2009 Windsor Willow Troubleshooting

"Shifter may stick when trying to change gears or simply not work."

If your brifters have not been maintained extensively, and seem to stick when attempting to shift, they (or just one) may be in need of lubrication. Lubrication is applied to shifters at the factory level, but over time with use, as it helps make the inner mechanisms of the brifters smoother, the lube degrades. The following are things you can do to fix this: manually disassemble the brifters and lubricate the inside with WD-40 or oil, spray lubricant into the shifter without disassembly and pace through the gears, and lastly soak the shifter units in a lightweight oil and then in a heavier weight oil while blasting it with compressed air blast and cycling the shifter through it's range. Please be aware that while many report great success with WD-40, others claim it to gunk up the inner workings of the shifter so oil may be a safest option. (include applicable links to brifter replacement guide on where to lubricate)

Like all bicycle parts, shifters can break. If you think your shifter is broken, and you have ruled out lubrication please see our (brifter replacement guide: milestone 3)

"Chain may look droopy, dirty, or bent and have a tendency to come off while riding."

The chain on your bike is made up of many pieces that are linked together. These chain pieces are susceptible bending. When a chain-link is bent, it may cause your chain to skip. If you can identify the problematic area of links, it is recommend to take off the chain and use a chain cutting tool to cut the chain and replace the faulty link(s). This is most useful if you can actually see bending. If you cannot do this, you may need to replace the entire chain or explore other possible causes. (see chain adjustment guide)

When chain-links become dirty and rusted, they do not move as freely as before, causing some links to stiffen. When this occurs, sections of stiff links may cause the chain to skip. To fix this, you must either lubricate the chain or replace it. To spot clean the chain while it is still on the bike, please do the following: Brush out the links with a brush, lubricate the links fromwith a chain lubricant, wipe off excess lubricant with a dry grease rag. While doing this make sure to move the chain by moving the bike pedals. Note that over-lubricating can attract new dirt. If this does not work, for replacement see our (chain replacement guide milestone 3)

If your bicycle chain is too loose, it will appear droopy and come off sporadically. To fix this make sure your derailleurs are properly adjusted for the tension (link derailleur adjustment guide). If this does not fix the problem it may be required of you to take off the chain, remove a few links, then put the new, smaller chain back on. To do this see our (derailleur adjustment guide and chain link adjustment/replacement guide)

"Seat may not stay at the correct height and may turn point sideways instead of straight forward."

Use an Allen Wrench to tighten the fastener to your seat height of choice.

If your seat stem is the wrong size, it will not fit tightly into the hole. This problem is extremely rare with all original parts, but with second hand bikes this may be a common issue. To replace the stem for a larger one please see (seat stem replacement guide)

It is also possible that your seat brackets are loosely fastened. These brackets loosen over time and it’s a dangerous problem because your seat can fall right off. Loosely fastened brackets make the seat feel loose. To see how to tighten these brackets or replace them along with your seat, see the following guide (seat replacement guide)

"The tire is flat and will not support the weight of the bike."

This happened because you over inflated the tube. Typical causes of this type of puncture include: a faulty rim strip, resulting in exposed spoke nipples or sharp rim surfaces. To fix this you will need a small patch, sandpaper, rubber solution (glue).

Get a small piece of sandpaper to lightly rub around the damaged tube to provide a better surface for the glue to grip. Next, apply the glue to the tube enough to cover an area of the hole and leave it for 30 seconds until it goes tacky. Finally, apply the patch carefully to the damaged area. Hold the patch against the tube for 30 seconds to make sure the patch is securely stuck down. After that pump some air into the tube to check that the patch has been installed correctly and no air is leaking and also make sure to remove any embedded pieces of glass and other debris.

If you find a single hole on the outer surface of the tire that rolls along ground, it indicates that the tube inside the tire had been penetrated by a sharp object. The object may have been fallen out or still embedded in the tire. You will need to repair the inner tube as described in this guide.

First thing is to check if there is any hole on the surface of the tire or it’s just that the tire is low on pressure. If there is no hole on the tire, it is also possible that the inner tube has a puncture. Pump some air into the tube then press the tire against so that if there is a hole on the tube, it will not be able hold the air for long time. If you doubt there is a leakage, you can inspect the inner tube by taking it out from the tire. Follow this guide if you see a puncture on the surface of the tube.

"If shifting gears is not smooth, it’s likely that you will need to adjust the derailleur. Derailleur ensures smooth easy shifting. This guide is based on Shimano Derailleur."

1. Shift the rear derailleur into smallest gear closest to the frame.

2. Rotate the screw on your derailleur marked “H” to adjust the high limit so that it lines up with the smallest cog.

3. Unscrew the cable anchor to tighten the tension in your cable, pull the cable tight and screw the anchor back on tight.

4. Shift the rear derailleur into the 4th or 5th cog.

5. Turn your barrel adjuster to line up the derailleur pulley underneath the correct cog to adjust the index. Do some test shifts to make sure it is adjusted properly.

6. Shift your rear derailleur into the largest cog.

7. Rotate the screw on your derailleur marked "L" to adjust the low limit and make sure it lines up with that largest cog.

8. Adjust the B-tension screw so that the pulley on the rear derailleur is close to the largest cog on the cassette without dragging.

1. Adjust the position of the derailleur to 1-3 mm above the large chain ring so that the derailleur cage is parallel with the chain ring.

2. Turn the front derailleur adjuster clockwise all the way so that tere is no tension in the cable.

3. Set your inner limit by shifting the front derailleur into the small chain ring and the rear derailleur into the largest cog. Make sure to turn the inner limit screw so that the inner part of the derailleur cage is at its closest to the chain without rubbing.

4. Loose the cable anchor to tighten your cable tension, pull the cable tight and then re-retighten the cable anchor.

5. To set the outer limit, first shift the front derailleur to the large chain ring and the rear derailleur to the smallest cog. Make sure to turn the outer limit screw so that the outer part of the derailleur cage is at its closest to the chain without rubbing.

6. Test the front derailleur so see it is shifting properly into the small and large chainrings.