What do you mean by "regular handlebars"?

okay so to start, regular handlebars as in, the drops i guess? whatever the bars are called that aren't the aerobars (i am not good with technical terms). when i say wobbly, i mean, i am unable to control the bike. i will be riding on a flat road with no wind and the bike will wobble. im not even sure wobble is the right word but i get pretty close to crashing because i can no longer can control the bike. like the head of the bike turns on me while i am just holding the bars. this happens a lot too. i rode with my dad today for 5 miles and almost crashed or flew out into the road more than a couple times which shouldn't happen. the steering is touchy i guess. i apologize for poorly describing the problem at hand and this probably does not help at all.

It sounds like you've never ridden a tri bike before, is that correct? Can you post up a picture of yourself on the bike?

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Well after reading all of these issues I have decided to cut my losses and submit a return request. Problem is I have received no reply to my return request submission, and my 30 days to return runs out on Sunday. I purchased the bike pretty much on a whim based on pricing, its never been unboxed and was put immediately aside for safekeeping.

Fredly, do you have any input on the length of time it takes to receive a reply to a return request? I haven't the willpower to stay on hold for any unknown length of time...

Thanks!

I do not, sorry!

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Who assembled your bike?

Can you hold the handlebars with one hand and try to move/turn the wheel with your other hand? If you can get the wheel to turn without the handlebars moving then something is wrong.

Either you're not familiar with how the bike rides or something hasn't been assembled correctly.

First tri bike for sure, and no I do not currently have a picture. Obviously when I am on the trainer, I do not have to worry about control problems so I am not sure if that is truly and accurate measurement. I can get back to you when I have a recent picture though.

I assembled the bike, I took it in for a bike fit and the only thing they said was the fork was a tad out of line and it could be tightened. I think the person is going to take it apart and try to put it back together. The wheel and handlebars are pretty locked in place, I made sure to tighten the top of the stem first, then tightened the two side pieces.

Picture on the trainer would be great.

I ask for this first, as it's simply more time expedient to factor out position related things that could cause bad handling first, then move on to potential mechanical issues. Those are much harder to see in a picture and/or diagnose over the internet.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Hold front wheel between legs and see if you can turn the bars (obviously shouldn't be able to). Lift front wheel off ground fractionally, and lean bike side to side - front wheel should 'turn' under own weight (makes sure the headset not too tight). Straddle bike put front brake on and try rocking bike forward / back. Shoudn't be any movement - if you feel a little tap and get movement then there is something not quite right with headset. Also, and this is pretty common one, check there's no play side to side in front hub.

After that then I suspect it is down to learning to ride a tt bike. That moment you first go down on the tt bars and mentally get freaked as you aren't a fingers reach away from the brakes is a big step change. And that can cause you to tense up, which is the very worst thing you can do. Actually, on that, you should be supported on your elbows, and not grip the bars with your hands at all. If at all possible, then find a gentle uphill road (2-3%) without traffic and practice riding up that down on the bars. Riding a TT bike with a deep front wheel next to trucks passing at 50 mph is not going to ever be a fun experience, and you will get those 'I'm about to fall off' moments. Once you've got the hang riding on the slight uphill, build to the flat, then add in some gentle corners, etc. Just for the start, avoid anywhere that may have gusts of wind from passing trucks, or even gaps in hedges, etc.

So there is a little play side to side, at least that's what we found. If we add spacers on top, it becomes too stiff to turn. When I rocked it back and forth, there was also movement. In terms of being a TT position, I am not horribly afraid. It is a lot different from clip on aero bars but I had no problem with clip ons on my road bike. However, the problem isn't just in the TT position, it is very touchy with handling when I am just riding normally too. I think the fork has a major part in this, like you said. How do I know what ot adjust on the fork?

yeah for sure, I will try to get one tomorrow. I just did a bike fit today so I am assuming some of my form has tightened up.

Could you please describe in more detail what you mean by this? How are you adding spacers? How are you adjusting the headset when you add/subtract spacers?

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Does the steerer need cutting down on the Andean?

https://bikecommuterhero.com/...p-bar-for-commuting/

The answer is "it depends". Despite how it looks, the Andean is a "mortal" bike, and uses a traditional stem/steer tube arrangement. If you're going to slam it, you're going to need to cut it.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Yeah, reason I asked was my argon is same. I was wondering if that was perhaps the cause if the cut wasn't quite short enough.

It's definitely on the list.
Like I said up thread, I always start with position and go from there. If the bike is set up way to small or way too big, or something is obviously a problem, it'll be... Obvious. Once we get that out of the way, we go down the checklist of potential mechanical issues. Hopefully getting a pic of the bike helps with that too.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

If I put the Andean on the ground and stand overtop of it and move the handlebars while keeping the wheel n place, the wheel itself doesnt move but the fork moves a little if that makes sense. the handlebars are tight but the fork still moves. I removed spacers by taking the top off, loosening the side screws and removing 2 spacers. When I started to have these problems, I added the 2 spacers back.

Sure sounds like it's loose to me.

yeah not sure how to fix it, taking it to a bike shop today

Loosen the top cap.

Loosen the stem.

Tighten the top cap.

Tighten the stem.

Yes, please take it to your local bike shop.

It's perfectly normal for there to be some movement between the fork and the wheel with a disc brake bike, the pads move slightly inside the brake caliper. What you're looking for is movement at the head tube.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Hi! I sent you a private message to see how I can get hold of the special discount code. I suscribed to the newsletter a few days ago.

Thanks!

Howdy folks,

Just bumping this back up to the top to give people a heads up; I just heard from the folks at Diamondback, and there are still a few bikes left in the Andean 2 and 3 configurations.

They're going to extend the Slowtwitch pricing for just a bit longer, but we're getting pretty close to the last chance to buy one of these before they're gone.

As a reminder, The corporate code for this sale is RIDE4SLOWTWITCH. To utilize the code, you will need to register at the Corporate Partner site.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/