New bike questions.

[K1dude]

I just got my new Zoo Pitbull. It's my first trials bike and I've never done trials or worked on a trials bike before.

It came in from Fed-Ex pretty banged up. The derailleur was sticking out from the box. When I got the bike out, the derailleur hanger was bent and there were scratches on the frame from shipping/handling. The Magura HS-33 left brake pad is also out of adjustment and it contacts the rim.

I'm only used to working on mountain bikes with Shimano or Sram derailleurs. The Zoo came with a Sunrace derailleur. The derailleur configuration also seems odd since one of the pivots is in contact with the frame. The frame looks like it was made to accomodate the contact. The derailleur also doesn't hang down like a regular mountain bike. It seems way over-tensioned.

Before I start to work on the derailleur to get it adjusted and shifting properly, I thought I'd better ask you experts if anything is different than working on a regular mountain bike. It sure seems different. I'm afraid to start working on it.

I have to adjust the brake to free up the rear wheel. Then I need to bend the derailleur hanger back into place, then adjust the rear derailleur so it'll shift (it won't even shift right now).

How do I adjust the brake? I can't seem to find any way to quickly adjust it other than the brake handle which has a red wheel. The wheel is already backed out into the full open position. Do I need to bleed the brake to give it more room? The wheels seem to be trued.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

[john trials]

First...awesome bike!!!!!! Pitbulls are nice. You'll enjoy it.

The brakes need to be adjusted by loosening the 4 screws that hold the brakes to the frame (careful not to strip the threads!). If you're not used to it, it is a pain...it'll be a learning experience. Check out magura.com and you can download a PDF of the instructions. That'll make it easier. I wouldn't bleed the brakes unless there is a problem once they are aligned. I bought a used Monty and there were 2 colors of fluid in the brake lines...I had no idea what was in them, so I flushed them with Magura blood. You should do that too if you suspect there is unknown fluid in there.

regarding the derailleur: the chain should be really short, so the derailleur will be pulled up really close to the chainstay (to keep the derailleur out of the way, and hopefully not hitting rocks and stuff). Do not adjust the derailleur so you can shift. Adjust it to hold it in one gear (figure out which gear you're comfortable with, and fix it...mine is cable-tied to the chainstay...look for pictures of people's bikes on this web site...they are good examples of how to do it). You do not shift gears in trials. My derailleur is a pain, and I am thinking of removing the derailleur and replacing it with a fixed chain guide.

Don't worry that the derailleur is a cheap Sunrace. It's purpose is to hold the chain in one gear, not to shift. As you learn trials, you will probably break a few derailleurs, so be thankful it is a cheap one. Replace it with another cheap one when it breaks.

Good luck...have fun with that Pitbull.

Also, it may be worth trying to get some $ from Fed-Ex...photograph the broken bits before fixing them and make a claim with Fed-Ex...Those bastards!!!!

[K1dude]

I had no idea you don't shift. But the derailleur/chain interface still has problems. It's making intermittent clicking noises and not spinning smoothly. So I'll have to mess around with it.

I can't find 4 screws to adjust the left brake caliper. All I can find is 2 screws that attach the caliper to the bosses on the frame, and those can't be adjusted since there is no lateral play in the mounting slots. I'll check Magura.com to see if I can figure out what to do.

What tire pressure do trials bikers use? I pumped the tires up to 40psi, but it makes me very nervous to see the cloth bulging so much through those big holes in the rim. Is that normal?

[eturt9]

There are two bolts on each side of the magure brake calipers (4 total) Unscrew these, reposition the brake pad in/out , angled, etc... you want the pads to hit at the same time and completely flat in the center of the rim. No toe like mtb vpads. --Also make sure the red knob on the brake lever is dialed all the way out (counter clockwise), use this to adjust the pads in slightly later if u need to.
Tire pressure depends somewhat on what tire you use, and rim width. I assume the pitbull came with a relatively wide rim.. means you can run a pretty low tire pressure. 40 psi is definatley too high. Try a psi around 25 and keep adjusting it down slightly so you cna have as low a pressure as possible without bottoming out the rim (often). You'll figure it out. Front tire is about the same.

congrats

[Sir_Crackien]

just to give you an idea i run 18 psi in my rear tire and i weight 240 lbs. that is on a 2.35" tire but it is a burly tire and i have a heavy tube back there as well, but i have yet to feel it bottem but i know its really close. post pics of that thing. i to have pitbull but mine is in frame form and is leaning up against a wall right now

[john trials]

Yeah, 20-25 psi in front and rear.

[bquamb]

Hello. WElcome to trials! Im new and it takes time to get used to the bikes... Anyways, The bulge is no big deal... 20 psi is wat u should have i run 15 but i like the squishy'ness of the tires when i land... You can get spacers for cogs if u want and nobody shifts on a trials bike... i run 22 teeth on the front 16 on the rear. Most riders run a 22 in the front 19 in the rear but i like it a bit stiffer. (all preference). On your magurs... dose it have a little hook think that holds the top on tight to the frame( there just little metal spikes that hold the maggys to your frame)?

U will lik the Pitbull... very well built :D and i love the geo on them... I was wondering wat hubs you have... if u have a Chris King rear... it has 72 engagements ... meaning thatthere is very little slack between when u start to pedal and when it kicks in... it also feels like it slows u down. U should phone up the company that shipped your bike and get them to fix/ buy the parts that got Fucked...

Anyways if u have any questions or if u just wanna talk add my email :D ( anybody that dose trials can add me [just message me where you are from so i can add u to a catigory :D]) - trials_boy_bryce@hotmail.com

Hope this helps and all u more knowlageable people correct me if im wrong please :D:D

[K1dude]

The bike has echo hubs and a White Industries freewheel.

