New rider in Toledo, Ohio

[KJ-HT29er]

Hello,

Just wanted to pop in an introduce myself. I am just now getting back in to mountain biking. The combination of no more college athletics and not having an active job were starting to make me feel out of shape and I wanted something fun to get back in shape, so I chose biking. I used to ride a lot when I was younger (maybe about 10-14) but needed a completely new setup to get back into things.

I went out and bought a 2014 Cannondale Trail SL2 29. It seemed to fit my needs and price point. Picked it up for about $1000 out the door with spd pedals and shoes. I had to special order it in the 2xl size and I am really loving it. At 6’8" and 240 lbs I was worried about getting something that would fit me. After a short (about 12 miles or so) easy ride this Monday I can say that the bike fits very well!

I do have a couple concerns. The first is the fork. The LBS put some more air in it for my weight, but it wasn’t enough (in my uninformed oppinion). The droop or sag seemed well set, but my zip tie showed that I used most of the travel on a pretty smooth trail. My thought is that me transferring weight shouldn’t get me to 75% travel. I am concerned that I won’t be able to get enough stiffness out of the fork too. I think it was set at 150lbs out of a max of 200lbs. Can someone she’d some light on this for me? I did order a shock pump, should be here soon.

My other concern is my back drum assembly. The concern started after my ride. I was just messing around in the front yard getting used to the bike. I jumped the curb into the grass, slowly, them cranked hard on the pedals to accelerate out. Felt like a broke a chain, but the chain was still good. Now when the back wheel is free spinning it makes a little bit of a grinding sound and seems to drag the pedals around. It’s not prevented from free spinning, but I can tell that there is some drag there. It was rideable afterward. Can someone help me diagnose this one too? I am hoping that will be covered in the warranty from Cannondale.

Anyways other than that I am looking for some fun places to ride. Any suggestions on that front are welcome. I am headed up to Munson park on Friday to try that trail, but I haven’t seen too much else that looks promising.

Thanks in advance.

[gar29]

Hi KJ,

The shock issue is the air pressure, if it is set for 150lbs, like you think, you would get a lot of sag with weighing 240. When you get your pump, set it for your weight (or the max 200), the issue should be resolved. Try it at that pressure, then you can adjust for what feels best to you. Be a bit careful until you can put more pressure in, you don’t want to bottom out your fork on any real rough stuff. Once you can put more air in, you won’t have to worry about it. You should consider taking it to the bike shop and have them put some air in, if you’re planning to ride before you receive your pump. I’m surprised your dealer didn’t do that before you left the store.

The brake issue sounds like your new pads rubbing a little. I wouldn’t be concerned, unless they were really dragging on your rotor and stopping your wheel. This isn’t uncommon to have this happen and should go away as your pads wear a little.

The Trail SL2 29 looks like a nice bike! It has a good spec of components. Hope you enjoy!

[dbisogno]

For your final concern, if you have your bike upside down and turn the pedal once or twice to get the rear wheel spinning but then let it free-wheel, is that when you hear grinding and the pedals seem to move a little on their own?

If that’s the case I suppose it’s possible something happened in your rear hub. If it felt like the chain slipped or broke, but it didn’t actually move out of gear, then you might have your LBS look at it. Also with a brand new bike, it’s possible the cables will stretch under high load (shifting or mashing too hard in the wrong gear) causing the derailleurs to go out of adjustment (which is why good LBS offer free adjustments/tune ups).

[KJ-HT29er]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I did get a shock pump and was able to air up the shock to 200lbs. It feels a lot better. I will reevaluate once I get to ride it again.

It was a hub problem. Took it to LBS and they hub was not in good working order. Once it was apart it was difficult to spin by hand.

So no riding this weekend unless my LBS pulls of some sort of miracle with getting the new hub in or finding a replacement.

[gar29]

"dbisogno" wrote

For your final concern, if you have your bike upside down and turn the pedal once or twice to get the rear wheel spinning but then let it free-wheel, is that when you hear grinding and the pedals seem to move a little on their own?

If that’s the case I suppose it’s possible something happened in your rear hub.

Good call, you nailed it! 😃

[KJ-HT29er]

So, no bike still. Monday was my last word from LBS and they were waiting on Cannondale to approve the warranty claim.

Anyone have prior experience dealing with Cannondales warranty program? Bike has been at the shop since late last Thursday, how long should I expect to wait?

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