My new GT

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
42,356
Location
Great Lakes
Well, after scouring Craigslist for weeks and not finding anything decent for the price, I ended up getting a new one - a 2010 GT Transeo 2.0. This is actually an early birthday gift from my wonderful wife.

I only put it together last night and haven't ridden it yet. The rims need a little bit of truing and I have to make some adjustments to the rear brake so that the wheel rotates more freely.

All in all, it looks great to me. Maybe some of the components aren't high end, but it's way above and beyond anything I have ever owned before so I'm thrilled. It also looks better made and with slightly better components than the Diamondback Insight 2 I was considering earlier.

Now two questions:
1. The rear tire appears to have been installed backwards. The tread pattern faces the opposite way as on the front. The Front/Rear arrows on the tire point in the wrong direction. How important is this on a casually ridden bicycle? Should I raise a stink with Performance Bikes and have them redo it or should I let it be?

2. There is quite a bit of ruckus (for the lack of a scientific word) when I move the crank backwards. A lot more than any other crank I've seen or owned. I can try to record the sound as it's hard to describe - kind of like a loud clickety-clack sound. Any ideas what it could be? All the deraileurs appear to be aligned fine and the chain moves very smoothly in both directions. The chain/deraileurs were already assembled in the box - I didn't need to touch anything.

Thanks!

P1060341.jpg


P1060358.jpg


P1060345.jpg


P1060346.jpg


P1060347.jpg


P1060348.jpg


P1060349.jpg


P1060350.jpg


P1060352.jpg


P1060354.jpg


P1060355.jpg


P1060356.jpg
 
haha I thought it was a mustang too! Nice bike though, in New jersey driving a bike is like putting a big sign up saying, HIT ME!
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Here is the sound clip of the crank being turned backwards:

http://www.mediafire.com/?5tbh98klqmvvb8k


OK, mystery solved. There was a tiny plastic label attached to the front derailleur that was sticking out and touching the crank cog teeth. I think it was supposed to have been removed before shipping. It's fine now.
smile.gif
 
If you're going to be doing a lot of off-road riding, I think it would be important to get the rear tire turned around for best traction in dirt and mud.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
1. The rear tire appears to have been installed backwards. The tread pattern faces the opposite way as on the front. The Front/Rear arrows on the tire point in the wrong direction. How important is this on a casually ridden bicycle? Should I raise a stink with Performance Bikes and have them redo it or should I let it be?

Most tires are directional, one way for the front and the opposite for the rear. So that the rear is different from the front is not in itself a problem. If they're in opposite directions, and one is in the wrong direction, that means the other is in the wrong direction too! Verify and report back.

If one or both are on wrong, I'd fix it myself. Removing and replacing tires is a good skill to have.

jeff
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: greenjp
If they're in opposite directions, and one is in the wrong direction, that means the other is in the wrong direction too! Verify and report back.

I did not get that, but let's try again. This is the marking on the rear tire:

P1060361.jpg


But in reality, the rear of the bike is on the right, so that's how I know that the tire is installed backwards.

The front tire is installed correctly.


Also, how do I find out what size spoke nipples I have? I need to buy a spoke wrench and don't know which size...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
The rear tire appears to have been installed backwards. The tread pattern faces the opposite way as on the front. The Front/Rear arrows on the tire point in the wrong direction.


If you want extra traction on loose ground at the cost of a minute amount of higher rolling resistance and noise on hardtop, leave the rear tire mounted the way it is. People who ride on trail and hardtop often have the rear tire mounted "the wrong way." I do that, too.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: greenjp
If they're in opposite directions, and one is in the wrong direction, that means the other is in the wrong direction too! Verify and report back.

I did not get that, but let's try again. This is the marking on the rear tire:

P1060361.jpg


But in reality, the rear of the bike is on the right, so that's how I know that the tire is installed backwards.

The front tire is installed correctly.


Also, how do I find out what size spoke nipples I have? I need to buy a spoke wrench and don't know which size...

the markings refer to the ROTATION of the tire, not pointing front or rear... this is not a performance problem, its how it was installed at the factory.
I don't know why you would even consider shipping it back to them to have this corrected, that's just ludicrous.

the plastic thing on the front derailleur is a tool used to set up the position correctly. it gets removed by the tech after he sets it up, not 'before shipping'.

there is a reason that the box your bike came in says that it should be assembled by a qualified technician.
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: greenjp
If they're in opposite directions, and one is in the wrong direction, that means the other is in the wrong direction too! Verify and report back.

