Two weeks ago my girlfriend decided that we needed a new exercise

>>1061704
The second thing is when I shift into a high gear while trying to build speed/putting the bike under load, the gears will slip and cause me to lose momentum. I did a bit of research and found that this may be caused by damaged teeth or the like, but I can't seem to find any damaged teeth. It's a brand new bike, although not very expensive, so I would expect that it would last a little longer than this.

What should I do to try and fix this problem? Is it a common problem? Or am I just paying for buying a cheaper bike? What would you recommend I do now?

I am rediscovering my love for bicycle riding,and it is helping me exercise and lose weight, but I cannot afford to buy a brand new bike. Though I may be able to replace some parts and do the work myself. I have access to the internet for how to videos, and plenty of tools and a workshop, as my father owns an auto shop.

I would really love to keep on riding, any and all help or advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

Sounds like your gears aren't properly indexed. Guaranteed the front isn't with that description and rear problems might be partly caused by shitty indexing. There are plenty of videos on how to index gears in YouTube if you want to try doing it yourself. It's really simple to do and doesn't require any tools as long as they're in the right ballpark when you start working. Or you can take it to a LBS if you are afraid of doing it yourself.

The problem with rear shifting can also be caused by you trying to shift under too much load. You shouldn't shift under full load as it may cause all kinds of problems. So when you're building up speed and shift to a higher gear you want to slightly ease up the pedaling as the derailleurs do their job. If you try to change gears under load the chain is more likely to skip or even drop completely as it doesn't have full contact with the sprockets while switching from one to another.

>>1061733
Thank you for the advice, I'll try and correct the indexing and see if that helps.

Also, about the gears slipping, I feel like I should make it clear that I am not shifting while under load. I make sure to pedal lightly until I am in the gear I want.

The slipping happens when I try to put a heavy load on the bike. It happens in every gear depending on what I'm doing. Going uphill I slip in low gear, and downhill I slip in high gear.

Any ideas?

>>1061704
Ditch the derailleur gears and get a SRAM Automatix 2-speed hub, friend

>>1061781
Ignore this post

>>1061778
Yeah, just take it to the local bike store. Hopefully they will tune it for you for free.

>>1061778
Sounds like a worn chain/cassette/chainrings. But if your bike is brand new then that doesn't make much sense. And the teeth should be clearly worn for that to be the root cause, and it usually starts out with one gear that is the most worn out. I guess it could be because your rear indexing is fucked and the chain wants to change to a different gear but can't. You should notice that while shifting though.

>>1061778
CHain can be too long. Easy fix at a local bike shop

>>1061781
no

>>1061704
Eat less, fatty.
Start looking at bikes when you're human again.

>>1061733
I don't think this is the cause. It's probably a frayed cable, take a look at the front derailleur cable end and if there are any loose strands whatsoever, replace it.

#2 suspect is the chain being dirty. Clean and re-lube it thoroughly.

#3 suspect is the upper limit being too low, but be careful with this one. If you overdo it, it'll lead to dropped chains.

It's probably indexed just fine. Not sure about your chain skip problem, but skips are usually on the cassette end of things. Need more information.

Godspeed anon on your journey to lasting weight loss

>>1061819 here

>>1061794 is entirely possible, investigate that.

nice that you are getting into cycling.

I encurage you to diy as much as possible on your bike.
it's part of the experience in my opinion and it'll help to further understand everything.

>>1061704
Get some di2 Xtr for that thing. You'll lose weight from that.

>>1061704
First, please use the bike questions general thread.

Your front shifting issue can be caused by the front derailleur cage not being aligned with the chain rings, the low limiter screw being screwed slightly too far in, and/or the cable tension being to tight.

Skipping on all cogs could be caused by a stretched chain, worn front chain ring teeth, chain between cogs in the rear.

Sometimes Wal-Mart bikes have been returned and the components are not actually new