[Unsane]

I recently got an '04 Tassajara. It's my first "real" mountain bike. I took it to the shop to have the derailleurs adjusted because I noticed this skipping problem. They said they fixed it but I'm still having the same problem. It doesn't do it in all the gears just in the lower gears and only when I am peddling like normal (when I pick the back tire up it doesn't do it). I am hoping that someone here knows more about derailleurs than I do. I am trying to learn how to fix it myself so I don't have to rely on the LBS for simple fixes. I appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks
Andy

 

[cheapfreerider]

hmm

take it back and have someone else work on it... the drivetrain doesn't exactly work the same when you're riding and putting the pressure on it as when you've got the bike suspended. i've had the same problem before, tuned it awesome on the stand, but as soon as i got on it, it wasn't right. it took a little more tweaking to get it right. i'd tell the LBS that they're lame and they need to actually test ride it next time before they give it back...

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

They may have done a quickie derailleur cable adjustment which seemed fine in the stand, but obviously wasn't enough. You might need to check the hanger alignment as well or check for bent teeth on the cassette, or play with cable tension some more. Let the shop do it and ask if you can watch if possible. Read the info on parktool.com and sheldonbrown.com for derailleur adjustment info.

BTW, just going in the shop and acting like a jerk probably won't do you any good, especially when you don't understand the problem yourself...you'll get better results by staying cool. This is not that unusual nor will it take the shop long to figure it out (hopefully).

 

[Crazy C]

You may want to try to ask them to check the B-tension adjustment screw. You said the noise was in the lower gears...this adjustment will rotate the derailler away from the cassette (toward the rear of the bike). What happens sometimes is if the screw is backed out too far, it allows the spring to rotate the top pulley into the cog...this is always most pronounced in the lower (larger) gears. Simply tightening the screw alleviates the problem. Only tighten to the point where it stops making noise as crispness in shifting will be jeopardized the farther you go.

 

[Unsane]

Thanks for the help guys. I would never be a jerk to the guys at the bike shop. That's like being rude to the waiter and hoping that he doesn't spit in your food. I just hope that they can fix it quickly because the last time I brought the bike in it took them 4 days to replace a tube and do the adjustment to the derailleur.

 

[Greenfix]

Try a different shop.

I like one of my LBS for service, but the other is hit or miss. Mostly miss. It sounds like you have enough experience with this shop to know that they are not terribly reliable, though you may want to take it back to them for this paritculary fix, seeing you already paid them to do it. That being said this is a pretty heavy time of year at bike shops for tune ups, so I am not sure that 4 days is that bad for fixing your bike unless they told you they could get to it right away.

For doing it yourself, check the park tools website and the shimano website for technical information about how to adjust your derailleurs. There is a lot of info on those sites, and it is not hard to do. It just takes a small screwdriver, some time and patience when you are first learning how they work. Very small adjustments are the key.

 

[Unsane]

Well I thought it was the rear derailleur but now I think it is the front. I adjusted to rear derailleur as described on the park tool website just in case and all seems to be fine. Only when I shift to the largest chainring and begin going through the gears the chain starts to rub after about the 3rd or 4th gear and that is when I notice the skipping that I had mentioned before. I'm going to try adjusting the front one now. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Unsane]

Still no luck. I improved it somewhat but it still jumps over those 2 gears. I got it so that it shifts smoothly from one gear to the next until you get to the 3rd from the outermost cog. Then it is almost like the chain is not meshing with the cog properly and the chain is riding on top of the teeth of the cog. Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? Let me know what you think please.

 

[arturo7]

Check for wear

I had a similar problem on an older bike. Turned out my middle chain ring was well worn. Solved the problem by buying a new bike.

 

[Unsane]

I really don't think it's a case of wear. I bought the bike brand new and only picked it up 3 weeks ago. I have only ridden it about 7 or 8 times only up and down the road until the trails aren't so muddy.

I have adjusted the derailleurs so that I don't have any rubbing and the chain seems to shift smoothly for the most part. No matter what front chainring I have the chain on when I shift through the gears it skips on 2 of them. When I look at the chain it appears that the chain isn't seating into those two gears and is actually riding on top of the teeth.

 

[arturo7]

I must need glasses. I thought you posted "94, not '04.

 

[lebikerboy]

Four days to replace a tube and do a derailleur adjustment! My LBS has 2-3 "spot" mechanics to look after those type of repairs and 6 more (during busy season) to take care of the bigger jobs. Have you considered another shop?

I must need glasses. I thought you posted "94, not '04.

 

[Unsane]

I thought that 4 days seemed a bit much. I just thought that I should bring the bike to the place I bought it at. Do you think that other shops will be less likely to work on a bike you bought from another shop?

 

[tlg]

I thought that 4 days seemed a bit much. I just thought that I should bring the bike to the place I bought it at. Do you think that other shops will be less likely to work on a bike you bought from another shop?

Do you get free service from your LBS? Most decent ones will give you 30days to 1yr free adjustments. If you're paying, and don't like them try somewhere else. Another shop should be more than happy to work on your bike (for a fee). And like you said in your original post, learn to do it yourself.

When I first started I couldn't stand the people at the LBS where I got my bike. Bunch of unfriendly teens who never seemed to do much of anything. Then I started going to another one owned and ran by an old british guy. He was great. Always friendly and never even questioned where I got my bike. Now I do it all myself.

 

[stoked]

Still no luck. I improved it somewhat but it still jumps over those 2 gears. I got it so that it shifts smoothly from one gear to the next until you get to the 3rd from the outermost cog. Then it is almost like the chain is not meshing with the cog properly and the chain is riding on top of the teeth of the cog. Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? Let me know what you think please.

If your bike is new there could be a normal cable stretching which might take couple adjustments to derauilers in the beginning. As a beginner you should also know that riding cross chained is not recommended. This could cause some skipping problems when you change gears on hills( this is also not recommended). Don't ride big ring in front and biggest cog in rear or smallest in front and smallest in rear which causes chain to look crossed when you look at the bike from rear. If you are in middle ring up front you should be able to use biggest to most of the small cogs in rear. I usally don't use smallest in rear with middle. Instead I move to biggest up front and leave rear same to keep the cadence. This way if I come up accross a small hill it is easier to dowshift one up front than shifting multiple cogs in rear in order to climb. If it sounds very confusing , it will make sense with more practice. I hope it helps. Just remember , don't cross chain.