Cycling UK Forum

Register your complaint with an email to the company's customer services. This keeps you right from here on in. They will try to correct the fault by sending you back to the shop or another branch. If you go to another bike shop the company will want to see a report on what's wrong and an estimate of the cost. Bit of a palaver but they're well used to that routine. Bikes often need a follow-up brake bleed if they've sat in a depot then shop display area for a long time. The shop you dealt with will have the SRAM bleed kit to do the job. Perhaps the mechanic isn't up to doing the job but that is the company's problem. They have to make sure the bike is safe. This is a pain when you have taken ownership of a "new toy". Just don't take ownership of brakes that are totally useless.

I see the front mech is badged as Acera. This is a Shimano diagram for an Acera derailleur with cable running down the seat tube. You will see it goes straight to the fixing bolt with no turns or deviations. Hope this helps. You might have to move the mech into position to get access to the Allen key bold head.

Can you tell us which derailleur? Or the model and year of the bike? There will be an instruction sheet available. The picture isn't too clear.

Check the compatibility chart - match up the right FD 3 x 9 with the crankset.

https://productinfo.shimano.com/#/com

Hi Chris. These parts are all relatively new. Everything appears to be in order. I suggest you ask a bike shop to have a look. They will check it and bill you for this or check it and do the repair and bill you for the completed job which will come with a guarantee. If you take the first option ask for a breakdown of what's wrong and which parts if any are needed. This will give you an insight into working with bicycle gearing. Then perhaps you can return to the forum and let us know the diagnosis. Best of luck.

When you say the chain slips, is it moving sideways to other cogs? Or is it slipping on the same cog as you put some effort into pedalling? If it is the latter the problem is likely to be a worn cassette. The chain and cassette will mesh perfectly on a workstand because the drivetrain is under no pressure and there's no weight perched above the back wheel. Out on the road when some serious pedalling is being done, the chain can slip off the worn teeth of a cassette. It will happen most often in well-used parts of the cassette where the cogs are constantly engaged. Try another cassette. Could borrow one or buy one - it will come in handy whether the problem is correctly diagnosed or not. The chain may also have "stretched". A chain checker tool will confirm if this is the case.

Going from 32 to 34 teeth will make a difference but not a significant one. Could try 36 teeth or 40 teeth with a longer cage derailleur. The chain should not rub on a front derailleur designed to work with a triple crank. Some adjustment with the limit screws or the positioning of the FD should cure this.

Have a look at Pinnacle tights in Sports Direct (£25). Available for men and women, wide range of sizes, pad included and well-reviewed online. They're made small so I would consider buying a size up.

Sweep wrote: ↑11 Mar 2023, 8:46am

Eyebrox wrote: ↑10 Mar 2023, 12:11am Cheap, loud, repairable and looks not bad for under a fiver - at The Range.

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interesting - how does it mount/how adaptable?
would it go on a stem?

The bell has two metal lips at the back with a rubber band linking them. Can't recall if you get a choice of band sizes. Mine is fixed to the stem but would also fit bars. I have a selection of rubber bands from various bike bit purchases so attaching the bell with a tight fitting was easy.

To prise off stuck-down foam or to lever it into position on the bars without damage use a tongue stick or a stick from a Magnum ice lolly. Handy for all sorts of jobs on the bike when you don't want to mark the frame.

The Range bell isn't quite as blingy as the Crane one. It eventually stops having a loud, deep ring but it can be repaired with a small rubber washer under the dome. Good buy for less than a fiver.

Cheap, loud, repairable and looks not bad for under a fiver - at The Range.

That's what it did with me. Keeps going until it gets a measure. It can be quite painful a second or third time. It would happen if I continued to move about (which I shouldn't have been doing).

Take it to Halfords. They have a stock of derailleur hangers in their workshops to fit the range of Carrera bikes. The derailleur might be worn at the pivots and will move from side to side as it works up and down the cogs. It can be bent or straightened with a large shifting spanner to help realign it, though this can have the opposite effect if the pivot hinges are well-worn. It might well knock it further out of line or break it completely. I would explain to a bike owner beforehand about the odds of this procedure being successful if I was going to tackle it. It's a risk the mechanic takes just as much as the risk involved in getting a derailleur hanger straight without snapping it. Ask the mechanic to demonstrate how and where the mech is failing - and get them to explain what needs done to sort it. If the mechanic has the time, and you can strike up a rapport with them, you'll get a quick insight into how the rear end of a bicycle works.

I've just fitted a Tiagra 48/34 chainset. The FD does indeed go down far enough. The 48/34 crank is marked as "no longer available" on some sites but Madison has them.