Mountain Bike Repair and Mountain Bike General

>>724850
>I know I need a specific size chain but I don't have the manual with me so I'm not sure what size chain to get
If it's a 21 speed you need a 7 speed chain because the back wheel has 7 cogs (something like a SRAM PC-830 7/8 speed chain). It'll probably be too long, so you take out a few links with a chain tool.

>Is there a place where I can find an owners manual online for it cause I haven't found one yet
Probably not one for the specific bike but http://www.sheldonbrown.com is a good place to start for general information.

>Am I a complete tard who knows nothing about bikes
Yes, but we all were at one point.

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21 speed in your case means 3 chain rings on the crank and 7 cogs on the rear hub. You will need a 7 speed chain. You will also need a chain break to correctly size it, remove links. I build my own bikes as a hobby. I'm probably 7/10 good at it but watch a lot of YouTube videos and own pic related.

>>724863
I should have refreshed
>>724866

>>724850
There's literally a board for bikes m8
>>>/n/

>>724850
>>724881
Oh forgot to add that bike is absolute shit you should go and buy a new bike and not a turd like that.

Sorry mate but supermarket bikes really are fucking awful, known as Bicycle Shaped Objects and not proper bikes.

>>724850
Isn't it just a standard 3/32" x 1/2" chain? Then you gotta break some links off to get it down to size.

You can break the chain without the specific tool but it takes a bit more work. Might be worth buying a $10 chain breaker. If you think you will use it in the future, get a nicer one with some extra pins. I used to destroy chain breakers with BMX bikes but those are also heavy duty 1/8" chains with mushroomed pins.

>>724881
>>724882
Mountain biking is /out/ too m8. And if he already owns it he might as well fix it up and get some use out if it.

>>724866
>>724863
Thanks for the info I thought it would be something pretty straight forward like that.

>>724881
I wanted to ask /out/ cause I like you guys better and cause general mountain biking is a fairly /out/dor activity.

>>724882
>absolute shit
>supermarket bikes are really fucking awful
Yeah I was 13 and looking for convenience and price.

I should be able to get around my relatively flat campus without skipping the chain every time I put 30lbs of force on it though.

>>724919
>I was 13

How old are you know?

Fucking hell get a new bike.

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>>724919
>without skipping the chain
If the chain skips it might be worn cassette or freewheel cogs on the back wheel as well as the chain (not sure which system your bike uses). Also if you put a new chain on a worn freewheel it can skip worse than before. They wear together so if you let them go too far you have to replace them together.

>>724925
If he gets a newer and better bike he'd still want to ride this one around campus so the good one doesn't get stolen.

Right now have a Giant Roam {hard tail, on/off road bike} and have been having a great deal of fun riding in a series of small walking trails close by. Although it does go through the trails, I have fallen off a lot from sliding and sometimes the terrain is too ruff to go fast and I crash. ANYWAYS, I want to up my game by buying either an enduro or a DH but cant decide also what should i get with a budget of 2500

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>>725148
Get a little kid's bicycle

>>724963
Sometimes with that you can get away with taking the cassette out, clean it off, and get some light oil on there.

Sounds like this bicycle is a POS and not really worth spending money on a new cassette or even rebuilding the old one. If that is even the problem.

>>724850
Not to sound like a jerk, but just being frank: I run a bike co-op who runs off donations. When we get bikes exactly like yours we usually part them out then toss the frames for recycling. Those bikes are super heavy and utter shit. DO NOT upgrade anything on that bike other than keeping the chains, cables and brake pads functional. Ride it into the dirt if you're on the poor-side and never look back.

>>725148
My personal opinion is that it's better to learn bike handling skills on a hardtail before moving on to full suspension, instead of buying a bike that'll soak up the bumps so you don't have to. It makes you a better rider in the long run. When I got into mountain biking front suspension was just becoming a thing, and looking back I'm glad I had to learn how to ride over logs and pick a line with a rigid fork.

As for the sliding problem, first I'd just put on the fattest knobby tires your frame can fit and see how that goes. If you use the bike for getting around as well, it can be a pain to keep changing from slicks to knobbies and back, so an extra set of wheels might be a good idea.

