ROCKRIDER 520 S MOUNTAIN BIKE

To get the best out of your brakes you'll need to bed them in beforehand. The brake pads and discs on a new bike are new themselves and don't work to their full potential. You need to apply each brake around ten times to bed them in properly. The bedding-in process involves getting up to a speed of 25 km/h and then applying just one of the brakes firmly to reduce your speed to 5 km/h, without locking the wheel.

The ideal tyre pressure is determined by the weight of the user.

Inflating your tyres in accordance with your weight will help you strike the right balance between performance and the ability of the tyres to avoid punctures and pinching (if the inner tube is pinched it can cause a puncture). If you're looking for more grip, you can reduce the pressure by 10% but without dropping below 2 bar. On abrasive terrain, however, this will increase the risk of punctures.

Your ROCKRIDER 540 has a SUNTOUR XCR fork with two separate functions :

 

1. A preload barrel adjuster

 

Turn the adjuster clockwise to increase the stiffness of the fork and anti-clockwise to reduce it.

 

2. Lock-out system

The lock-out function prevents the suspension fork from wobbling when you're standing on the pedals. The fork is not totally locked out. There will still be some travel thanks to the anti-blow-off system, which protects you on demanding terrain if you forget to unlock the fork.

 

You should never leave the fork in lock-out mode when riding on difficult terrain as the fork can be damaged when compressed under a high load.

There are several reasons why your fork might be too hard.

 

1. The setting

 

You'll find easy-to-follow instructions on adjusting the stiffness of your fork in the section entitled "How your fork's settings work".

 

2. Basic maintenance

 

Maintain your fork on a regular basis with an oil can. A few drops on the stanchions is often all that's needed.

 

3. Full service

 

If your fork still feels too hard, then check out the video below, which explains how to do a full service.

 

You are responsible for adjusting and maintaining your fork. Decathlon cannot be held responsible for any substandard work carried out. If you are not sure how to service your fork, please take your bike to your nearest Decathlon workshop.

There could be several reasons why your gears are not shifting smoothly or properly.

 

1. Check the position of the housing ends.

 

Housing ends that are out of position can obstruct the derailleur cable when it is being pulled and prevent the rear gears from shifting smoothly. If a housing end is out of position, push it back into place. 

 

2. The cable and housings may have jammed up.

 

If the gears only move down on to the smallest chain rings with difficulty or if the derailleur doesn't move even when the gear shifter is operated, then the cable and the housings have jammed up. They need to be replaced. Take your mountain bike to a DECATHLON workshop or replace them yourself with the help of this video. If you regularly use your mountain bike in wet or muddy conditions or if you wash it a lot, then you will need to replace the housings and cables more often.

When you take your new bike out for a ride for the first time, a lot of parts move around and fall into place. You'll hear the spokes on your wheels creak because of the residual torsion in them. The wheels should not buckle in any way at all though. If they do, then call in at one of our DECATHLON workshops and make the most of your free six-month check-up. You can also find out how to true the wheel yourself in this tutorial: Truing a wheel.

There could be several reasons why your gears are not shifting smoothly or properly.

 

1. Check that the derailleur dropout is not twisted

 

A twisted dropout causes the derailleur to become misaligned, preventing it from doing its job correctly. 

Look at your bike from behind and check to see if the derailleur is straight, as shown in the image below.

If the dropout is twisted or broken, take your bike to a DECATHLON workshop to have it replaced.

 

2. Check the position of the housing ends

 

Housing ends that are out of position can obstruct the derailleur cable when it is being pulled and prevent the rear gears from shifting smoothly. There are four housing-end positions to check on the rear derailleur: 1, 2, 3 and 4. If a housing end is out of position, push it back into place.

 

3. The cable and housings may have jammed up

 

If the gears only move down on to the smallest cogs with difficulty (in decreasing order, from 1 to 7) or if the derailleur doesn't move even when the gear shifter is operated, then the cable and the housings have jammed up. They need to be replaced. Take your mountain bike to a DECATHLON workshop or replace them yourself with the help of this video. If you regularly use your mountain bike in wet or muddy conditions or if you wash it a lot, then you will need to replace the housings and cables more often.