Grizl:ON CF 7 - Puppy Delivered to Vet

It's unlikely but possible your derailleur hanger is bent. That can result in weird shifting performance. If the bending is subtle you might not be able to see it by eye. There's a tool for checking it that the REI shop should have.
 
bobf said:
It's unlikely but possible your derailleur hanger is bent. That can result in weird shifting performance. If the bending is subtle you might not be able to see it by eye. There's a tool for checking it that the REI shop should have.
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A sound advice! I admit I was in a similar position once. Nothing shifted properly!
 
Stefan Mikes said:
@Catalyzt: following @stompandgo post, I strongly recommend you have your derailleur adjusted, the best by REI. If not done quickly, you could damage your drivetrain or even have the expensive CF frame scratched by a chain drop!
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Appreciate your concern! Two notes, however:

* The problems are in the middle of the cassette, that is what is so weird, low and high gear are seated smoothly on the chain.. If they were at either end, I'd worry more about chain drop. What's more, there is a chain guard near the crank to prevent the chain from dropping there. So that ain't gonna happen-- at least as carefully as I am riding.

* The rough shifting is no more than what I'd experience on any acoustic bike that was misaligned. None of this is happening under heavy load from the motor because I shift-- or try to-- well before inclines! So I don't expect any damage to the cassette-- at the moment, so long as I'm careful.

I will try some clutch and chain tension adjustments first, carefully, riding in circles at 4 MPH and changing gears in the cul-de-sac. If I have no joy with that, back to REI I go ASAP.
 
stompandgo said:
While Shimano makes gravel groupsets that utilize Di2, they also make them that are mechanical. I dug around for a bit, and everything that I could find tells me that your derailleur is mechanical, not electronic. Does it have a small diameter cable (wire) that can be unplugged from the derailleur? Di2 does. If there is a twist knob at the end of the cable that fits into the derailleur, it is mechanical. This is a worldwide forum, so who knows what Shimano sells that may not be available in the US, but I have never seen any Di2 rear derailleur that has a mechanical tension adjustment (not including the B-screw). Chain alignment is adjusted electronically, for every Di2 derailleur that I've seen. I think your derailleur is mechanical, long cage, 11 speed. Adjusting it is just like any other mechanical rear derailleur.

Shadow RD's do have a clutch tension adjustment. Is that what you are messing with?

I would try adjusting the cable tension with the clutch off.

Keep the clutch off when riding the road and smooth gravel. Turn it on when you hit the bumpy stuff.

Friends don't let friends ride bikes on acid.

Good luck.
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Clutch adjustment - exactly. That's what I MAY mess with. A few tests to run first.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
@Catalyzt: the sign of a bent derailleur hanger was I could not reliably shift in the middle gears. Who knows what's happened to yours.
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VERY interesting. Would be weird in a bike that just came out of the box... read on, I don't think that's what's happening, I think I got this sorted, BUT I will definitely keep that under consideration if the problem repeats under greater load.

stompandgo said:
I dug around for a bit, and everything that I could find tells me that your derailleur is mechanical, not electronic. Does it have a small diameter cable (wire) that can be unplugged from the derailleur? Di2 does. If there is a twist knob at the end of the cable that fits into the derailleur, it is mechanical. This is a worldwide forum, so who knows what Shimano sells that may not be available in the US, but I have never seen any Di2 rear derailleur that has a mechanical tension adjustment (not including the B-screw).
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Okay, appreciate that-- I feel a little stupid, but not too stupid; with that freaky shift-lever-inside-the-right-brake-handle system, I could not see any cables except the ones exiting the frame right by the derailleur, and I read-- somewhere-- that shifting was electronic, so I assumed it was.

And I kept thinking, "Wow! This electronic shifting sure duplicates the feeling of mechanical shifting so precisely! Is that a bug or a feature? And if it's a feature, what is the point of electronic shifting?"

Duh! No, there is not some super secret system of servo motors inside the bike using AI to duplicate the resistance and tension of manual shifting. Of COURSE it is manual. Thank you for being kind when you pointing this out!

Update:

--> Clutch is good, or good enough, passed finger test.

--> It appears the cable was too slack.

--> Four clicks anti-clockwise appears to have solved the problem, at least in my cul-de-sac test.

(I am now having to explain to the neighbors that I am not insane and my intention is not to ride the bike in circles endlessly. BTW, if you ever do this, look up periodically and focus on your surroundings to avoid dizziness and vertigo.)

Friends don't let friends ride bikes on acid.
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I don't need acid, apparently, I get high / dizzy just riding my bike in circles like a trained monkey. It's like early sobriety, when I would mimic, briefly, the feeling of being high by wearing glasses that were the wrong prescription.

Shifting appears nearly flawless now-- might be a tiny bit of residual chatter in sixth or seventh, but it's so subtle I could be imagining it. Will take a run this afternoon and see how it does under slightly greater load. (I avoid shifting under extreme load anyway.)

Thanks, everyone! Super helpful!

