Gear Problems

[Billett05]

Hi All,

Im new to the world of biking (since being a child and spending all day on my bike). I have an issued with my gears are you would have guessed by n ow.

I cant used 1, 5 and 6 (regardless of what front gear im in, please correct me on the termanology)

1 wont go in at all

5 and 6 like to switch between themseleves without warning, which is great for my knees hitting my front suspension!!!

I've been told I may have to tighten or loosen some screw, is this correct?

Chris

 

[gbb]

I guess you're at the stage where having a play wont hurt. Normally, if you've never adjusted them before, it's a bit hit and miss, but anyway...
If its a new bike, the shop should adjust them after about a month for free because the cables stretch.
Feel the inner cable somewhere its not encased by the outer (on the down tube usually). Is it slack ? If it is,
on your rear derailleur, where the cable enters, there's a black adjuster. Turn it anticlockwise half a turn at a time. This tensions the inner cable and you should find the gears get progressively easier to change. Keep turning it half a turn at a time, then maybe a 1/4 turn to fine tune it.
Alternatively, if you have an adjuster on the downtube, somewhere near your knees, you can adjust it there as well.
Unless you've already been playing with them, don't adjust the H and L screws on your rear derailleur. Things will then get worse unless you know what you're doing.
I'm assuming you've a roadbike Billet ?
Have a look on Youtube, there are some good tutorial there showing you how to adjust them from scratch.

Good luck

 

[snorri]

I've been told I may have to tighten or loosen some screw, is this correct?

Welcome to the forum billett05

Here are some tips,
http://bicycletutor....front-derailer/ but if as you say you are new to all this, it might be as well to go to your local bike shop and get them to set everything up for a start.



Woops, gbb was posting at same time.

 

[Billett05]

I guess you're at the stage where having a play wont hurt. Normally, if you've never adjusted them before, it's a bit hit and miss, but anyway...
If its a new bike, the shop should adjust them after about a month for free because the cables stretch.
Feel the inner cable somewhere its not encased by the outer (on the down tube usually). Is it slack ? If it is,
on your rear derailleur, where the cable enters, there's a black adjuster. Turn it anticlockwise half a turn at a time. This tensions the inner cable and you should find the gears get progressively easier to change. Keep turning it half a turn at a time, then maybe a 1/4 turn to fine tune it.
Alternatively, if you have an adjuster on the downtube, somewhere near your knees, you can adjust it there as well.
Unless you've already been playing with them, don't adjust the H and L screws on your rear derailleur. Things will then get worse unless you know what you're doing.
I'm assuming you've a roadbike Billet ?
Have a look on Youtube, there are some good tutorial there showing you how to adjust them from scratch.

Good luck

Thanks gbb, i will see what I have had the bike is about a year old hardly used but nothing has been touched on it outher that hieght adjustments. Its a full suspension MTB

 

[2Loose]

Half a turn can be a bit excessive if things are sort of right anyway - you may have an adjuster on the handlebar on the gear cable beside the gear change lever to allow to fiddle while riding. Cautious is good, you may be turning the screw adjuster the wrong way - try no more than a complete turn altogether and feel what effect it has had when you change gear again.

Repeat until spot on.