[jeb]

Yep, i am having some problems with my shifting...

Just mounted some no-name cables and wire, on my bike, that
did not shift very well.

Then mounted some black shimano cables(very small printed shimano on cable)
and wires, but that does not work much better

Is the trick to grease the wire??? -i have lithiumgrease, pedros grease(white stuff)
siliconegrease, rohloff oil, pedros thick ATB oil.

ofcourse i will also check my rear mech, and my XTR shifter pod is about 2 years old,
is that okay, or is it time to change that???

Thanks Jesper

 

[tlg]

Yep, i am having some problems with my shifting...

Just mounted some no-name cables and wire, on my bike, that
did not shift very well.

Then mounted some black shimano cables(very small printed shimano on cable)
and wires, but that does not work much better

Is the trick to grease the wire??? -i have lithiumgrease, pedros grease(white stuff)
siliconegrease, rohloff oil, pedros thick ATB oil.

ofcourse i will also check my rear mech, and my XTR shifter pod is about 2 years old,
is that okay, or is it time to change that???

New cables should shift smoothly without lube. If they don't, something is wrong. Grease is not the fix.

Some people grease their cables, some don't. It's a personal preference. I don't. My cables are always dry and shift fine. Grease or oil is just something for dirt to stick to and gunk up. Either way, new cables should shift smoothly before adding lube.

 

[Walt Dizzy]

Symptoms?

What exactly is wrong with the shifting? Is it ghost shifting, and if so when? Is it failing to upshift or downshift? Other problem? Is the drivetrain reasonably clean?

Rear derailuer or front? Full suspension or hard tail?

If the derailuer is failing to drop into a smaller gear, then lubing the cables may help.

Walt

 

[old_dude]

I use 10W30

Yep, i am having some problems with my shifting...

Just mounted some no-name cables and wire, on my bike, that
did not shift very well.

Then mounted some black shimano cables(very small printed shimano on cable)
and wires, but that does not work much better

Is the trick to grease the wire??? -i have lithiumgrease, pedros grease(white stuff)
siliconegrease, rohloff oil, pedros thick ATB oil.

ofcourse i will also check my rear mech, and my XTR shifter pod is about 2 years old,
is that okay, or is it time to change that???

Thanks Jesper

Did you replace the jackets and the cables or just the cables. My LBS bike mechanic told me that if you use too flimsy a jacket on the rear derailleur cable, you can experience some ghost shifting on the cassette.

Last spring, I was having some front derailleur shifting problems after a year with my new bike, and found that some synthetic 10W30, which I also use to oil the chain, fixed things up nicely.

I use oil since grease traps grit, is hard to clean out, and does not penetrate. If you use grease you have to remove the cable from the jacket to clean and regrease it. Threading the cables back through the jackets once the ends are frayed is difficult. You should probably also remove the jackets from the bike and soak in Varsol to clean out old grease, before regreasing. It all seems unnecessary, time consuming and troublesome.

Oil keeps things from rusting, and it can penetrate inside the jacket, without removing the cable from the jacket. Now, once or twice a season, as part of a tuneup, I use a syringe to squirt oil into the ends of the cable jackets and then operate the cable to work the oil in.

Works for me.

old_dude

 

[DiRt DeViL]

I always grease the cables before installation and re-lube once a year to keep the shifting smooth. Your problem doesn't seem to be related to lubrication, could you please elaborate?

 

[Jm.]

Bike-aid aka Dry-Slide. It's a molybdenum lube and works great for lubing cables and derailer pivots. I wouldn't use anything else in cables, as other stuff attracts dirt and junk. Bike-aid will ressurect old cables/housing that has built up friction, it's amazing stuff.

 

[jeb]

Bike-aid aka Dry-Slide. It's a molybdenum lube and works great for lubing cables and derailer pivots. I wouldn't use anything else in cables, as other stuff attracts dirt and junk. Bike-aid will ressurect old cables/housing that has built up friction, it's amazing stuff.

I replaced housing, and wires, and it is having trouble, shifting on to the smaller
cogs, -basically not feeling so smooth, so i also wonder if my shifterpod, might
is to old, but it feels nice when pushing through the gears(shimano xtr pod).

 

[OregonXC]

I replaced housing, and wires, and it is having trouble, shifting on to the smaller
cogs, -basically not feeling so smooth, so i also wonder if my shifterpod, might
is to old, but it feels nice when pushing through the gears(shimano xtr pod).

Sounds like your derailler hanger is bent. Replace/align it if its as old as your shifters.

 

[SlowSSer]

Sounds like your derailler hanger is bent. Replace/align it if its as old as your shifters.

that's a good thought. another one that i havent seen mentioned: are the ends of the cut cable neat? you might have a bad cut and a "meathook" from the cable housing affecting how smoothly the cable runs through it.

solution: dremel with a cut-off wheel or bench mounted grinder. works good, makes a nice smooth cut, hard to beat!

 

[JohnnyTooBad]

Sounds like your derailler hanger is bent. Replace/align it if its as old as your shifters.

Also just try re-seating your rear wheel in the dropouts. If the wheel/cassette isn't lined up with the derailleur, it won't shift the same through all the gears.