Obbea Diva Shifting Problems

Help?! I have an Orbea Diva 07, with all Durace components. I put appx. 3K miles on it a year. I have a Compact Double with a 11/28 Shimano Cassette. I have been having shifting problems since I bought the bike in April 07. I need to have it adjusted about two to three times a month when I am riding regularly. I have so far had 3 new chains, the bottom bracket replaced and the cables and housing replaced 3 times in the last 2 years. It is really noisy and clunky going into gear and sometimes the chain refuses to move past the middle of the small ring, which is quite the workout on a long mountain climb. I live in the "Burbs" of Denver and Climb regularly. I have another, cheaper, bike, " a aluminum Trek with 105 components that work reliably and are very quiet compared to my Durace components on my Carbon Orbea. Question>>> could I need new shifters or is it a frame problem??? Bummed about my expensive, beautiful bike in Denver.

Sorry you are having such a hard time with your Orbea! I own an Orbea Onix and I love mine. I have had a couple things on the bike replaced. But, not like yours.

Has this been all from the same lbs? Could you get a second opinion from another lbs that's an Orbea dealer? Was the bike new? If you are the original owner, you would have the lifetime frame defect rights w/Orbea. Or maybe checking with Shimano on that particular lot of components to make sure there wasn't a problem.

If you don't get the responses you like here in General Discussions you might want to try re-posting in the maintenance section of the board. We have some bike shop mechanics on the TE forum and they might see your post pop up there if not noticed here.

Hope you find some resolve soon!

What do you mean by "the middle of the small ring"? Are all the problems with the rear shifter, front shifter, or both? Could the rear derailleur be bent from a fall or something? That can cause the chain to be very noisy because things aren't lined up right. Do the these 2 or 3 times a month adjustments fix the problem for any length of time? Could the cable anchor bolt be stripped and the cable slipping?

Dura Ace should not be so finicky and require such regular adjustment. It is really hard to tell what/where the issue(s) are, but I would definitely consider another shop. It makes no sense to do some of the maintenance procedures they have done, given the issues you describe (like why would you need to replace the bottom bracket??), and Dura Ace should be more durable and able to handle plenty of miles without going out of adjustment.

Also, a lot of stock bikes, even (sometimes especially) carbon bikes can have alignment issues that could be contributing to your problems (like chainline). It might be worth having a qualified mechanic check alignment, if he can (most shops don't even have the equipment to do this). They usually can and should check the frame's derailleur hanger alignment as that can cause the problems you are describing.

Anyway, my 2 cents is find a very professional shop that has no relationship with your other one, and start there. You're in Denver--there are some good ones! (Wheatridge Cyclery is coming to mind...). If you're in Boulder, Vecchio's has one of the best mechanics around (Peter).

good luck-

Sounds to me like a RD hanger. I had a bent one and could only get the chain rattle to quiet down (although not completely) was constantly messing with the barrel adjuster. Got the hanger fixed.........rides great. BTW I have a carbon Fuji, but knew it had fallen on the derailleur side.

+1 on going to different LBS. And if it turns out to be a simple fix like RD I'd go back and talk to the other owner about some compensation for all the necessary work performed by his shop.

Thanks to all of you who replied and offered suggestions and support about resolving the problematic shifting with my Orbea Diva. I have contacted another shop (one that you suggested) in the Denver Area. I will post the name of the shop later if my problem is corrected. They agree that my Dura Ace components/shifters & derailleur should operate smoothly and quietly and think it is an alignment problem. The plan is to check out the rear derailleur hanger first, then the rear derailleur, head set and shifters. If they can't resolve the shifting issue, they think it could be a frame problem and have have offered to help me with a warranty frame replacement from Orbea. I am very frustrated that the bike shop who sold me my Orbea (new in 07) has not been able to resolve my shifting issues. I will keep you updated on the outcome. P.S. The reason I had to have the bottom bracket replaced is because I rode through heavy rain and deep puddles for the last 15 miles of the Triple Bypass this summer and somehow water got in and trashed it.