Quick advice needed. New bike, wrong gearing.
Discussion
Hi, I'm just after some advice on how to approach this. I'll be as brief as possible.
Had old Bianchi road bike for 3 years to get back into biking. Gears were bad for hills so had compact fitted. Better but not great. As I developed I wanted a new bike anyway. Bianchi was 1989 after all.
3 weeks ago I bought a brand new 2014 model Scott Foil. Whilst browsing the bikes before I chose one I explained to the sales lad I needed a compact gear set. My rides are seriously hilly Northumberland routes around Rothbury etc.
I chose the Scott and nothing was mentioned about gearing. I'd glanced at it and the rings looked small. Sales lad said bike not ideal for 100s of miles in a day due to being racey, but good bike. He didn't mention gears.
I loved it so bought it.
Anyway alarm bells starting ringing when my mates cadence were all quicker than mine up hills. It was only last week though when my mate came out with his 1 year old Scott Foil and I mentioned it to him and he said "Well you're not on a compact, it's a 39t".
So I rang bike shop as I'm doing Wooler wheel next Saturday and the chain/gears make a right racket. Told them I need a first service and new wheels I've bought fitting but they've sold me a bike with wrong gears. Their solution is go from a 25 on the rear to a 28 but I honestly don't think that will be enough. I am fit and haven't been off and pushing up any hills yet but I am struggling on some of the properly steep climbs.
So how do I approach it? Bike not really fit for purpose and I don't really want to be spending money replacing gearing on a new bike. It's a Foil 40 with Shimano 105. I doubt I can reject bike as I've done over 100 miles on it but I only found out about wrong gearing last week.
Any advice?
Just want to add the bike is fantastic apart from the constant squeaking from chain/gears so I don't really want to have to choose another even if the shop would take it back.
Had old Bianchi road bike for 3 years to get back into biking. Gears were bad for hills so had compact fitted. Better but not great. As I developed I wanted a new bike anyway. Bianchi was 1989 after all.
3 weeks ago I bought a brand new 2014 model Scott Foil. Whilst browsing the bikes before I chose one I explained to the sales lad I needed a compact gear set. My rides are seriously hilly Northumberland routes around Rothbury etc.
I chose the Scott and nothing was mentioned about gearing. I'd glanced at it and the rings looked small. Sales lad said bike not ideal for 100s of miles in a day due to being racey, but good bike. He didn't mention gears.
I loved it so bought it.
Anyway alarm bells starting ringing when my mates cadence were all quicker than mine up hills. It was only last week though when my mate came out with his 1 year old Scott Foil and I mentioned it to him and he said "Well you're not on a compact, it's a 39t".
So I rang bike shop as I'm doing Wooler wheel next Saturday and the chain/gears make a right racket. Told them I need a first service and new wheels I've bought fitting but they've sold me a bike with wrong gears. Their solution is go from a 25 on the rear to a 28 but I honestly don't think that will be enough. I am fit and haven't been off and pushing up any hills yet but I am struggling on some of the properly steep climbs.
So how do I approach it? Bike not really fit for purpose and I don't really want to be spending money replacing gearing on a new bike. It's a Foil 40 with Shimano 105. I doubt I can reject bike as I've done over 100 miles on it but I only found out about wrong gearing last week.
Any advice?
Just want to add the bike is fantastic apart from the constant squeaking from chain/gears so I don't really want to have to choose another even if the shop would take it back.
Edited by marky911 on Sunday 10th May 13:24
If it's new gen 105i.e it has 4 arms on the crank, you can just change the chainrings. Without wishing to sound harsh, why didn't you look at the chain set when you picked the bike up, the chain rings have the number of teeth stamped on them.
If it isn't a 4 arm you will have to chain the crankset.
If it isn't a 4 arm you will have to chain the crankset.
Hi, I know what you mean re checking the rings but when I walk into a shop and say "I need a new bike. The must have things are Carbon fibre and compact gearing" I perhaps naively thought the sales lad would only show me bikes with those things.
Just been out and checked. It's a 5 arm crank. I could tell straight away looking at the PCD of the crank bolts, that a 34 will be too small for the current setup.
I just really get annoyed at the thought of spending a load more cash to make the bike into something it should have been. I should have been told about the gearing so I could then decide whether to risk it or more likely, discount it and choose a different bike.
I don't want to spend another penny rectifying something that isn't what I asked for.
I'm at the shop tomorrow morning. I'm guessing my choice will be buy a 28T rear cassette or new crankset.
Bloody annoying.
PS. Teeth number not visible on small front ring. Only large is clear to see.
Just been out and checked. It's a 5 arm crank. I could tell straight away looking at the PCD of the crank bolts, that a 34 will be too small for the current setup.
I just really get annoyed at the thought of spending a load more cash to make the bike into something it should have been. I should have been told about the gearing so I could then decide whether to risk it or more likely, discount it and choose a different bike.
I don't want to spend another penny rectifying something that isn't what I asked for.
