Hi,
Pardon me if this is not the right place to post the below question.
My bicycle gear was not shifting properly so I decided to fix it after watching several youtube videos. Several videos advised that the gear should be shifted to the highest speed (i.e. smallest cog) before doing any tuning i.e. adjusting the High/Low limit screws or adjusting the cable adjustment barrel of the derailleur.
I believe the High/Low limit setting of the Rear derailleur was not an issue as the chain does not drop off the cog on either extreme sides.
I was adjusting the gear cable adjustment barrel when I shifted the gear to the lowest speed (i.e. biggest cog) and for some unknown reason I loosen the cable anchor bolt. This seemed to have created the problem for me. The gear Shifter (on the handle bar) now does not click when I push or pull on the Shifter levels. It just slide in the direction (i.e. push/pull) smoothly without any resistance and the gear does not shift in any direction.
How do I fix this Shifter problem? Something seems to be loose and it does not seem to be catching the cable to pull/release it. I am hesitant to open the Shifter as some small parts may spring out. I have tried spraying WD40 into the Shifter but it is still not catching onto the cable. I have also pulled the cable as much as I can on the lowest speed (biggest cog) and locking the cable anchor bolt, but this also did not solve the Shifter problem.
The videos I saw does not explain why the gear should be shifted to the highest speed before doing any tuning or how to fix the problem if one did not follow this rule, as in my case.
I hope somebody can advise me on the above problem and recommend a solution. Is the Shifter this easily damaged by this wrong procedure?
Thank you.
Best regards,
Location: Northern Florida, USA
(07-19-2021, 12:07 AM)Andrew Sim Wrote: Hi,
Pardon me if this is not the right place to post the below question.
My bicycle gear was not shifting properly so I decided to fix it after watching several youtube videos. Several videos advised that the gear should be shifted to the highest speed (i.e. smallest cog) before doing any tuning i.e. adjusting the High/Low limit screws or adjusting the cable adjustment barrel of the derailleur.
I believe the High/Low limit setting of the Rear derailleur was not an issue as the chain does not drop off the cog on either extreme sides.
I was adjusting the gear cable adjustment barrel when I shifted the gear to the lowest speed (i.e. biggest cog) and for some unknown reason I loosen the cable anchor bolt. This seemed to have created the problem for me. The gear Shifter (on the handle bar) now does not click when I push or pull on the Shifter levels. It just slide in the direction (i.e. push/pull) smoothly without any resistance and the gear does not shift in any direction.
How do I fix this Shifter problem? Something seems to be loose and it does not seem to be catching the cable to pull/release it. I am hesitant to open the Shifter as some small parts may spring out. I have tried spraying WD40 into the Shifter but it is still not catching onto the cable. I have also pulled the cable as much as I can on the lowest speed (biggest cog) and locking the cable anchor bolt, but this also did not solve the Shifter problem.
The videos I saw does not explain why the gear should be shifted to the highest speed before doing any tuning or how to fix the problem if one did not follow this rule, as in my case.
I hope somebody can advise me on the above problem and recommend a solution. Is the Shifter this easily damaged by this wrong procedure?
Thank you.
Best regards,
I am pondering your problem. Can you provide photos of your derailleur showing cable and adjuster, and shifter? Type and model (and year bike) would also be helpful. I can't see how you could have damaged anything by your actions. Not being familiar with your specific set-up makes it difficult to say what your problem may be. I primarily work on early friction shifters/derailleurs so no clicking is good, except with some ratcheting friction shifters (i.e. SunTour).
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It sounds like you went to force the gear and maybe broke the mechanism inside. I've had this happen to me on the front derailleur, but never the rear one.
You'll have to replace the shifter in this case.
For the record, you should not be able to tune the high limit screw from the largest cog, or adjust the barrel on the derailleur from there (only the shifter barrel—if your model has one).
You need to tune these things from the smallest cog. Turning the barrel towards you brings the derailleur towards you, turning it away does the opposite.
The high limit screw for Shimano spec say to make the pulley even with the smallest cog. Some will tell you just a little off to the side (towards the second cog). But I've found that trick only applies to 7 speed setups.
Note that shifting issues can present themselves when your b-screw isn't properly tuned as well. They say you want the b-screw out as far as possible to ascend into the largest cog effortlessly. So an easy way to tune it involves dialing it out little by little until you get a smooth transition into the pro gear and then back out. If it starts giving you trouble, or making noises, then you may need to dial it back in some. Some say there is a way of measuring it, but I've no experience with that method, and can't verify that it works for every setup. Note your chain length when you do this. You may need to adjust that as well, as it wasn't measured in spec with the proper b-screw adjustment.
Cable tension is very finicky. And possibly you may need to change the shifter cable, and then refasten it into the anchor bolt, because it's been stretched out. The shifter needs to be in the highest gear when you do this. Pull the cable when you tension in down into the rear derailleur to remove any hidden slack.
Changing your housings can also help smooth out shifting, as they become worn inside, dry, dirty, and thus disrupt the precision of the cable movement.
Possibly, you had the barrel adjuster dialed way out and refastened the cable to the rear derailleur. The cable would have way too much pretension on it, so it would cause the shifter to break midway through the gears. When you're installing a rear derailleur, you want the barrel adjuster dialed in as far as possible. Some recommend just a few quarter turns out to give yourself some room to play with. I don't find that works for every setup though. And not all read derailleurs are compatible with every frame. I recently tried to install a Shimano Zee on a 1995 GT Outpost Trail. The derailleur was too large, and the integrated derailleur hanger doesn't hang down far enough to provide the Zee with the room it needs to freely descend into the smallest cog. I had to install an Ultegra 6600 that I had on reserve. It's much more compact, and this fixed the issue.
it would help with some pictures, but I can give it a go anyways. So if you loosened the bolt that keeps the cable onto the derailleur, the cable is no longer under any tension. In this case, the shifters don't work quite as well and usually aren't as audible. if you pull the cable with one hand, making sure the end of it is seated into the shifter, you should be able to feel the cable move as you shift.
In the case that it does move, my preferred way is to put the shifter in the highest setting, put enough tension on the cable, not quite putting enough tension on it to actually move the derailleur, and then screw the bolt down, fastening the cable to the derailleur. from then on you can mess with the barrel adjuster to adjust it.
If the cable doesn't move, you may have broken an internal part of the shifter, and in this case you will need a new one.
hope this helps!
-Chase
"Steel is real."
- IDK, some guy.
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