>>725154
>Sounds like this bicycle is a POS and not really worth spending money on a new cassette or even rebuilding the old one
I wouldn't put a lot of money into it but I can get a cheap Sun Race 7s cassette for $15 CDN and a SRAM PC-830 chain for the same price, and parts should be cheaper in the US. You'd have to be really lucky to find a decent used bike for that price that doesn't also need a new drivetrain, brake pads, tires, etc. Just looked it up and 7 speed frewheels are $15US online, if he doesn't have a freehub.

I agree with >>725179 - ride it into the ground but if you have to fix more than the basic stuff you're better off putting the money towards a decent used hardtail or rigid bike.

>>724850

Just get a new bike its rarely worth refurb on cheap pieces of Shit

>>724850
I have the same piece of shit. After numerous adjustments, it still doesn't shift properly and with less than 1000 miles on it, the rear suspension fell apart and can only be repaired under tension, so it's not something I can do myself. Now I walk because Hyper soured me on bikes.

>>725317

There's a reason why those particular bikes are so cheap.


Nobody who actually rides bicycles will suggest a wal-mart tier bike for much of anything.

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that bike belongs /out next to the trash. I'd like to see more mtb on /ouut cause /n is full of trains, fixies and general faggotry. I mean kayaks go here so why not MTBs?

>>725625

I hate fixies and how 'superior' a lot of their riders like to act so fucking much. I dunno about you, but in my area if someone is on a fixie he's practically guaranteed to be a total dick.

>>724866
>wasting money on that fucking book

Please tell me your pretending.

>>724866
Having built bikes and been required to use their bullshit, fuck ParkTool.

>>725645
I know what you mean but to be honest, most cyclist are total dicks. Fixies are fun to ride though.

>>726332
I have one of their stands and a heavy duty chainbreaker but idk why you would ever use Park hex keys or bullshit like that.

>>726720
They're good for stuff like freewheel removers, BB tools and crank pullers that you can't improvise but don't use enough to need shop grade.

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I got a giant talon, and I'm wondering if that's a decent bike to begin investing in new components for it? I want to one day replaces the crankshaft and rear cassette. Should I spend my time on this one or would I be better off with a nicer bike so I'm not just throwing parts on an "ok" bike.

>>725645
>be me
>commute to campus daily via road bike
>dork out with lights everywhere and wear bright green on my upper torso to be as visible as possible
>obey laws like driving a car
>defensive riding
>stay in the bike lane unless turning left
>coming up on an intersection, about to make a left
>light turns green as I approach
>some dude on a fuxie coming from my right, perpendicular to me
>his light is red- runs it as he looks at me with some 'I'm superior' look on his face
>don't pay much bother, whatever bruh
>he's in front of me and I'm maybe 20 yrds behind him
>keep my distance for obvious reasons
>he runs the next red light, I wait
>catch up to him at the next intersection that had busy cross traffic- he could't run the red w/o injury
>light turns green, I let him get about 20 yrds ahead before taking off
>watching him weave around in and out of bike line like an idiot
>coming up on the next intersection
>many people make right turns here
>cars making a right turn must cross the bike lane
>cars clearly have their blinkers on
>home dude is going full blast toward the intersection
>a car is clearly in the motion of making a right turn at a very slow speed
>home dude is easily doing 25mph
>cuts off the driver, swerves to the right and nearly gets blasted
>cars honking
>fuxie rider turns around to flip everyone off
>then moves to the left lane without a hand signal

Every damn time. Every god damn time. Yes, there are some road bike faggots, but demographic-wise, fuxie riders are by far the most irresponsible, arrogant and dangerous riders on bicycles. At least three times a semester around campus, some fuxie rider gets absolutely blasted by a car and the rider is always found at fault. Fuck them. Would not piss on if on fire.

>>727957
the talon is a good bike. what matters is whether it fits you right and is comfortable.

It fits pretty great actually. The only thing I'm worried about is maybe my stance; because sometimes my shoulders start to hurt on rides. Is that because of my stance or the fit of the bike?

>>727977
Around here the Dutch bike faggots are even worse, they do all the same stupid things in slow motion.