I'm at the shop tomorrow morning. I'm guessing my choice will be buy a 28T rear cassette or new crankset.
Bloody annoying.
PS. Teeth number not visible on small front ring. Only large is clear to see.
Edited by marky911 on Sunday 10th May 13:43
Bit naughty selling you a double if you ask for a compact. Your 39 with a 28 gets you quite close to a compact (34) with a 25.
Your only other option is push them to change the rear derailleur for the longer one (plus new chain) and then you can got to a 32 on the rear - which is lower than a 34/25 combo.
Noise from the drive chain suggests it needs adjustment. Fairly normal for a new bike.
Your only other option is push them to change the rear derailleur for the longer one (plus new chain) and then you can got to a 32 on the rear - which is lower than a 34/25 combo.
Noise from the drive chain suggests it needs adjustment. Fairly normal for a new bike.
Cheers Magic, Good info, especially regarding the derailleur.
Is that all it will cost Duff? I know 105 is hardly top end but I expected £200 or so?
When I had a budget compact set added to my Bianchi I had Tourney fitted. Could swap that onto there I suppose, or is that a definite step down?
Actually, scrub that, as I want to keep the Bianchi in one piece for bad weather/training.
Anyway, cheers for the opinions.
PS. Duff, you're right the bike is fit for purpose, not for my needs but I stated my needs, even down to the routes I ride. I know what you mean though, don't sweat the small stuff and move on.
Is that all it will cost Duff? I know 105 is hardly top end but I expected £200 or so?
When I had a budget compact set added to my Bianchi I had Tourney fitted. Could swap that onto there I suppose, or is that a definite step down?
Actually, scrub that, as I want to keep the Bianchi in one piece for bad weather/training.
Anyway, cheers for the opinions.
PS. Duff, you're right the bike is fit for purpose, not for my needs but I stated my needs, even down to the routes I ride. I know what you mean though, don't sweat the small stuff and move on.
I agree it's frustrating when you specifically asked for compact, but you can get a new 105 11 speed compact chainset from wiggle or chain reaction for ~£75. If the bike shop won't budge, you could see if they'll price match wiggle and fit new one for free, then either keep the double as a backup or stick it on ebay? You can then justify upgrading to full 11 speed as things fail over the next year or so (man maths).
Won't cost you nothing, but shouldn't set you back more than £50 net.
Lovely riding round rothbury, agree on the use of a compact though
Won't cost you nothing, but shouldn't set you back more than £50 net.
Lovely riding round rothbury, agree on the use of a compact though
If it's a 5 arm 105 crank, it's 5700 series, and you're running 10 speed.
The direct (compact) replacement would be a 5750, available from your online retailer of choice for 70-75 quid. Pay attention to the crank length when ordering, mainly to make sure you don't get an odd size. Generally I'd suggest 170 unless you're on quite a big frame, or just duplicate what the existing one is. There are also cheaper 10 speed crank options (e.g. the tiagra one).
You could also run the 5800 '11-speed' crank which is about the same price and 4-arm. The 4 arm ones are a smaller PCD and one size fits all chainrings - more compatibility in future. There's no practical difference in the rings, will work fine with a 10 speed chain.
Cassettes none too expensive either (21quid), I have (and do) run a 28t rear with a standard short cage mech. However, up to x700 (I think) series, the shimano road cages don't take anything as large as a 32, irrespective of the range (longer cages allow range for triples at the front and such like, but the fundamental issue of big cogs is distance from axle centre & still a problem). I think that changed with the newer x800 series stuff, but you used to need a mountainbike series mech for large cassettes.
Long story short, I'd have a go & get them to change the cassette (I'd hope they'd do that for goodwill) but worst case, swallow the cost and change the crank. Ebay the old one, should get at least half the replacement cost.
The direct (compact) replacement would be a 5750, available from your online retailer of choice for 70-75 quid. Pay attention to the crank length when ordering, mainly to make sure you don't get an odd size. Generally I'd suggest 170 unless you're on quite a big frame, or just duplicate what the existing one is. There are also cheaper 10 speed crank options (e.g. the tiagra one).
You could also run the 5800 '11-speed' crank which is about the same price and 4-arm. The 4 arm ones are a smaller PCD and one size fits all chainrings - more compatibility in future. There's no practical difference in the rings, will work fine with a 10 speed chain.
Cassettes none too expensive either (21quid), I have (and do) run a 28t rear with a standard short cage mech. However, up to x700 (I think) series, the shimano road cages don't take anything as large as a 32, irrespective of the range (longer cages allow range for triples at the front and such like, but the fundamental issue of big cogs is distance from axle centre & still a problem). I think that changed with the newer x800 series stuff, but you used to need a mountainbike series mech for large cassettes.
Long story short, I'd have a go & get them to change the cassette (I'd hope they'd do that for goodwill) but worst case, swallow the cost and change the crank. Ebay the old one, should get at least half the replacement cost.
Cheers lads.
