Having a problem with my rear delrailer and I can't figure it out. Both my high and low limits are set. Shifting up the cog set is fine, no clacking sound, no overshift etc. When I shift down the cog set the first time I shift down it doesn't move down. What is even more weird is there is no clacking or noise and will still shift down fine except when I try to go to the second smallest cog. It will skip that one and go to the smallest. Stated a different way say I'm on the largest cog (9), I'll click to down shift nothing happens no gear change, no annoying sound, click again cog 8, click 7, click 6, click 5, click 4, click 3, click 1. So the shift will say that I'm one gear lower than I really am except for the smallest cog. What do I need to do to fix this? Hi! I would first remove the cable from the rear derailler. Make sure that You have shifted it to the smallest cog before loosening and removing the cable. Once the cable is removed hold the loose end between Your thumb and finger, gently and carefully shift the shifter towards Your easiest gear selection one click at a time. Be careful and try to feel if the shifter pod / lever is actually moving the cable correctly. You want to be able to feel nine separated positions of cable takeup. This is to make sure that the shifter pod is working correctly. It sounds like this is the problem. If in fact Your feel nine separate and distinct positions that the shifter is operating correctly. Shift it back to the smallest cog position. (cable fully released) and re-install the cable. Also be sure that the derailler hanger is straight. Good Luck. Mike I have a Schimano thumb shifter and I am finding it very difficult to push into a higher gear. It used to be really smooth and didn't need a lot of effort. Now, I have to push extremely hard to get the gears to change and sometimes can't even get it into the 1st cog. Anything I can do before I take it in? Thanks, James James... hello... sounds like you may need a new cable - I would try this first - you will need the cable, housing, ferrules, and crimps for the ends..... or take to the bike shop and have all the cables checked and replaced as needed.. ride on stan Hi there, I have a problem with the rear derailer spontaneously shifting. This happens when I go over bumps or when I suddenly put more pedal pressure. I this something I can adjust quickly or am I looking at replacing the whole rear derailer. Thanks Don Don, Hello... it sounds like you may have one of these problems... 1) adjust the cable tension slightly one way or the other at the handlebar barrell adjuster for the rear derailleur as the derailleur may be lined up between gears. Simply turn it about 1/2 turn one way and see if it helps, if not try turning the other direction...this will tighten or loosen the cable tension a bit and may help solve your problem 2) chain may be too long - put it in the big big combo and see if you have more than 1./2" slack 3) clean, lube the chain and cogs and see if you still have the problem 4) check to see that the rear cassette cogs are not bent or broken teeth 5) usually this problem is not the fault of the derailleur itself... good luck lemme know what happpens thanx stan hi im wondering how do i fix a stripped derailer bolt not the bolt itsself but where it goies into the frame where it goes into the frame is stripped can you help me out thanks alot steve g steve... hello - your problem can be fixed by the use of a helicoil inserted into the frame where the bolt is stripped, and then a new derailleur bolt threaded in. Take it to a shop that has done this before and has the necessary parts....you should then be fine, but probably can only do this repair one time.... , so if it happens again you may be getting a new bike good luck ride on stan Hello, Read your webpage on adjusting the rear derailleur. I can get the gears to change using the barrel adjusters on the derailleur and the shifter going up in size of cogs. But, once I adjust that, I can't get the derailleur to come back down to the smaller cogs unless I readjust the barrel adjusters. Should I try cleaning the derailleur? Or, is the return spring in my derailleur dying? Thanks. Frederick Su Frederick...hello! thanx for your question.. please try lubricating the cable to the rear derailleur, or replacing the cable and housing, and seeing if this solves the problem. To lubricate it properly you should disconnect it from one end and take it apart and spray lube into one end of each housing section until it comes out the other end, and also clean and lube the cable itself. Probably better to get some new cable and housing, and replace it all. You will need cable cutters, a crimping tool, and new housing. If this does not work, please let me know and we can look at the derailleur itself.. thanx stan Over the past couple weeks I've noticed that my front derailleur is slow to down shift to the smaller gears. It will go up fine, but when down shifting it lags more than desired. Is there an easy way to fix this? Thanks, Dan Hello.... if your front derailleur is set properly with the limit settings (sounds like it is ok) then here are a few suggestions.... Please make sure that your chain is cleaned and lubed and not too worn - also check that the teeth on the chainrings are not worn or missing. The most likely cause of your problem is that the cable tension is not able to release to go to the lowest chainring... either adjust the cable tension a bit at the