Brakes and gears question

[Ciaran]

Evening gents

I purchased a Scott Aspect 50 a few weeks ago and have only managed to get out on it the last few days. It's by no means an expensive bike but I'm not overly happy with the brakes and gears.

Brakes
When trying brake the leaver goes right back to the handle bars but doesn't stop as quickly as I had hoped. The best way I can describe it is brake fade.

Gears
When changing up the chain sometimes doesn't "catch" properly and I can hear a rattle type noise. Almost feels like if I'm peddling really hard the chain might come off.

Apologies for the beginners explanation! But any advice would be great.

Thanks

[magpie215]

the brakes and gears need adjusting/setting up

basically sounds like slack operating cables

[Ciaran]

Excellent, thanks.

[ezi]

Did you buy it from a shop? If so after a few weeks you shouldn't be expected to have those issues already, take it back and ask them to re-calibrate it

[Matthew_Eames]

It's normal, the cables when new and used stretch, this causes things to drop out of tune, most shops offer a free checkup after a few weeks for precisely this reason, take it back, shouldnt cost you anything....or if you fancy have a go yourself, it's really quite easy with a guide from the web.

[Ciaran]

Unfortunately I bought the bike from Evans online and they aren't represented over here (Belfast). I'll try and give it a go myself.

[s.m.h.]

How long did they take to deliver the bike out of curiosity?
Ive ordered my bike from them...

Have the ends of the cables (lever end) got adjusters built in?
Most have, if you wind them out of the lever (exposing more thread) this will in effect lengthen the outer cable making the lever throw shorter.

As for the gears it depends on what youve got but generally the stops are set so it wont drop off 1st into the spokes or off 5/6/7/8 (depending on ratios!) onto the frame. What system is it? grip shift or thumb? The system on my GT needs the odd tweak every now and then - its a similar adjustment to the brakes in removing a tiny amount of slack so the gear engages before the lever hits the stop.
Hope it helps!!

[gbbird]

Certainly nothing to worry about - it's an adjustment issue rather than faulty brakes/gears.

If you are not close to a bike shop, there are some good MTB manuals available which cover everything you need to know about maintenance, including brake and gear adjustment. Or a simple online search should bring up some literature on how to do it. It is easy once you know how, so don't be afraid to have a go - you cannot really damage anything.

[Ciaran]

s.m.h

The bike arrived at my office in 3 or 4 days and I'm in Belfast, top service it has to be said.

I've found a few helpful clips on the internet to will give the bike a check this evening.