Bike gears??

Question

I recently inherited my brothers old 15 speed bike and i messed up the gears and now its really hard to ride, every time i pedal the chain does this weird up down thing, i know nothing about gears because this is my first bike with them, so please tell me what to do and explain which dial does what(one has numbers, one has lines) i am completely confused, any help will work, thanks.

Answer 1

The weird up down thing can be taken care of with a simple adjustment of the barrel where the cable attaches to the derailleur. See this link for details.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

To get an Idea about the basics try this link.
http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

It is worthwhile gaining a basic understanding of how your bike works. If you don't you probably won't enjoy cycling nearly as much.

The local bike shop is an important part of most cyclists lives . The best source of local knowledge, parts,tools and repairs (and new bikes). So develop a relationship with one

Answer 2

The left hand control (on most bikes) controls the front mechanism which shifts the chain to a different size cog on the front(where your pedals are) the right one shifts the chain to a different cog on the back. You need to keep a fairly fast pedaling rhythm so you need to change gear to keep the pedalling speed the same, for example when you go up hill when you feel you start to pedal slow and feels heavy change down untill you are pedalling faster and easier. Chance are that your index setting is out and you need to adjust the tension of the cable by twisting the knob at the rear gear shifter untill it stops jumping. Let us know how it goes.

Answer 3

Usually if you just leave the shifters alone and pedal for a few strokes, it'll settle down to one gear.

IF that doesn't happen, then it needs adjusting and you'll want to take it to a real bike mechanic at a bike shop. When you're there, get them to SHOW you how the gears/shifters work, it's way easier than telling you.

Good luck
Scott

Answer 4

i think your parents should buy you a new bike, that's not fair having to inherit your brother's old bike.