For some reason, the rear wheel is rubbing somewhere and won't spin freely. Even after adjusting the left brake pad away from the rim. I have looked everywhere and there is no contact at all. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the hub or cassette/derailleur interface. Especially since the derailleur is making funny noises.

If no one shifts gears, why aren't trials bikes built-up as single speeds? Why use a derailleur at all? Especially since most people find the gear of their preference and then either use spacers for the other gears in the cassette or zip-tie the derailleur and shifter.

[zealot_53]

People will run gears on their bikes because competition rules tell them to. You need at least 5 (or was it 6?) working gears to enter a comp.

Where is the noise coming from? If it is coming from somewhere near the pads, then it could be the tyre rubbing against something. If not, then it may be your hub. Take it to FeDex and get some moolah for the damage.

[eturt9]

Uve probably done this, but the wheel rubbing and chain skipping may just be the hub not sitting correctly in the dropouts. Undo the quick release and make sure its sitting right.
Take it in to the shop if you can't get your bike adjusted yourself

[bquamb]

Good sudgestion :D

Anyways yeah go back to FEDex and then tell the maniger and tell them to ask the dealer wat condition the bike waS IN befor it was shipped.

And do u have a booster? maby ur tire is hitting that... someties there realy small and it tire hits. And yeah maby the hub isint correctly in place. loosten it and re adjuste it.

Hope u can get soe of that sweet sweet money for the damage... its a shame. and i dont think u have a shifter i think its just a chain tightner.

Hope you can fix it soon. and where u from? just wondering...

[john trials]

Yeah, zealot 53 (above) is right...people runs gears, because some competitions mandate working gears and derailleur. My Monty is made in Spain, where comp rules are more strict. Here in New England, no one cares about the number of gears. Most comps let Stocks and mods ride together. That is why I am going to switch to a single speed chain tensioner. I am tired of the chain skipping. I want it rock-solid, like my mod.

Good luck with your rear wheel. I have no suggestions that aren't already listed, although if the wheel isn't turning well on the bike, does it rotate freely off the bike? Regreasing the bearings may help, but if it doesn't rotate well, the bearings may be trashed, and you need a new hub.

[K1dude]

Yeah, the wheel is sitting properly in the dropouts. The hub isn't the problem. I took the wheel off and it spins fine out of the frame. But when I put it back in the frame, it won't spin freely.

I notice it spins better in some gears than in others. But it's movement is being restricted regardless of what gear it's in. I also hear a rubbing "hiss" in the same spot as the wheel turns. Yet nothing visible is rubbing.

It must be something in the derailleur/cassette interface. But I can't figure out what it is. It's driving me crazy.

[john trials]

On the bike, if you spin the wheel by hand (and the cassette/freewheel is not rotating, so the chain is not moving), does the wheel spin freely? It shouldn't matter what gear the chain is on.

When you tested the wheel off the bike, did you have the skewer removed (you weren't spinning the wheel on the skewer, were you)? If so, remove the skewer, and try spinning the wheel while holding the axle firmly. Also, with the wheel off the bike, does the freewheel/cassette spin freely, and engage firmly?

When you say it spins better in some gears, I assume you are spinning the rear wheel by pedaling, not by just rotating the wheel by hand. Is there a difference in the spinning, when you spin the wheel by hand, or by pedaling?

Please let me know how this problem gets solved.

[ULTIMATEdanceoff]

When I got my Echo Hifi Shipped from webcyclery I had the same damn problem (if not very similar). It was my first trials bike and I had no idea wtf was up. After sitting down with it though I found out that my hanger had like a 30degree bend to it. Bending it back is easier said than done though. It had to be aligned back perfectly to allow the wheel to spin freely on ALL gears. It wasnt too big of a deal but it did cause a lot of frustration.

[trauma100]

Good sudgestion :D

Anyways yeah go back to FEDex and then tell the maniger and tell them to ask the dealer wat condition the bike waS IN befor it was shipped.

And do u have a booster? maby ur tire is hitting that... someties there realy small and it tire hits. And yeah maby the hub isint correctly in place. loosten it and re adjuste it.

Hope u can get soe of that sweet sweet money for the damage... its a shame. and i dont think u have a shifter i think its just a chain tightner.

Hope you can fix it soon. and where u from? just wondering...
Grammar? ... use it!

[Neopork]

When I got my Echo Hifi Shipped from webcyclery I had the same damn problem (if not very similar). It was my first trials bike and I had no idea wtf was up. After sitting down with it though I found out that my hanger had like a 30degree bend to it. Bending it back is easier said than done though. It had to be aligned back perfectly to allow the wheel to spin freely on ALL gears. It wasnt too big of a deal but it did cause a lot of frustration.


my deraileur hanger was taped to the inside of the dropout on my hifi, it was not actually mounted.. i wonder if what happened to you was a common problem so they stopped mounting them before shipment? mine looks fine from what i can tell. and if it is in fact bent, i have an extra one that i ordered too. :eek3:

[Sir_Crackien]

i laos just got a pitbull and your left brake problem has to do with the calipe mount if it the magura one. they have the little tabs on the end on the mount where the 2 peices meet. you need to file them off the get enough grip out of the mount.

[K1dude]

I bent my derailleur hanger back by hand since I don't have a hanger bending tool. Maybe that's my problem. I just eyeballed it. If it's that sensitive, maybe I need to get the proper tool and do a better job of straightening it.