2014 MONGOOSE MASSIF 20" FAT TIRE
- Thread starter Rat Rod
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Rat Rod
Owner & Founder
I was able to adjust the brakes some last night, but I'm still getting a contact somewhere on one of the calipers. You hear it as you roll along.....shhh....shhh....shhh.
I haven't ever messed with disc brakes much in the past so after staring at them for a few minutes I figured out how they were intended to be adjusted.
I also need to get the derailleur cable adjusted correctly. I don't know why, but I never can get those set up to work 100% like they should. My method has always been to put the shifter in the highest gear (7) and to make sure the chain is on the smallest cog. Then I make sure the cable tension is tight and tighten down the cable nut. Then I do any needed fine tuning on the little cable adjuster up on the shifter. Did all of this last night and it didn't shift right so back to the drawing board.
I haven't ever messed with disc brakes much in the past so after staring at them for a few minutes I figured out how they were intended to be adjusted.
I also need to get the derailleur cable adjusted correctly. I don't know why, but I never can get those set up to work 100% like they should. My method has always been to put the shifter in the highest gear (7) and to make sure the chain is on the smallest cog. Then I make sure the cable tension is tight and tighten down the cable nut. Then I do any needed fine tuning on the little cable adjuster up on the shifter. Did all of this last night and it didn't shift right so back to the drawing board.
Looks really awesome and fun to ride. I might have to get one of these once I clear some of the herd. I have a 90s MantaRay waiting to be stripped for one of these or vise versa.
I just have one question tho......How come you always get the first of everything?
I just have one question tho......How come you always get the first of everything?
Rat Rod
Owner & Founder
You'll notice that you won't see me buying a Dolomite. I've tried the fat bike thing with the Beast and the Sun Spider and it turned out to not be my cup of tea. I guess I'm more of a BMX cruiser kind of guy.
One of the reasons I decided to go for the Massif was so that my kids could goof around with it. Whether they end riding it or not is up for debate. So far the fat tires have just made them laugh.
One of the reasons I decided to go for the Massif was so that my kids could goof around with it. Whether they end riding it or not is up for debate. So far the fat tires have just made them laugh.
If the derailleur is like the one on my Mini Velo there is an adjustment screw on the bottom of it that you need to adjust to get it shift all the way on to the largest cog. I had the same issue and once I used it the derailleur shifted right.
RatRod - with disc brakes there is a break in period. If the MTB world it's usually 2 rides. You will be surprised at how much less they rub and how much stronger they are after about 20 miles of riding.
I've had some brakes that made terrible noise and barely stopped when new, that will throw you over the bars with 2 fingers after a couple rides.
On my nice MTB, I have to use 1 finger to stop, or it stops too hard.
I've had some brakes that made terrible noise and barely stopped when new, that will throw you over the bars with 2 fingers after a couple rides.
On my nice MTB, I have to use 1 finger to stop, or it stops too hard.
The 2 screws are limit screws. They have nothing to do with the shifting on indexed systems. the one limit screw keeps the der out of the spokes, the other limit screw keeps the chain from jaming between the small gear and frame. Once set at the factory, they should never need adjusting unless you crashed on the der and bent it or the frame. The only other time they need adjusting is when some clueless twit has been messing with them.
To adjust index systems:
Shift to a middle gear (4th in this case of 7 gears), make sure the grip shifter is in 4.
Adjust the cable housing barrel adjuster at the rear der until the chain runs directly straight down from the 4th cog to the top jockey wheel. You have to look at this from behind the bike.
The chain should run smooth at this point. Any jumping and you need to fine tune the adjuster.
While you are back there, look to see if the cog, top jockey wheel and bottom jockey wheel are in the same plane (ie, frame/der hanger or der are not bent)
on grip shift shifters, there is a second barrel adjuster on the shifter itself that does the same thing. That allows you to fine tune while riding.
You will find that more gears you have the more touchy the adjustment. 10 & 11 cog cassettes are the most finicky. 7 speed systems are typically pretty stable.
On indexed gear systems, the index (click) is in the shifter and the der is held in place via a long skinny cable that stretches over time as it's under constant spring tension. Cheap cable housing gets compressed at the same time. Some brands are must more stable. keeping the cables clean and rust free helps shifting. Keeping the insides of the cable housing rust & gunk free really helps too.
Brake cable housing is spiral wound with a plastic cover and some times a plastic lining. It's relatively soft and flexible and doesn't work well for indexed shifters. Shimano makes special housing for index systems where the housing is made of steel wires run lengthwise that are embeded in the plastic. This type can't compress or expand so shifting usually works better.
@ rickpaulos, You are assuming the adjustment screws were set right at the factory and in my case it wasn't set right. It wouldn't let the derailleur go all the way in so it could shift to the largest cog on the freewheel. So I wasn't the clueless twit this time around.
