Read everything under Derailleur and Shifting (front and rear)cohenfive said:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml#drivetrain
Why Can't I Adjust My Derailleurs Properly??
sorry for the venting but i continue to have trouble getting my shifting adjusted well. i've looked on the site here as well as the information from shimano on derailleur adjustment but i don't seem to get it--the shifting on the bike is very sloppy--the chain will skip gears on occaison and i have a hard time getting into full granny. the bike is very new so it's not a hardware issue..
this is my second mtn. bike and i haven't had much success with the first either. i end up bringing my bikes to my lbs for adjustment--that's ok but i should be able to get this down myself.
anyone have suggestions on a systematic procedure to get their derailleurs working smoothly--my haphazard method (messing it up until i cry uncle and go to the lbs) isn't working for me..
thanks!
this is my second mtn. bike and i haven't had much success with the first either. i end up bringing my bikes to my lbs for adjustment--that's ok but i should be able to get this down myself.
anyone have suggestions on a systematic procedure to get their derailleurs working smoothly--my haphazard method (messing it up until i cry uncle and go to the lbs) isn't working for me..
thanks!
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml#drivetrain
As stated earlier the parktool website is a great place to look. Also take a look at Sheldon Browns site, he has some amazing articles on cycling:
www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
2nd that....
...I found Park's advice on adjusting the front derailler extremely helpful.
But you shouldn't need to adjust deraillers very often, once they're dialed in. You might have bent derailler hanger if your cassette is giving you grief. Your LBS should have a tool to check it and re-align it. You should have them check your chain, too, and see if it's stretched beyond the limit.
...I found Park's advice on adjusting the front derailler extremely helpful.
But you shouldn't need to adjust deraillers very often, once they're dialed in. You might have bent derailler hanger if your cassette is giving you grief. Your LBS should have a tool to check it and re-align it. You should have them check your chain, too, and see if it's stretched beyond the limit.
i've looked at the park tools stuff but hadn't seen sheldon brown's info. this looks promising, i'll be taking a look later today. i have standard shimano components so hopefully everything applies.006_007 said:As stated earlier the parktool website is a great place to look. Also take a look at Sheldon Browns site, he has some amazing articles on cycling:
www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
thanks..
given my lousy history on getting them dialed in i've already made an appointment at my lbs for later in the week. in the meantime i'm going to keep working on them to see if i can get them dialed in myself. the bike is basically new and i've visually looked at the hanger (i've had one of those blow out on me before) so think it's adjustment rather than a hardware issue.Rufudufus said:...I found Park's advice on adjusting the front derailler extremely helpful.
But you shouldn't need to adjust deraillers very often, once they're dialed in. You might have bent derailler hanger if your cassette is giving you grief. Your LBS should have a tool to check it and re-align it. You should have them check your chain, too, and see if it's stretched beyond the limit.
eyeballometer not accurate enough for the job
you can look at a derailleur hanger every which way until you're crosseyed from looking, and even if it looks fine to the naked eye, it can be out of whack enough to totally mess up index shifting. the only way to tell for sure is with the derailleur hanger tool already mentioned. checking the hanger alignment is the first thing to do when there's a rear shifting problem, because without a straight hanger no amount of fiddling around will make things right. make sure this is the first thing your shop guy does as well. if it's not, your shop guy is incompetent and you need to find a new shop.
you can look at a derailleur hanger every which way until you're crosseyed from looking, and even if it looks fine to the naked eye, it can be out of whack enough to totally mess up index shifting. the only way to tell for sure is with the derailleur hanger tool already mentioned. checking the hanger alignment is the first thing to do when there's a rear shifting problem, because without a straight hanger no amount of fiddling around will make things right. make sure this is the first thing your shop guy does as well. if it's not, your shop guy is incompetent and you need to find a new shop.
well i might have gotten it...at least for now..
after spending a decent amount of time getting the gears to shift more accurately i took the bike out for a short spin this afternoon--only about 30 minutes but it included decent ascents and descents. lo and behold the gears are shifting pretty well, no skipping and only minor noise on some of the more extreme chain positions. i had to loosen the rear derailleur cable up a ton to get it. sort of scares me but i'm going to cancel the appointment at my lbs and will keep a close eye on things for the next couple of rides.
thanks a bunch, i hope i've learned some things on doing this right!!!
after spending a decent amount of time getting the gears to shift more accurately i took the bike out for a short spin this afternoon--only about 30 minutes but it included decent ascents and descents. lo and behold the gears are shifting pretty well, no skipping and only minor noise on some of the more extreme chain positions. i had to loosen the rear derailleur cable up a ton to get it. sort of scares me but i'm going to cancel the appointment at my lbs and will keep a close eye on things for the next couple of rides.
thanks a bunch, i hope i've learned some things on doing this right!!!
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
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