inside the freewheel were gunked up and weren’t all springing back the way they should.

There are a bunch of teeth in there that are supposed to grab once you start pedaling but if they don’t pop into place immediately then your pedals travel without any resistance until it catches.

Unfortunately, it was something that needed a specialty wrench for a full breakdown so I ended up blasting it with some WD-40 then spraying some oil in where I could. It helped.

Maybe it’s something along those lines?

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I am experiencing an issue with my bike and I don't really know how to describe it sense I know so little about bikes. I have been riding a mongoose mountain bike to work since January and thought I would run it into the ground before i get a decent bike.  So far, it has held up nicely.

Just today, I noticed that when I am peddling, it feels like my feet change dominance. What I mean by that, is my right foot is the main one providing force and while I am peddling it "jumps" (for lack of a better term) and then my left foot is the one providing the force. It is like the chain is skipping. I looked at the cogs and I don't see missing teeth.

I have shifted through all the gears to see if that would fix it, but it is happening with every gear.

Is there a term for this? I know I described it poorly.

[close]

It could be a zillion thing, but my first thought, especially after reading this thread and learning it was a Walmart bike and that your cranks rock, is that your bottom bracket is completely blown out and ovalized, making the pedal rotations difficult in certain spots. They're usually a poorly adjusted cup-and-cone style bottom bracket, and they are typically the first component which would require replacement when someone actually uses their Bicycle Shaped Object. It certainly could be a drivetrain issue, but a basic ~8 speed chain and freewheel are probably the most reliable parts of such a bike.

But, without seeing it or having it in my hands, there's absolutely no way to know. Maybe post a video of you pedaling it slowly, rock the cranks back and forth, something like this? Or stop into a local shop and just ask the mechanics - that's what they're there for. No one is ever excited to work on a department store bike and they are likely to advise you (correctly) that it's rarely worth fixing, but even if you just get a diagnosis, we can either help you or point you in the right direction (basically Park Tool's YouTube page) to learn how to fix it.

[close]

That kinda sounds like an issue I was having on my 25 year old mountain bike which was that the “teeth” or whatever they’re called inside the freewheel were gunked up and weren’t all springing back the way they should.

There are a bunch of teeth in there that are supposed to grab once you start pedaling but if they don’t pop into place immediately then your pedals travel without any resistance until it catches.

Unfortunately, it was something that needed a specialty wrench for a full breakdown so I ended up blasting it with some WD-40 then spraying some oil in where I could. It helped.

Maybe it’s something along those lines?

"Teeth" isn't wrong, but they correct term is pawls. It happens when the grease coagulates and gums up the works, not allowing the freewheel to ratchet. They can be cleaned and serviced, and maybe it's more common in this post-Covid era where there are no bike parts, but typically I would just huck it in the recycling and slap on a new $8 freewheel.

That said, I don't think it's that, at least not based on the description provided.

[potpie]

Sounds like dirty unsealed bearings in the bottom bracket to me?

[PuffinMuffin]

College is going to be out for spring break. Spots around here are finally going to open up so I ordered one of these seatpost board mounts off Etsy for ~$60. Last year I was using a bookbag and some bungee cords, it felt awkward with the skateboard shifting around on my back. I'll tell yinz how well it goes. 

[manysnakes]

Once you’ve reached mature cyclist phase and you just accept that your bike is going to have a rack, I highly recommend the Fairdale Skate Rack. It works perfectly, I use mine all the time. I’m thinking this summer that I might do a little skate tour and go ride around to some more remote northwest skateparks. A rare product that works exactly as advertised.