Though I do thank you for a good method on how to adjust a derailleur.
Though I do thank you for a good method on how to adjust a derailleur.
On a new bike I do the following:
1. lube all the cables and deraleur pivots.
2. Adjust the shifter barrel adjuster(s) all the way in, then turn it out 5 times. do the same at the deraleur end if it has one.
3. Give the cable 5 or 6 hard pulls by hand, grabbing the actual cable, pedal the bike and pull so it shifts up and keep tugging. this will help seat the cable ends on the housing. then let the chain shift back down to the small cog.
4. remove any slack in the shift cable at the pinch bolt. Park 4th hand tool makes this easy..
5. shift up to the next to largest cog and back down to low gear several times. if the chain hesitates then try backing down the adjusters, if this does not correct the problem then try backing off the limit screw 1/4 turn at a time. you should be using the "H" screw.
* an easy way to decipher the limit screws, they are typically marked "L" & "H", we used to say "L" is for Linner (inner part of the cascette) and "H" is for Houter (outer part of the cascette).
6. once you have a nice crisp down shift go to the next to largest cog and repeat the same steps for the "L" screw.
7. next step is to do a final dial in of the cable tension, just shift up and down in the middle cogs, if the chain hesitates dropping down, there is too much tension, back off the adjuster. If it is dropping 1+ gears at a click then there is too little tension.
8. if you have tried everything and there are still issues, check for a bent deraleur hanger, bent deraleur, kinked or pinched cable somewhere etc.
I worked on a customers bike once and could not get the thing to shift properly, only then noticed the shifter had been replaced with a 7 speed...there were 8 on the freewheel..
1. lube all the cables and deraleur pivots.
2. Adjust the shifter barrel adjuster(s) all the way in, then turn it out 5 times. do the same at the deraleur end if it has one.
3. Give the cable 5 or 6 hard pulls by hand, grabbing the actual cable, pedal the bike and pull so it shifts up and keep tugging. this will help seat the cable ends on the housing. then let the chain shift back down to the small cog.
4. remove any slack in the shift cable at the pinch bolt. Park 4th hand tool makes this easy..
5. shift up to the next to largest cog and back down to low gear several times. if the chain hesitates then try backing down the adjusters, if this does not correct the problem then try backing off the limit screw 1/4 turn at a time. you should be using the "H" screw.
* an easy way to decipher the limit screws, they are typically marked "L" & "H", we used to say "L" is for Linner (inner part of the cascette) and "H" is for Houter (outer part of the cascette).
6. once you have a nice crisp down shift go to the next to largest cog and repeat the same steps for the "L" screw.
7. next step is to do a final dial in of the cable tension, just shift up and down in the middle cogs, if the chain hesitates dropping down, there is too much tension, back off the adjuster. If it is dropping 1+ gears at a click then there is too little tension.
8. if you have tried everything and there are still issues, check for a bent deraleur hanger, bent deraleur, kinked or pinched cable somewhere etc.
I worked on a customers bike once and could not get the thing to shift properly, only then noticed the shifter had been replaced with a 7 speed...there were 8 on the freewheel..
After seeing first hand how poorly the Beasts were assembled there is no reason to expect anything better for the Massif & Dolomite. When mine arrive, they will get full overhauls and grease applied to all the threads and bearings, seat post, stem, wedge, etc. I work on a lot of the boxmart bikes at our local coop and that covers pretty much every brand out there. It doesn't end at the factory. I've seen bikes assembled at the stores that just boggle the mind. A tandem with the stoker stem on backwards so the stoker handle bars would be where the captains legs go. A brand new bike on display and for sale at Kmart with the fork bent back about 20 degrees, probably dropped of a truck somewhere and probably ready to snap. I met a girl on the bike path who was riding her bike with the fork on backwards as it was assembled at the store. She would not be convinced anything was wrong with her purchase. We had a brand new walmart.com tandem in at the coop minus the pedal threading in 1 crank. The buyer refused to return it under walmarts excellent return policy.
Great video Steve! You can see the massive (Massif?) grin on your face while riding it!
Luke.
Luke.
Thanks for the photos and video Steve. Like I mentioned somewhere else I was contemplating one for the Grand-kids but think the fat tire would be too much for them to push around. I'm sure they'd be fine on pavement but I'm thinking off-road.
Rat Rod
Owner & Founder
Yeah, I suppose it depends on the age and size of the child. Off road riding will definitely make the bike a little more challenging, but I suppose it also depends on how well they know how to use gears. My kids aren't so great with them so they'd do best on pavement which is where we ride 95% of the time anyway. It ends up being more of a novelty than anything else and they are having fun playing around with it.