I did not get that, but let's try again. This is the marking on the rear tire:

P1060361.jpg


But in reality, the rear of the bike is on the right, so that's how I know that the tire is installed backwards.

The front tire is installed correctly.


Also, how do I find out what size spoke nipples I have? I need to buy a spoke wrench and don't know which size...

the markings refer to the ROTATION of the tire, not pointing front or rear...

So in which direction should this tire be rotating based on these markings?



Quote:

this is not a performance problem, its how it was installed at the factory.

Just because that's how it was installed at the factory doesn't mean it was done right. I'm am just trying to educate myself and verify.

Quote:
I don't know why you would even consider shipping it back to them to have this corrected, that's just ludicrous.

I wasn't going to ship it back. They have local stores in my area and I was planning to just swing by one of them.

Quote:

there is a reason that the box your bike came in says that it should be assembled by a qualified technician.

Most people here suggested that I try it myself, so I did. I've tinkered with bikes and adjusted derailleurs before. Just never noticed that little plastic before.

If I let a technician assemble everything, I won't learn anything. I'll swap the tire myself too if it is in fact mounted on backwards. I've replaced biked tires before. I just thought I shouldn't have to do that on a brand new bike.
 
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Awesome bike.



Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Work of art!

Very nice.
01.gif



Thanks all! Can't wait to take it for a spin this weekend!
 
Originally Posted By: Bad_Robot
If you want extra traction on loose ground at the cost of a minute amount of higher rolling resistance and noise on hardtop, leave the rear tire mounted the way it is. People who ride on trail and hardtop often have the rear tire mounted "the wrong way." I do that, too.

Thanks. I just went onto Schwalbe's website which seems to indicate that the front and rear tires are supposed to be mounted in the opposite directions, as you pointed out. So I guess I will leave it the way it is. Just shows that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to bicycle tires.
smile.gif


http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_tread#direction

Thanks everyone!
 
Originally Posted By: PRND3L
The way I'm reading that link and your pics QP, the tires were installed correctly.

Yup.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Bad_Robot
If you want extra traction on loose ground at the cost of a minute amount of higher rolling resistance and noise on hardtop, leave the rear tire mounted the way it is. People who ride on trail and hardtop often have the rear tire mounted "the wrong way." I do that, too.

Thanks. I just went onto Schwalbe's website which seems to indicate that the front and rear tires are supposed to be mounted in the opposite directions, as you pointed out. So I guess I will leave it the way it is. Just shows that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to bicycle tires.
smile.gif


http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_tread#direction

Thanks everyone!



Directional tires on a bicycle have been a bone of contention since they first showed up. There is a widespread misconception about how the tread on a bike tire works. When you ride on asphalt or any hard surface, it is not the tire tread, but the roughness of the tarmac that gives the tire traction and roadholding, even on a wet road. Bikes with their comparatively narrow tires never go fast enough to hydroplane. On loose ground, it is the tire tread that gives traction. If you look at hybrid street/offroad bicycle tires, like yours, they usually have a continuous center tread line for improved rolling resistance, but near the tire edge, they have tread blocks that can "bite" into loosed ground and reduce slippage. Obviously, on a bike, it may be impossible to recover from front wheel slippage.

Keep in mind weight distribution and load changes when braking.
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: greenjp
If they're in opposite directions, and one is in the wrong direction, that means the other is in the wrong direction too! Verify and report back.

I did not get that, but let's try again. This is the marking on the rear tire:

P1060361.jpg


But in reality, the rear of the bike is on the right, so that's how I know that the tire is installed backwards.

The front tire is installed correctly.


Also, how do I find out what size spoke nipples I have? I need to buy a spoke wrench and don't know which size...

the markings refer to the ROTATION of the tire, not pointing front or rear... this is not a performance problem, its how it was installed at the factory.
I don't know why you would even consider shipping it back to them to have this corrected, that's just ludicrous.

the plastic thing on the front derailleur is a tool used to set up the position correctly. it gets removed by the tech after he sets it up, not 'before shipping'.

there is a reason that the box your bike came in says that it should be assembled by a qualified technician.


This sounds a little arrogant. I think he's just trying to learn, and why he is asking questions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top