Just Bought A Schwinn Ranger 26″ Mens Mountain Bike, What Now?

I bought it from target because I dont have hundreds of dollars. Should I get a minor tune up? I'm not sure if the sounds im hearing are normal. Maybe you can help. When I shift gears, the one on the right with 7 levels, it goes, clank, clank, grind, clank pop and then is fine. It takes anywhere from 1 second to 3 seconds, is that normal? Also, when I pedal, it sounds like the chain is hitting something, normal? HELP!

Rating: 1.0/5 (1 vote cast)

4 Comments »

mtbwacky said:

Sounds like you need a tune-up. 99% of the time department store bikes are NOT assembled correctly.

# 23 February 2010 at 8:21 am

Thammu said:

1) Shift the bike so the shifters read 1 (left) and 7 (right).Take note of the cable running from the right shifter to the rear derailleur. Is there slack in it?
2) If there IS slack in it, locate the barrel adjusters at the shifter and the rear derailleur. Turn the adjusters evenly until there is no slack (and no tension) on the cable;
3) If you run out of adjustment, screw the adjusters back in except for 2 or 3 threads, loosen the cable fixing bolt on the derailleur, pull the cable through with a pair of pliers, and retighten. You don’t need the power of Atlas to tighten this… just a bit beyond snug is fine.
— Check shifting again. If the derailleur still won’t go to position 1, continue with this:
4) With the bike shifted so the rear shifter is in position 1, look at the rear derailleur and locate the limit screw marked “L”;
5) Turn the screw counterclockwise 1/4 turn. Shift to 7 and back to 1 (you must pedal while doing this). If it goes in gear you are done. If not, repeat step 1 through 4 until it does. Always make sure cable tension is correct before turning any limit screws.
For the LEFT shifter controlling the front derailleur you can follow the above steps except there will be no barrel adjuster on the derailleur. There should be one on the shifter only.

# 23 February 2010 at 11:52 am

bikework said:

AS implied by others, it seems things are not well adjusted.
Get it adjusted and fitted to your size and needs!
Ask the store you bought it from to do it for you. If they can not, get a cyclist friend with some experience to help you out, or better jet go to a proper bike shop to get it done. It will be worth it.

# 23 February 2010 at 6:20 pm

Anonymous said:

Warranty work, take it back.

# 23 February 2010 at 8:01 pm