I recently purchased a new bike.. Raleigh Mohave 4.0.. with Shimano components. I can give you more specifics if you need it, but since I'm a newbie none of the technical stats are committed to memory. After a couple of rides, the front derailleur did not want to shift to the #3 (largest) front gear. I took it to the shop I bought it from and they tightened the cable some. The fellow that fixed it also explained to me the nuances of upshifting. From what he explained, I would have to "shift past" the click if I was going uphill or putting a heavy load on the chain. He said this would probably be necessary for anything lower than pedaling at about 80rpm. He explained that the faster I was pedaling, the "crisper" the chain would shift on the click the shifter makes. When I got it home, I played around with it some. It shifted better, but it still took some nudging to go from #1 to #2 and especially #2 to #3. I found, however, that if I had the rear set in a gear that was easier to pedal and cranked my legs, it would in fact help the front derailleur shift easier. I used to bike a lot as a teen, but mostly on surface streets. Since I am just now getting back to it, I'm trying to get a feel for it and acquire knowledge about what works where, when, how, and so forth. Where I currently live is a very hilly area. From what I have deduced, it's unlikely that I will actually use the #3 front gear a lot. It seems to me that this gear is for really hauling tail. Going up and downhill (mostly coasting downhill) moreso than on flat areas, I'm guessing second gear will be my primary gear at the front, and most shifting according to the conditions will be with the rear. There's only a few hills in my immediate area that seem to require first gear up front. So, the crux of my question is twofold. First, does this business of "nudging" past the click or "pushing through" the click when I'm not pedalling very fast sound reasonable? It makes sense, but I just want to be sure the guy wasn't feeding me a line (I don't think they were, though, since the store has a good reputation). I'm guessing that is just one of those things that I will have to get a feel for the nuances of the bike and biking as I progress. Second, I read on your site that the #3 gear is mostly for going very fast and downhill. Would I be correct in my assumption that in a hilly area and for someone like me that is just starting back and not likely to want to go at breakneck speeds the #3 gear isn't likely to be getting a lot of use anyway? Thanks for your time and consideration. Ethan Ethan, Hello and thanx for your question... the bike shop is correct - sometimes you need to nudge the shifter a bit to go on the big chainring, or tighten the cable a bit... you can do this at the handlebar adjuster or at the front derraileur itself - if you had a new bike then the cable has strechted a bit and needed to be tightened a bit....as fas as needing the large chainring - you are right, you will only use it while riding a long flat section - I use mine very little, and sometimes the bike will need an extra nudge to get it into the large ring - so I would not worry.. good ridin' stan I just ordered a Rockhopper pro disk for me and my wife has ordered a Hardrock pro disc and, I noticed that the Rockhopper only has 18 speeds. Is there something wrong with only 18 speeds and how hard will it be to install an extra ring to bring the speeds up to 27 like my wife's. I can still back out and get another bike if I want to. Any info that you can give me will be greatly appreciated and thanks for a great web site. Hello..... the 18 speed Rockhopper will be hard to get parts for because 18 speed is soooooo old.... you should get a 24 or 27 speed bike..... i would cancel the rockhopper - but first make sure it is only 18 speeds... they usuaully don't make these anymore!!!! good luck hope this helps - btw probably best to get a 27 speed bike like your wife has - you don't want to have to bring it up to 27 speeds as you will have to change too much stuff on it - like the whole drivetrain!!!! ride on stan Hi, I'm a beginner with a 2004 Specialized Rockhopper that is standard apart from an XT rear mech (because the old one broke itself within a week!). I got a puncture on the rear, so took it off and repaired it. But when putting the wheel back on, I noticed some oddities with the chain and rear mech. The two problems are: 1) When on the largest chainring and largest sprocket, the rear mech is stretched out to breaking point and the chain is so tight it will hardly go round! 2) When on the smallest chainring and the smallest sprocket, the rear mech is so far back that the chain rubs against one another on the tensioning arm. The low chain rubs against the back of the tensioning arm slightly, also. However, the bike does work in this gear, unlike with the problem above. I took it to the dealer who said that I shouldn't be using these gears anyway, and that he couldn't find anything wrong. He questioned whether it was like this before, which I cannot remember. He said he could add a link to the chain, but I would rather find out what is wrong first before trying to fix anything. Does this sound normal? If not, what can I do? Also, is there a manual / book that will get me better acquainted with mountain bikes that you can recommend? Bear in mind I have touched absolutely nothing on this bike. Nada. Any help with this situation would truly be appreciated, as at the moment I think there is something wrong, and don't want to ride it, just in case. All the best, Andrew Hey Andrew, if you have a 44-32-22 chainring setup un the front and a 11-34 on the back You need a Deore XT SGS rear derailleur, this derailleur can handle a 45 tooth spread. 