handlebar adjuster to decrease tension, OR most likely the cable needs to be lubricated fully or replaced. It seems as if the cable is binding in the housing and needs to be fully lubricated... hope this helps stan Ola~, I recently purchased a bike 2 weeks ago and have not been out much due to a noise ive been hearing while on the front large chainring. After playing around with the Front derailleur ive detected that the sound is from the chain rubbing against the derailleur. I've notice that the front chainring is not aligned and causing the chain to move which allows the sound to take place and me adjusting the front derailleur to reduce the sound. Do you have any other tips for how i can eleminate the friction of the chain to the derailleur? Dustin Winzer (Lethbridge, A.B.) Dustin, Hello...thanx for your question about the chain rubbing on the front derailleur. Normally, the chain should only contact the front derailleur cage when shifting gears. Once you get onto the large chain ring, the chain should not contact the derailleur cage, and there should be no noise, as it should not touch at all the inside of the derailleur cage. Here are some ideas: *Make sure the outer limit setting on the front derailleur is set properly *Make sure the large chainring is not bent *Make sure the bottom bracket or chainrings are not loose on the spindle, and their bolts are tight *Make sure the cable tension is adjusted properly - can do this adjusment at the handlebar barrel adjuster - this may be the best solution to your problem *Make sure the front derailleur is positioned properly on the seat tube, and the cage is perpendicular to the chain line. Adjust angle if needed by loosening and re-tightening the derailleur *Sometimes you can bend the cage a bit if needed to clear the chain if it comes down to that... good luck stan I just installed a new drive train (small chain ring, chain, cassesete and rear derailleur). I have index shifters. I've adjested the rear shifting per your recommendations on your web site. The shifting work fine except on the first shift in a different direction. In other words if I've been shifting into lower gears, the first click when I'm trying to go into a higher gear does not do anything. The same thing happens if I've been shifting to higher gears and then try to shift into a lower gear, the first click does not result in a shift. Since I skip a shift, I'm always one gear off from what is indicated on the shifter and what rear gear the chain is on. For example, if the shifter says I'm in 7th gear, the chian will be on 6th if I'm shifting to higher gears. Then onn the last shift when the shifter goes from 8th to 9th gear the chain will go from 7th to 9th skipping 8th gear and catching up. Clear as mud? Please provide any suggestions. Thanks, Rob Rob, Hello... not really sure about your problem, but it sounds like it might be the cable tension needs adjusting... I'll speak with our mechanic and see what he has to say and let you know thanx stan *Stan, I changed the shifting cable and housing and that seems to have solved the problem. Thanks for helping, rob* How can I tell if my front derailleur is "top" or "bottom" swing? "Top" or "bottom" pull? What's the differences? How do I know what I need? Dave, Hello! Thanx for visitin' webmountainbike. A "top" pull front derailleur refers to the cable coming to the derailleur from the top, or above the derailleur. A "bottom" pull derailleur refers to when the cable comes up to the derailleur from the bottom, or beneath it. On bottom pull derailleurs, the cable actually is routed under the frame and then goes up to connect to the derailleur. On top pull derailleurs, the cable goes directly into it as it runs down the seat tube. stan Hi, I'm having trouble with the front derailleur on my Trek 4100. It has stopped shifting onto the lowest front chainring (the smallest one) I have adjusted the L screw until I have even taken it completely out but the chain will still not move down. I have been using the bike for over a year now and I have only just started having this problem. Can you help? Thanx Speiro Speiro, I assume that you have turned the correct limit screw, and after adjusting it as much as possible the derailleur will stilll not shift to the smallest chainring. There could be a few reasons. Maybe the cable tension is still too tight. When on the smallest chainring there should be no tension in the cable - it should be almost slack. Try adjusting the cable tension at the handle bar barrel adjuster... usually this means to turn it clockwise to loosen it. Sometimes you can also bend the outside of the cage slightly - in toward the bike, and this can help to shift to the smallest chain ring. Also, make sure that the derailleur is not hitting the frame and this acting as your inner limit. If this happens, you may need to rotate or adjust the mounting of the derailleur itself on the seat tube. Check all of the teeth on the chainrings, and also make sure that your chain is not stretched too much... if it is old, and has a lot of use and wear, it may not want to shift properly, and you may need a new chain & or rings. Also, clean and lube the chain and cables would not hurt as well if you haven't already done this. If you still have problems after trying these things, please let me know! stan I'm installing new cables for my front and rear derailleur. Is there a specific position the barrel adjusters on the rear and the front shifters have to be in (full clockwise or counterclockwise) before I secure the cables? Marc, Hello! Thanx for your question about the new derailleur cables... I would put the barrel adjusters in the middle of their range to allow for fine tuning in either direction as needed. The same is true for the brake cables as well.. Ride On ~~Stan~~ Hi, Yesterday I started adjusting my front derailleur. I have the small and middle chainrings going, but cannot switch to the big one. What is wrong? - Charles Charles, Hello There are a few possible reasons for the chain not going on the large chainring in front. First, the derailleur limit screw "H" or outer limit adjusting screw may need to be turned. This allows the derailleur to move away from the seat tube and onto the large chainring. If you turn it all the way, and the derailleur still does not go far enough, you may need to tighten the cable tension. This can be done at the handlebar barrel or by using a hex wrench at the derailleur itself to loosen and then re-tighten the cable to increase the tension. If it still doesn't work, then your chain may be too short. To test for this, try to manually place the chain on the large chainring, and have it on the largest cog in the back. If the chain is too short, it will not move onto the large chainring. So, it most likely is either the limit screw, the cable tension, or the chain length! Hope that this helps you :) Ride On ~~Stan~~ I'm having some trouble adjusting the rear derailleurs on my bike. It is a cheapo type mountain bike. The gear is a Shimano SIS rear derailleur. The bike is an 18-spd model. I've done a lot of research and have not found any FAQs with the problem I have. The rear derailleurs shift (index shift) OK when going from low to high gear (big cog to small cog). The shifters are numbered 1 to 6 to indicate which cog you're on, #6 being the smallest cog. Problem: When going from smaller cogs to larger cogs, the chain doesn't go onto the proper cog sometimes. Pressing the shift lever once (a full push) brings the chain up one cog which is correct -- however, the indication on the shifter jumps from 6 to 4 (i.e. skips). Then pressing again, the chain goes up TWO (2) cogs and likewise the shifter indicator goes from 4 to 2 (2 steps). Pressing once more, the chain goes up TWO cogs to the largest one and the shifter indicator goes from 2 to 1. As I understand, the proper thing to adjust is the "barrel" located at the rear derailleur -- I've tried this but it doesn't seem to work. Also, won't this throw off the movement for shifting to higher gears (which works fine)? Secondly, I am also trying to adjust the front derailleurs. There is only a "barrel" at the shifter and none at the front derailleur. However, the barrel doesn't seem to turn -- what am I doing wrong?? Thanks, Lester Lester, For the front derailleur problem, see our section on adjusting the front derailleur in Mountainbike Maintenance . If you have any other questions, just e-mail or call me! The front barrel adjustment on some cheap shifters doesn't do anything, and you can only adjust cable tension at the hex clamp on the derailleur. Normally, though, turning it counterclockwise tightens the cable. For the rear derailleur, maybe I can give you some hints... 0) Make sure that your rear cogs are clean and there is no debris between the gears. Remove any debris with a slim screwdriver, old spoke, or Park cog tool. 1) your shifter may be defective and no matter what you do it will not work properly 2) try loosening the shifter and moving it slightly on the handlebar and re-tightening. 3) lubricate the cable at all acccesible points 4) lubricate the shifter if possible on the handlebar 5) go to a bike shop on a mellow weekday when they aren't crowded and see if they could fix it at N/C, as it may only take them a few minutes. Buy a little something from them while you are there if they are nice and don't charge you. 6) call our mechanic Mike at 1 301 869-4664. Leave a message if he is not there... and he will call you back. Good luck, and please let us know what happens so that we may help others with this problem! Ride On ~~MaNiMaL~~ I just bought a 9 speed XTR rear derailleur and it works great except for 1 small problem. When I shift to the big cog in the back, the top of the top pulley rubs against the bottom of the large ring. I've pushed the adjuster screw on the back of the derailleur as far in as it will go to try to pull the derailleur downards, and I've made sure my chain is the appropriate length. What am I missing here? Jeremy Jeremy, O.K. Just got the lowdown from our mechanic about your problem... First, make sure you follow all written instructions from Shimano. Especially on chain length and number of links... Does the problem occur on just the large chainring in front? If so you are on BIG in front and BIG in back>> not a good combination. The chain may be too short if this is the only time it hits the top pulley. It sounds like you have the longer cage derailleur (SGS) which is good. The "B" screw, or tension screw should be all the way in. Sounds like you did this.. How many teeth are on the largest cog? Probably 34 which should be O.K. Any more and it might be too big. Make sure it is not bent. Make sure that your deraileur hanger is not bent inward. Check to see that it is parallel to your wheels. If it seems O.K., then go back and add a link to your chain. We hope this helps you, please let us know how it turns out. Ride On ~~MaNiMaL~~ |