>>728271
If your elbows are locked and your arms are straight and tense when you ride that can make your shoulders hurt, your arms should be a bit bent and relaxed. That can be due to poor fit or a bad habit or both. Hard to tell what part of the fit is wrong over the internet, it can be due to a number of things (like handlebar width, bar height, bar reach).

test

>>726332

Any suggestions for other brands? Some of their kits don't look all that bad, and I'm planning on getting something other than this shitty pot metal tool kit one day.

>>726719

Most of the (non-euro) road cyclists around here actually aren't bad. But I swear to god if some prick is riding in the middle of the road and refuses to let anyone pass, or doing something asinine/dangerous he's probably German or something.

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my current whip, but getting a DH park bike this summer, the Kona Stinky is in my price range but ive heard it likes to snap in two during landings... anyone have DH bike input?

>>727957 Keep it alive until the bike is holding back your progression as a rider. Then go with a lighter 29er hardtail if xc is your thing, same thing but full suspension for all mountain, and 26er full suspension but beefier for park/downhill/enduro

glad /out/ finally has a lit mtb thread

>>730710
Don't buy a stinky- I was going to, and ended up finding a perfect Rocky Mountain in the same price range, FAR better than any stinky. They're a waste of money, through and through. Keep your eye to craigslist until something comes along

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>outer radius of the rim is bigger than the inner radius of the tire
>a metar wire embedded into the tire so it cant stretch
it should be mathematically and physically impossible to change them at all. Is it normal or is my secondhand bike of unknown age and origin an exception?
It takes so much force, it leaves traces on the rim and tears the rubber of the tire, exposing the wire

>>730880
Technique really does help a lot with some of those tires. You probably shouldn't use metal forks to change em either. Are those older schwalbe marathons or something? People always bitch about getting em on and off but I've never had any problems.

>>730900
indeed, they are.
Surprisingly its the first time in my life i changed a tire even though i have been riding bikes for decade (they were usually stolen or had other severe malfunctions) so i didnt even know special tire lifters existed

>>724882

I always hear this but my Wal-Mart bike goes forward when i peddle. What's the tangible difference

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>>731208
You will notice the difference when you try to take it off some sweet jumps.

>>725625
>>724881

Road and commuter cyclists don't particularly get on with mountain bikers. I think it's because both sides think the other are massive faggots.

Thus /n/, being comprised of mostly roadsters and commuters, doesn't always have good mountain bike threads.

>>731208
Fit, finish, lighter frames, better components and geometry add up to make them way more comfortable, and probably faster than you would be otherwise the difference between my midrange canondale and a Wal Mart bike is painfully obvious if you try one then the other for more than 5 minutes

>>731302
>Road and commuter cyclists don't particularly get on with mountain bikers.
This isn't 1994, most roadies at least sometimes ride mountain bikes or cyclocross, and vice versa (unless they're still in school and can only afford one bike so they hate the other side out of envy). Agree about commuters though, some of the utility bike zealots can be insuffrable assholes.

>>731363
Also wal-mart bikes break a lot and when they do you can't always get parts because they use cheap non standard china crap.

>>731302
It's time...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx2e9jSSK6E

>>731488

>break a lot

More like break constantly. I live in the tropics and those NEXT branded things I see at Wal Mart turn into piles of rust in less than a year.

Corrosion resistance alone is worth paying a couple hundred more if the bike actually gets used.

How feasible is a 200km+ round trip spread out over seven days?

>>731977
Some people do 200km in one day so it should be easy in 7. Even on a loaded down touring bike 30km is only a couple of hours riding a day.

>>731977
On a road bike? You could do that in one day if you have the endurance and a good setup.

For us normal people, two centuries in a 24hr period is easy.

>>731208
I rode my friends walmart special after riding my bike.
The difference was outrageous.
The weight, comfort, and shifting response were on two whole other levels.

>>724850
>>/n/
We don't need you cyclefags shitting up two boards. You already ruined the train board.

>>731998
>km
Do miles metricfag like a real man would.

>>>/n/bqg
>I know I need a specific size chain but I don't have the manual with me so I'm not sure what size chain to get
You have to get a chain designed for your speed drive train. Count the number of sprockets on the cassette (the cluster of sprockets on your rear wheel), that is the speed chain you need.
To determine the length of the chain, see http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/chain-length-sizing#article-section-3
Use the "largest cog and largest chainring" method.