44 plus 34 equals 78, 22 plus 11 equals 33, 78 minus 33 equals 45 and according to Shimano the XT SGS manage this range. However I have a few bikes in the shop that I have checked and they have similar symptoms w/ this setup. When the 34 tooth cog was made available it obviously pushed the limits of the rear derailleur. I run a 32t rear cog and don't have this "problem". My suggestion would be get used to not using the extreme gear choices for several reasons 1) it places the chain at an extreme angle causing cog and chain wear. 2) the gear ratio that you are searching for, big ring front,and big cog in back is similar in feel to middle ring, and middle cog in rear. I hope that this makes sense. Yes your bike is not optimal, but if you want an ultra low gear for climbing 22-34 and the 44-11 for speed this is the price that has to be paid. you can add a link so that the chain does'nt bind on the 44-34 combination but it will be slack in the 22-11. Pay attention to what gear that you are in and you won't have this occurance. Ride On, Mike I just finished reading "adjusting rear derailleur" and would like some clarification after the cable is tightened. I understand how the limiting screws work. My question deals with shifting the middle gears from gear-to-gear - is there any adjustment for the shimano rapid-fire shifters to ensure that each rear cluster gear setting is perfectly aligned so that the chain does not "grind" and "chatter" (like the chain is not properly aligned with gear) ? Unlike touring bike shifters that can be fine-tuned by hand the rapid fire shifters seem to allow for only one position for each shift. Hope this makes sense. Thanks, Chuck Chuck, The rapid fire shifters are indexed & different than the touring shifters as you have noticed, and not able to be adjusted or "fine tuned" in each gear. When you shift, that's what cable tension you get as it is "indexed". However, there are a few other things you can check in regards to your problem to maybe make the bike shift better.... *Make sure the chain is not worn or stretched, and it is clean and well lubricated. It should be the correct size (8spd. vs. 9 spd.) *Make sure the chain is the proper length. *Make sure the rear cogs are cleaned and no debris in them. *Make sure the rear cogs are not bent - look at them with the wheel spinning and look for any wobbles. *Inspect the rear cogs to see that they are tight on the hub, and that they do not move around or move from side to side. *Insure that the derailleur is not bent, and the bolt is tight holding it to the bike. *Check to see that the rear derailleur cable is clean and lubed with no friction. *Try also to lube the shifting mechanism on the handlebar as best you can without actually taking it apart. AND LAST.... make sure that you have the proper cable tension so that it centers the chain on each cog... good luck ride on stan Hi, Really enjoy your webpage, very informative. I have recently upgraded my drivetrain from old xt 8 speed to new xt 9 speed. My problem is this: when on the middle chainring and large sprocket in the rear my chain shifts onto the small chainring. It does this under load and while on the stand. It only happens while in this combination. Additionally, in the same combination, if I spin the pedals backward my chain will roll off of the large sprocket onto one of the smaller ones. This occurs more frequently while it is on the stand then under load. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jeff email at: gearhj@cs.com Hey Jeff , it sounds like a chainline issue. In other words your crank/chainrings may be too far away from the frame . Check your front derailler adjustment screws, if it seems as though your inner(small chainring) adjustment screw is screwed all the way in and the outer adj. screw is all the way out, if this is what you are seeing than it is possible that your bottom bracket is to long. This puts the crank to far away from the frame and causes the chain to come off and make noise. Hi guys, I urgently need to remove my xt shifter off of my bike and replace it with another xt shifter. I have had extreme difficulty in removing the shifter from the gear cable. Could you please tell me in as much detail as possible how i can do this. PLEASE HELP ME!!!! Thanks in advance. Paul Hey Paul , I will assume that you have some type of modern XT rapidfire shifter.Most of these units had a small "port" in which the cable resides.This was devised to keep the cables in and the crud out.To gain access to the cable you must open the port. It can consist of either a single plastic Phillips head plug, or a plastic "hatch" secured by two very small and loosable Phillips head screws.You should find your cable end residing in here and be able to pull it thru. The only question that I have is that when you purchase or install a new shifter usually the cable is replaced at the same time so why worry about getting the old cable out. Thanks for visiting the site.MM Most times my rear der. shifts just fine. On occasion, usually under wet circumstances, I'll get unwanted shifting ie. it will jump down a couple gears by itself under load. I've tried various adjustments but can't seem to solve the problem. Any insight would be appreciated. John John, Hello! There are several causes which allow unwanted shifting. Here are some that come to mind... *Chain is kinked, wrong length, or stretched with too much wear *Rear cogs are worn, bent, or have broken teeth *Rear derailleur is out of adjustment, mis-aligned, bent, or improper cable tension - see if it lines up with the