Just received my bike after buying it on bikesonline, I noticed the nick in the paint on the headtube first, but I figured it's probably mostly okay. Went for a little test ride just on a paved trail and found that the shifting felt like it was crunching gears, even when shifting with very little force on the pedals. I also found that the chain seemed like it was rubbing its side on other gears and sometimes struggling / being sluggish to change. Is this defective or am I just being overly critical? It's my first really nice bike and I just didn't expect to run into those things with it being brand new. (especially with being a 5400$ bike.. (though I got it for quite a big sale)) Other than those things, it feels and rides like a dream!
Also let me clarify I'm not any kind of bike expert / pro mechanic lol, I've only done a few small things on my bike and watched a lot of videos so my judgement might not be the best.
by Swan0fLove
11 Comments
Hell nah. I’d be gettin my money back. Regardless if it was a bike or not. You received a damaged product.
The black mark is probably just the cable housing rubbing against the frame. You can put a frame protector sticker there is you are concerned about it, but it doesn’t hurt anything. Your shifting maybe badly adjusted, but there is nothing wrong with the parts in the picture.
derailleur sounds like it’s out of tune, or the hangar was bent during shipping. That cassette cog is shot. From your post, it has some damage from shipping. Get a replacement or at least a 200/300 dollar credit to repair the damages
the paint chip… meh, annoying but wouldn’t bother me much. the broken tooth is a red flag though. that alone would make me question if this was a demo bike. return it.
The derailleur thing is just adjustment issues which is fairly common with a fresh out of box build. The chip sucks but just send them pictures and they’ll work something out. Usually manufacturers would offer a return or a little bit of compensation/free parts.
Just take it to your local bike shop and have them adjust the derailleur
Many cassettes have select short teeth to help with shifting. My ring gears look the same
Absolutely normal to see things like this when you buy a bike direct-to-consumer from a discount retailer. Use a magic eraser on the small paint blemish on the head tube (wear there is inevitable from the cable housing rub). Look up how to adjust your derailleur. Buy from a physical bike shop if you want a trouble free bike out of the box.
Frame is fine, paint chips happen but the teeth damage on the outer sprocket is mildly concerning. I wouldn’t panic or go crazy but I’d watch for dither deterioration and make sure the rear derailleur is set properly. Also make sure your not tearing your bike in a way that the sprocket is hitting walls/rocks/other bikes etc
Usually when you get a bike at a LBS they will do all this troubleshooting for you before you take delivery, downfall of DTC bikes is you’re responsible to tune everything up at assembly, but a derailleur hanger is a super easy fix and even a LBS can usually fix it with a hanger adjustment tool or you can just get a new perfect hanger for like $25
https://intensecycles.com/search?q=Derailleur+Hanger+Kit&options%5Bprefix%5D=last
The tool is about $50-200 depending on brand
https://www.iconicbicycles.com/products/super-b-1946-derailerur-hanger-alignment-tool
Cable stretch on a new bike. Need to adjus during first few rides.
Edit: Shimano text should be facing out on chain.
The first thing I’d expect some compensation, or maybe some discounted grips/pedals of your choice.
The second thing is why bike shops exist, and why they charge so much for assembling a new bike. Because everything needs adjustment straight from the factory.