--MJJ
 
Stefan Mikes said:
So glad to hear it, Catalyzt! Now it's the time for your long gravel rides!
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Thanks! You know, I love FS, and I'm sure the Motobecane will not gather too much dust.

However, the reality is that most of my riding is on terrible pavement and light single track or fire roads with a few moderate sections. I have to ride in the world I am in, not the hypothetical/fictional one where there there is a network of tremendous MTB trails right outside my door. (There is one within 15 minutes of my house, and I'll use the Moto for that.)

And I need a bike that I can more easily carry down stairs and over obstacles. (Though the consequences for dropping a CF bike are kind of scary!)

And, in truth, I need a bit more power than the Moto has.

One interesting thing: The ground clearance for the pedals is MUCH lower on the Grizl. No pointing my toes when pedaling through sharp corners! I've scuffed my toes a few times already!
 
Catalyzt said:
One interesting thing: The ground clearance for the pedals is MUCH lower on the Grizl. No pointing my toes when pedaling through sharp corners! I've scuffed my toes a few times already!
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Please do what any roadie or gravel cyclist does: On a corner, keep the outer pedal down and press your foot on it. Also push the inner hood a little forward. It will enable you to do very fast "spirited" turns with no danger of a pedal strike.

I would say I'm jealous about your beautiful CF gravel e-bike a little :) Not that I'd like to own one but what you have got is a marvel!
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Please do what any roadie or gravel cyclist does: On a corner, keep the outer pedal down and press your foot on it. Also push the inner hood a little forward. It will enable you to do very fast "spirited" turns with no danger of a pedal strike.

I would say I'm jealous about your beautiful CF gravel e-bike a little :) Not that I'd like to own one but what you have got is a marvel!
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It is indeed! Just took a 13.5 mile loop with 1,350 feet of vertical (actually, 13.4 miles and 1,342 feet, rounding up to make the math easier.) The shifting issue is totally resolved.

I used 29% battery (rounding up to 30% to make the math easier.)

That translates to an effective range of 45 miles with 4,500 feet of vertical. Just about right, very similar to the Motobecane, which is heavier but has a slightly larger battery-- I figured the Moto at 40 mile range with 4,350 feet of vertical (when I was four years younger). But obviously it was less work riding the Canyon. If I'd worked as hard on the Canyon as I did on the Motobecane, I could probably push those numbers a bit more...

The performance on bumps is just amazing! The CF does make a huge difference. Sure, there are certain bumps that are just 'wrong' for the bike that the Moto could have eaten up, but only larger ones at exactly the wrong frequency. The difference in vibration is way less than I expected. And the Canyon is FAR easier on my hands! Oh, my God, what a difference!

Another surprise was how well the Canyon does in light Sierra sand. Humidity is on the higher side, of course-- maybe it would be different if it was bone dry, but honestly, the Canyon feels MORE sure-footed and stable than either the Moto or the Marin despite the smaller tires. And 28 inches is a GREAT tire size.

Good tip for cornering! I'm not yet skilled enough to get closer to the limits. I can see pedal strikes will be an issue for pedaling through some corners. Smaller pedals are likely in my future. The stock pedals are crap.
 
BlackHand said:
I think your bike came with 175mm cranks, you might consider going to a shorter crank. I switched the cranks on my Desert Falcon to 172.5mm and it helped. Actually wished I had gone to 170mm
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While I think stopping the pedalling and keeping the inner pedal up (stationary) on tight corners would be enough, gravel bikes are expected to be ridden with clipless SPD pedals (MTB style) and cleated shoes. Usually, the clipless pedals are very small. Not that I encourage Catalyzt to do something I would have never done myself, just saying :)
 
I will think about a shorter crank-- the bike is so comfortable otherwise, I'm reluctant to change anything for a while.

I just got back from REI, drove out there to retrieve the manual, which was too heavy and bulky for my knapsack!

Skimming through it, I don't see a lot of information that is not related to assembly.

The Flow app is not working for me so far, though I'll experiment some more. This is probably because I don't want my phone locking my bike-- it feels like giving the keys to someone I don't know, and it also feels silly, because it doesn't stop anyone from throwing it in their car and driving off, and I won't leave it in public anyway! Enabling software-based immobilization is something I don't like doing in 2025. (My trust level for tech companies is pretty near zero except for some open source outfits; I don't even own Microsoft Word or use Pages.) I signed up for the free 12-month trial subscription, but the suite of remaining features does not seem to include anything that isn't available to me on the free version of the app. I can see myself removing it completely, but jury is still out.

I may add nothing except an aftermarket speedometer/odometer and a mount for my phone (for longer rides only.) I may not even need the remote switch. It is a PITA to long press to go to a lower power level with the stock top-bar controller-- it's just obnoxious, there's no reason they couldn't have a down-button for decreasing power level!-- but it's not that significant if I wait a few seconds to dump back to a lower power level. I do like having the option of driving totally disconnected, with my phone turned off and in its holster, no GPS, no email or texts, etc.

--> I also can't tell the difference between ECO and TOUR+ in terms of how the bike feels. I will have to experiment....

Thanks for listening to me rave on and on and on about the bike!
 
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