>>731977
I have done over 300km in one day (and that wasn't even on a road bike). 200km in a week is shit tier.
If you mean 200km mountain biking, then 1 day would be really pushing it but 2 days would be easy as all fuck.
>>731302
Fuck off faggot. I, like most cyclists, enjoy many disciplines of cycling. I have an enduro bike, I have a carbon road racer, I have a steel 80s road bike, and I have a randonneuring rig. I mountain bike, I road bike, I commute by bike, I cruise around the city on my bikes.

Regarding the discussion of Park Tool in this thread:
Park Tool makes great stuff, and their website and book are great as well. For basic stuff like metric wrenches and allen keys they are overpriced but for bike-specific tools their stuff is excellent.

>>731999

>metric centuries

This is one of those cases when metric is lame as hell.

>>732043
He asked in km, I answered in km, and cycling tradition is and has always been dominated by Italy and France, so it's done in km. Deal with it, Bubba.

I walk in miles though, and I mountain bike in hours, not distance.

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>>732145
This I agree with, but only because of the hardman bragging rights of doing a real century. Ideally you should drink an imperial gallon of Belgian tripel afterwards then ride another one the next day.

>>732186

Every time someone brings up a metric century as being even remotely noteworthy I want to cry.

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Ti or steel frame? Money is not issue, but is there any real benefits?

>>731208
Cycle for more than 10 minutes and you'll find out.

>>732738
You can bend steel back when you crash. Usually.

>>732738

Steel can be easier to repair in shitfuck nowhere, a lot of bike tourists prefer it for that reason.

>>724850
Bike is shit sorry m8. Invest in a solid hardtail/fatbike for maximum /out experience.

>>725148
For and enduro bike look into a Transition Patrol, Kona Process or YT Capra for a new bike. They are cheap without sacrifice , and they ride very good. I ride a spesh Enduro but honestly I miss my Tracer 27.5. There are tons of sweet frames in the 150-160mm travel sizes. Try to rent one to see if you like the frame geo and suspension.

>>725148
Also I ride an m16 as my DH rig, but I use my Enduro way more.

>>732086
1 cog =1/8th" x 1/2" unless 3/32" specific *a 1/8th" will work on a 3/32" cog but a 3/32" chain will not fit on a 1/8" cog

5-8 cogs = 8 speed chain a Sram PC830 is perfect

9 cogs = 9 speed chain

10 cogs = 10 and 11 speed chain *note 10 and 11 speed chains have the same inner width but the outer links on an 11 speed chain are slightly thinner, This allows people to use 10 speed chainrings/cranks up front on an 11 speed drivetrain swap

11 cogs = 11 speed chain only

12 cogs =12 speed chain

>>727957

>2013/2014ish Giant Talon

That was my first bike. Exact same model. Now I ride a Giant Trance 27.5 2 for all mountain stuff!

>>724913
A department store bike is really not worth the time . If Walmart sold a car, would you buy it?

>>732738
Titanium won't break unless a train hits you and it weighs way less than steel.

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2015 Giant Stance 2 reporting in, /out/ needs more mountain bikes.

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>>739364
Giant master race checking in

2014 Trance here, it's pretty versatile. Weighs about 29 lbs, and can handle moderate downhill as well as normal trail duty

>>730880
First off, don't use metal levers to remove the tire. Secondly, The wire does keep the tire from stretching to some extent, but it's really there to create a lip that interacts with the lip of the clincher rim and air pressure is what keeps it there.

The first types of clincher rims (middleweight 3 speeds) didn't have this lip, so the tire pressures were limited to the strength of this wire.

>>739364
/out/ has more mountain bikes, but mine's hanging from the rafters because it's been a shitty spring and the trails are still too muddy.

>>732738
No, titanium and steel have the same strength to weight ratio so the frame will be the same. Ti is also harder to work with, this is all only if you get nice-ish steel though. And avoid litespeed

>>739995
Tell me about it, my area is still swampy and it's been super nice this whole last week yet there's hardly any difference. Fuck rain.

>>724850
>>>/n/
Fuck off to your gay cunt cyclist board. What is it with bicyclefags and getting up in other people's space? Is it because they know they are hated and have a desperate need to be included?

>>740934
>Is it because they know they are hated and have a desperate need to be included?
yes you got them now you can stop, you've won