[Boland]

I've got a Shimano XTR rapid rise setup on my bike and i can't get it to work perfectly. When i have the bike on a stand it works just fine, but when i take it on the trail i can't rely on the second or third wheels on the casette. It's pretty damn frustrating because my friends think i'm crazy because it works off the trail but not on.

has anyone had this problem or doesn anyone have any ideas how to fix it? is this just and issue with Rapid Rise in general?

 

[KAH]

I have the same problem with the 3rd cog. I can change the entire drive train and still can't get the 3rd cog dialed in. Best thing is get each cog adjusted individually, which I'm sure you did. For me, I always need to loosen the barrel adjustment quite a bit to get it dialed in.

 

[mlepito]

I have used rapid rise for years. You have to have clean cables with it because the spring tension is more important. If not it will skip around a lot in the 3rd cog. But when you get to work right, it works sooo right. It's like butter.

Also, is it new? if not make sure you didn't smack it on a rock. If the cage is bent it will do the same thing.

 

[Boland]

It's not a new but i don't think the cage is bent. i've had this problem for a while, but i was doing some racing over the weekend. how often are you cleaning your cables?

 

[Boland]

It's not a new but i don't think the cage is bent. i've had this problem for a while, but i was doing some racing over the weekend. how often are you cleaning your cables?

 

[mlepito]

I ride in maryland where there are a lot of stream crossings. So I'd say they are good for about 10 rides, then they need to be cleaned. I just loosen the housing and wipe them down with some degreaser. That works for a while. I have to replace the cables at least once a year. I took a dare and rode into a giant puddle two weeks ago. I had to replace the cable after that. It was pretty funny for everyone else.

 

[Boland]

a tad bit of high maintenance eh? you still find it's worth the work? My riding buddies are rocking regular XT's and they work without any problems....

 

[spcarter]

You need to get the cable tension dialed in perfect. It is a bit of a hassle to get it working just right but once you get it there its perfect.

one way I use to test if the shifting is right is to ride it around the street and smack the rear end around (bunny hops, hitting curbs, etc) this usually flush's out any problems

 

[Boland]

do you just use the barrel adjustment for this?

 

[reptilezs]

yes use the barrel adjuster to adjust tension/indexing

 

[mlepito]

Do your buddies DR shift so quiet and smooth they barely know it shifted at all? That's the advantage to the rapid rise. Smooth shifts even when climbing.

Besides, its not just that cable. I have to replace all my cable pretty often because they get wet. That's just the only one I can't neglect. I barely use my front shifter. And you can always muscle your brakes for a while.

 

[EJ_92606]

A few things...teflon cables, Avid Rollamajig and you have to do the fine tuning with the lever barrel adjuster while riding on the bike. I can never get mine right in the bike stand. Do the above and you will have a system that you virtually never need to touch after a slight adjustment for new cable stretch. It's always possible that you have a bent derailleur hangar as well.

 

[leftieant]

Had a very similar problem on GF's bike, which drove me to absolute distraction.

Nothing, not new cables, not new rear mech, would fix it. Could get it to run perfectly on the stand, but once on the ground, it went to crapola.

Problem was a miniscule bend (~1mm) in the hanger. Hit it with a hammer, and it seems to be running fine now.

 

[redwarrior]

Had a very similar problem on GF's bike, which drove me to absolute distraction.

Nothing, not new cables, not new rear mech, would fix it. Could get it to run perfectly on the stand, but once on the ground, it went to crapola.

Problem was a miniscule bend (~1mm) in the hanger. Hit it with a hammer, and it seems to be running fine now.

Yeah, I've had this happen as well. I bet that hanger is bent.

 

[Prophet Julio]

With Redwarrior on this one. I have XTR rear and it has been awesome from day 1. Something is not aligned.

Rapid Rise Rules!

 

[oldn0tded]

My idea

Guys,
I had this problem a few times, each time it turned out to be a bent cassette. Once with an XTR 960, then an XT 760, and finally most recently with an XTR 970. It's always the 2nd or 3rd cog. Once, the arm on the carrier was bent (I sent that one back to Shimano for a freebie), on the other two the cog was bent between the arms.

The clearances are so tight, that when a cog gets bent it screws with the cog next to it as well. It's easy to see when you spin the cassette and sight down the chainline. Anyway, that what I had happen.

Oldnotdead :skep:

BTW: With a staight cassette and fresh cables rapid rise is soooooo sweeeeet

 

[pagey]

When you talk 2/3 cog are you meaning small or large?

 

[oldn0tded]

I'm talking about the 2nd and/or 3rd cogs, the large ones. I'm thinking like in a car or motorcycle transmission where the "low"gears are low numbered.

Oldnotdead

 

[ghawk]

I have used rapid rise for years. You have to have clean cables with it because the spring tension is more important. If not it will skip around a lot in the 3rd cog. But when you get to work right, it works sooo right. It's like butter.

Yup, I love it with rf plus shifters.
Second on the bent cage. Shop with check cage alignment only take 5 minutes. http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=48&item=DAG-1

 

[pagey]

I had the same issue on the 2/3 cogs and it turned out to be a slightly bent hanger.