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So.... I do a lot of long distance bike riding (Seattle ------> Green Bay, Cincinnati ------> Seattle, Seattle ----> San Diego etc) but honestly don’t know much about bikes so therefore my question.
My bike slips gears when I shift. If I leave it in one gear it’s fine but about 75% of the time it slips when I shift which makes it hard to pedal for a few moments. It’s annoying when I’m at a red light and have to start pedaling and there’s traffic behind me.
I’m thinking all the gears need to be replaced.
I took it to a local bike shop but they wanted almost $100 just to look at it and money is tight.
If it needs new gears, how much am I looking at? Roughly?
I have a Trek 7.2 FX 24 speed
Side note: I’ve put over 10,000 miles on the bike and (knock on wood) I’ve only had one flat and the back axle broke once. Otherwise nothing else has been changed on the bike. Tires are run flats so still have all the tread. The bike was given the OK when I last took it in about 4 months ago to get the axle fixed.
If you've ridden that many miles and never replaced the rear cassette, I'd say it's definitely time. Replacing the cassette is pretty easy, but you do need a couple of special tools to do it (cassette removal tool and chain whip and chain breaker tool).
If you attempt this yourself, you'll also need to replace the chain as well, which means you'll need a chain tool to remove the old chain (if you carry a multi tool it may have a chain breaker). Also make sure your chainrings in the front aren't worn out (and with that many miles, it's possible they are). And keep in mind the derailleur could also be out of adjustment. $100 is very expensive just to have someone look at the bike, but unfortunately you'll probably spend at least $50-60 no matter what you do. If you do it yourself, you're looking at:
That's assuming it doesn't need any new chainrings, derailleur cable, etc. If you do it yourself you'll have to buy tools and your first time you may not get it done perfectly, but you'll also learn a lot about your bike (which is especially useful when you ride very long distances). If you pay a shop to do it, you can omit the price of the tools and the job will be done quickly and (hopefully) by professionals who are good at what they do, but you'll pay more for their labor and won't learn how to do it yourself. There are pros and cons to both ways.
Lamplight is right. After 10,000 miles your chain is likely worn, which in turn will wear down the teeth on your cassette. Replace both. And as Lamplight said, check the chainrings too. Note that regular checks of the chain and prompt replacement when it starts becoming worn will help increase the life of your cassette and chainrings. Catch the chain before it has a chance to wear down the teeth and the gears will last much longer.
Here is a good reference on chain wear, including easy ways to check for excessive wear:
Thanks for the replies. I’ll suck it up and take it in when I can. I’m wondering if I can buy the parts for it and pay the bike shop to put them on for me? Or would they make me buy them from them? Feeling like I could get them cheaper.
I went to the Trek website and they don’t even carry those parts. Where would I find these online and what information do I need to know to purchase them? Numbers on the parts etc?
Last edited by Ty0604; 06-27-2015 at 11:14 AM..
Reason: Additional information
Thanks for the replies. I’ll suck it up and take it in when I can. I’m wondering if I can buy the parts for it and pay the bike shop to put them on for me? Or would they make me buy them from them? Feeling like I could get them cheaper.
I went to the Trek website and they don’t even carry those parts. Where would I find these online and what information do I need to know to purchase them? Numbers on the parts etc?
Let the bike shop provide the parts. Some shops do not mind if you bring in parts, others do not like it. But since the shop has the tools, you'd only pay for the replaceable parts and labor. Not tools.
The parts will likely be a little more expensive from a bike shop than online, but if you're not sure exactly which parts you'll need then that's probably the way to go. If your bike's a 24 speed then it must have an 8 speed cassette, almost certainly Shimano, which means it wouldn't be that difficult to order the parts online, but I also can't personally see or ride your bike, so for all I know that may not even be your issue. A bike mechanic will be able to tell you for sure and he/she will most likely have the correct parts on hand.
I will say that, if you've gone that far on your bike without replacing anything, there's a VERY good chance you'll also need new cables and brake pads, too. All those things combined with the gear issues will probably get pricey pretty quickly, but a good bike shop should be able to inspect your bike and tell you what needs to be replaced most urgently. The good news is, if your bike needs all of those things, it will ride like a new bike afterward! Just having a fresh chain makes a world of difference in my cycling enjoyment.
10k miles and you've not done any work on the drivetrain...wow. Lamplight gives good advice. My educated guess is that you'll definitely need new chain rings too.
I’ve replaced the brake pads on it. I forgot to mention those. Oops.
I called the bike shop yesterday and the soonest they could get me in is the first week in August so need to call around. Can’t wait that long.
I ended up calling Trek and getting all the part numbers I needed for my bike. They offer free shipping so would be about 50% less buying through them than it would be at the shop.
The worst part? My bike has a lifetime warranty from the shop I purchased it from. They’ll fix anything on it for free... Why is that the worst part? I moved since then and it’s 300 miles away
Thanks for the replies. I’ll suck it up and take it in when I can. I’m wondering if I can buy the parts for it and pay the bike shop to put them on for me? Or would they make me buy them from them? Feeling like I could get them cheaper.
I went to the Trek website and they don’t even carry those parts. Where would I find these online and what information do I need to know to purchase them? Numbers on the parts etc?
TREK manufactures frames and forks (yeah yeah, Mostly made in China and just assembled by TREK except for their higher-end bikes from Waterloo, and not to miss the point for pedantry) and doesn't sell 3rd party components directly to you. You have to go to the dealer. That would be like asking about going to Toyota.com and wanting to order a fanbelt, for your Camry. You go to the dealership. In this case you can go to your local bike shop (LBS) or online bike shops, such as Performance, Nashbar, Colorado Cyclist, REI, etc., for components. It doesn't even need to be a TREK dealer.
Do you have bike clubs in your area? Are you a member? LBS typically give a minimum 10% discount on parts and accessories to bike clubs in my area. If you do enough business with them and they get to know you, you would be surprised how much they would do for free.
I'm reading the op and they mention skip on gear change. Most skip is going to be in gear so I'm wondering if a barrel adj could clean it up. Worth a look see before throwing down that money. 10k is a long life hard riding.
100 bucks to look at your bike? Sheesh. As much as you ride you should really look into how to do it and should be carrying a chain breaker with spare links anyway.
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