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I recently got a new bike (below). It's rather latest technology for me. I got it assembled from a supermarket, but had to do almost all the adjustments myself.

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I don't know what I did wrong with the front disc brake (Tektro hydraulic something), but when I ride the bike it starts rubbing against the pads occasionally. A bike shop said that it's wind and that's okay, but I can't stand the noise... Now it seems like it has totally moved out of place today as it rubs against the pads when I spin the wheel while not even riding. Did I not tighten bolts enough? Maybe it was the rain and water that made me hear the disk rubbing today?

Another question is what to do when your front derailleur doesn't switch from gear 2 to 1? From 2 to 3 and the other way around it works great. It is probably not necessary for normal rides as gear 2 in the front is already really damn low, but I would still love to have it perfectly functional for bragging rights. ;)

Do you think the bike looks feminine? I really think the colors look totally fine as the purple is rather dark and I have a white seat.

Thank you for all of your answers, you are helping me learn!

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I hate to say it but this is why it's advisable to go to a bike shop, if you're not sure about setting things up.

You raise a couple of points:

  • Front disk brake. Regarding your original problem, the rotor should not rub against the pads, period. There should be no contact unless you're actually braking. And when you stop braking, the pads should sit back. I'm not sure where "the wind" has come from, but that sounds like baloney to me - especially if you've taken it to the shop about a rubbing problem. As regards the recent movement - the calliper should be attached to the fork such that movement is not possible. Possibly you didn't tighten things enough, possibly you didn't set them up correctly in the first place. Rain should have no effect.

  • Front derailleur. It sounds like this just needs to be adjusted, which is straightforward. I see someone has already posted a comment with a link describing how to do this.

  • Bike looks. Do you really care about this? If it worries you, go ride in some mud. Do this after you get the brake fixed!

I think you should probably have a bike shop look at your front brake, as obviously you need this to work reliably. They'll be able to sort your derailleur too, as I said that's likely trivial. But to be honest I'd be wary of going back to a shop that claims that the rotor rubbing on the pads is caused by wind - I just don't see how this can be the case.

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1) Loosen the two bolts, holding the caliper of the front brake. It should move freely sideways now.

2) Hold tight the front brake lever. The caliper will bite into the disc.

3) Tighten the bolts to the point when moving the caliper is possible, but requires a push by hand.

4) Lift the front wheel and validate that it doesn't rub. If it rubs try squeezing the lever again. Failing that, try adjusting the caliper by hand, to the point that it stops rubbing.

5) Either hold the break lever, or the caliper itself, so that it doesn't move. Tighten the bolts hard, but not to the point of damaging the threads in the fork.

This procedure should take about 10 minutes at most. There are videos in youtube, depicting the process and explaining it better than me.

Ask a separate question about the derailleur.

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