chain line *Handlebar shifter is not operating properly, or cable is too dirty *Free hub body is worn and skipping in the hub Check out these items & then let me know! thanx stan *hey guys, great site! I'm tuning up my girlfriend's mtb and have run into a strange problem. The rear derailleur is shifting nicely but doesn't like the second to smallest cog. It's a cheapo Gripshift setup but seems to be centered on all the indexed positions. While shifting down or up the chain will hesitate and/or skip that one cog. Should I increase the tension to take care of the sloppy shifting or just take an axe to it and make her buy me a nicer bike to work on? thanks, Matt Matt, Hello! Thanx for your inquiry. Make sure that the chain is well lubed and free of kinks. Check the cable tension again at the handlebar barrell, and also at the rear derailleur. If it wants to skip that one cog, it's possible that the cog is bent, worn, or missing a tooth. Look at it carefully while spinning the wheel (off the ground)... It wouldn't hurt to use a nice gear cleaning brush and tool with some simple green, and make sure that there isn't anything stuck in the cogs.... if that doesn't work, then take out the axe!!! ride on stan *what can you tell me about shifting gears?;(what not to do) , what can happen if you pedal hard and shift to easier gears?? What could happen to the chain ??Do you have any articles on this question / problem? Danny Danny, Hello! For good shifting, you should keep the derailleurs tuned up, the proper cable tension, and a good lube on the chain. Sometimes the shifter cable may also need maintenance if it gets hard to shift. It is important to keep the rear cluster clean - Park makes a great brush for this. Make sure their are no bent teeth. Also, you should have the proper chain length and check the chain for chain stretch or wear. As far as shifting technique, the best answer is to ANTICIPATE the upcoming terrain and any gear changes needed. IT is OK to shift under pressure while pedaling, but better if you shift a little early before the pedaling pressure is on. You should not damage your bike by shifting, unless something is amiss. For example, one time I had a new chain that was too short, and while forcing a shift to the Big-Big gears it bent a cog in the rear cassette. Likewise, if your rear cable tension is not dialed in properly you may end up "between gears" and get a grinding sound and not stay in gear. A stuck link in the chaim may also cause a skip... Hope this helps! thanx stan *After a particularly muddy race my rear derrailleur will not shift down to smaller chain rings with one click of my shifter. I have replaced the cable and housing, lubed housing, and adjusted index settings to travel perfectly from smallest ring to largest. Components are Shimano XT and XTR. I have taken the shifter apart and it looks clean and well lubed and the ratcheting mechanism seems to move uniformly. Rear derrailleur has been cleaned and well lubed. If I shift from the largest cog to the smallest quickly, movement is normal. If I shift one at a time from a larger to a smaller, the cable and derrailleur will hardly budge and not make the shift. Any help would be appreciated. Brad. Hey Brad, try this, loosen the cable anchor bolt,try to pull the cable back towards the shifter, first at the exposed cable just beyond your cable housing above your derailler then pull the cable back through , see how much friction is in the cable at various locations.It should move pretty freely.If it does'nt try things like different cable ends or cable run locations.Keep in touch.MM *I am running Shimano Deore components, front and back with thumb shifters. Just recently my bike has developed a problem, when i up shift on the front cog it's fine, however when i go to down shift to a smaller cog nothing moves. The levers click through as they should but the derailer doesn't move. Can you please help me as i'm finding it hard going on only one cog. Thanks Tris Tris, Hello! If the problem is with the front derailleur not going to the smaller cog when you downshift, the most likely thing is that your cable tension may be too tight. If you loosen it a bit at the handlebar barrel adjuster - try turning it counter clockwise I think - it will allow it to go to a smaller gear. Lemme know if you need any more help with it... thanx stan *How can I adjust my shifter? Cable tension is usually the key to accurate shifting, whether you have twist grip, thumb shifters, or handlebar shifters. Use the adjustment knob on the cable at the handlebar where it exits your shifter. You can also adjust the tension on the cable at the rear derailleur. Turn it clockwise to decrease the cable tension, or counterclockwise to tighten the cable. Usually on a new bike the cables will stretch and require tightening. Try making an adjustment and riding, if it doesn't work try turning the other way. Also, make sure that your pulleys (the two wheels) on your rear derailleur are clean and not gummed up! *Myke, my left hand shifter won't shift from the low to the high sprocket. There is no tension there. How do I correct this, or do I need to replace my rapid fire shifter? If you cannot get the chain onto the biggest chainring with your left hand shifter - the front derailleur - you may need to tighten the cable. There may be a barrel adjustment on the shifter at the handlebar. If so, turn it one or two revolutions counterclockwise. If this doesn't work, then you may need to loosen the cable at the other end -the front derailleur- and then retighten after shortening the cable slightly. You can then fine tune again at the handlebar barrel if needed. |