Pbar thanks for the info. Not such a wallet bashing then and plenty of options by the looks of things. Yeah it's great for cycling up here. I live near Morpeth so I'm literally spoilt for choice as far as good routes go. There's a route known as the 3 fords route. Really steep climbs out of them, plus tyres are slippy as they've just been soaked prior to the climb. I find I can keep the pedals spinning but I'm out of the seat and the rear wheel spins over bumps. Not ideal. Great route though.
Thanks Mark for the detailed reply, you know your stuff alright. It is indeed the 10 speed 105. Upgrading to 11 speed would be an advantage but I'm happy with what I have if I could just keep my cadence up.
As I'm getting more into cycling I'm reading about finding your threshold heart rate etc, but every feature says you obviously must have the gearing to allow you to keep your heart rate down. I'm panting like an old Bull by the top of a climb and my fitness is above average.
Anyway, I'll update the thread tomorrow when I've been to the shop. Time isn't on my side as I'm doing the Wooler Wheel next Saturday so need it all sorted.
I have a set of Fulcrum R3 wheels too but I think I'll leave them out of it for now.
My chain noise began the minute I used the bike. I could hear an audible Squeak/flicking sound, with no pattern. By the end of 40 miles this morn the crank/chain area sounded like it had been at the bottom of the sea for 10 years.
Again I'll see what they say. It's been back once for that and they removed a clear plastic disc from rear wheels but it's done nothing.
Pbar thanks for the info. Not such a wallet bashing then and plenty of options by the looks of things. Yeah it's great for cycling up here. I live near Morpeth so I'm literally spoilt for choice as far as good routes go. There's a route known as the 3 fords route. Really steep climbs out of them, plus tyres are slippy as they've just been soaked prior to the climb. I find I can keep the pedals spinning but I'm out of the seat and the rear wheel spins over bumps. Not ideal. Great route though.
Thanks Mark for the detailed reply, you know your stuff alright. It is indeed the 10 speed 105. Upgrading to 11 speed would be an advantage but I'm happy with what I have if I could just keep my cadence up.
As I'm getting more into cycling I'm reading about finding your threshold heart rate etc, but every feature says you obviously must have the gearing to allow you to keep your heart rate down. I'm panting like an old Bull by the top of a climb and my fitness is above average.
Anyway, I'll update the thread tomorrow when I've been to the shop. Time isn't on my side as I'm doing the Wooler Wheel next Saturday so need it all sorted.
I have a set of Fulcrum R3 wheels too but I think I'll leave them out of it for now.
My chain noise began the minute I used the bike. I could hear an audible Squeak/flicking sound, with no pattern. By the end of 40 miles this morn the crank/chain area sounded like it had been at the bottom of the sea for 10 years.
Again I'll see what they say. It's been back once for that and they removed a clear plastic disc from rear wheels but it's done nothing.
Ok I'm back from shop. Totally fair result really. Owner was there, nice bloke and also the lad who sold me it, who is also a good lad. He knew it wasn't compact and thought I did. Just a case of crossed wires so I didn't want to be accusing anyone of anything.
Anyway the outcome is that the shop will do me a 105 chain set for cost price and fit it for free. The bike is in for it's free first service. They're also fitting a new set of wheels which I've supplied. They are supplying the tyres and tubes and again fitting them for free and swapping my cassette over.
So basically I'll pay £75 for chain set and £100 for Grand Prix 4000 tyres and tubes and that's it. So sub £200 and I'll be climbing like a god.
Only downside is bike won't be ready til later in week as parts have to be ordered. They removed my pedals though so I can stick em back on my old bike for commuting this week.
All in all a fair result. Crossed wires and I didn't want to look like I'd bought the wrong bike so thought "Oh I'll try it on here for some parts". A good compromise. Thanks for the input and info. I was much better versed in my options when I went to the shop today.
Thanks all.
Anyway the outcome is that the shop will do me a 105 chain set for cost price and fit it for free. The bike is in for it's free first service. They're also fitting a new set of wheels which I've supplied. They are supplying the tyres and tubes and again fitting them for free and swapping my cassette over.
So basically I'll pay £75 for chain set and £100 for Grand Prix 4000 tyres and tubes and that's it. So sub £200 and I'll be climbing like a god.
Only downside is bike won't be ready til later in week as parts have to be ordered. They removed my pedals though so I can stick em back on my old bike for commuting this week.
All in all a fair result. Crossed wires and I didn't want to look like I'd bought the wrong bike so thought "Oh I'll try it on here for some parts". A good compromise. Thanks for the input and info. I was much better versed in my options when I went to the shop today.
Thanks all.
Fair result that I reckon. Maybe a touch pricey on the tyres (£60ish on line?) but for the hassle free factor of having it all done, I can't fault your logic.
The main point is that you feel happy with the service, they're not out of pocket, and you'll keep using them time and again because they seem to care about keeping you happy.
Pleased it got resolved.
The main point is that you feel happy with the service, they're not out of pocket, and you'll keep using them time and again because they seem to care about keeping you happy.
Pleased it got resolved.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff