How much is too much.

[fossyant]

Bikes do end up like triggers broom over the years. If it fits etc then just look after it. I suspect you could have a bent hanger. One thing I would do is change the gear cables for something like Shimano SP41 optislick - they make a big difference on 10 speed and higher.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Chains, spokes and cassettes are all consumables, and without knowing how much use your bike had before, it could be perfectly reasonable that you need to replace them.

Check also the wear on your chainrings. If it had been heavily ridden by the previous owner they could be wearing out too and replacement chainrings might be in your future. Or maybe not.

Something else that might be worth checking is whether the derailleur is straight/ hanger is bent. I've read on here that bad indexing could be due to this, but as I've never owned a bike with a separate hanger I wouldn't know.

This is all quite normal for a "mature" bike. Whether you persist with it really depends on how much you like the bike.

If, once you have it working again, will you pat it and say "Are you feeling better now, old friend?" Or will you glare at it and say "Are you happy now, you hateful money pit?". If the latter, then it might be time to move on.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Damaging wheels is alas par for the course on potholed roads. A brand new one on a brand new bike is not necessarily any more robust than an old one (though it might be). I keep a spare set of wheels for my commuter so I can swap them while they get fixed if needed.

On gears not indexing, if they don't index after new inner *and* outer cables, then something else is wrong. The symptoms you describe strongly suggest a bent gear hanger. I would replace that if I were you, ideally getting alignement checked at a trustworthy shop. I'd have reservations on your current one if they can't replace cables and index gears...

 

[Vantage]

Short answer....it's always worth it.
Things wear out unfortunately but they can be replaced...easily. As much as we don't want local bike shops to disappear, they do charge for simple tasks which any tom, dick or harry should be able to do. If you can loosen and tighten a nut and bolt, you can fix the bike yourself. That includes wheel building. Fact.
When you learn to do that through YouTube, books, general tinkering, you'll feel much better and knowing you can fix the bike whilst out and about will also be a plus.
Stick with it. The mental and physical health benefits outweigh any financial costs cycling incurs.

 

[Marchrider]

Damaging wheels is alas par for the course on potholed roads. A brand new one on a brand new bike is not necessarily any more robust than an old one (though it might be). I keep a spare set of wheels for my commuter so I can swap them while they get fixed if needed.

On gears not indexing, if they don't index after new inner *and* outer cables, then something else is wrong. The symptoms you describe strongly suggest a bent gear hanger. I would replace that if I were you, ideally getting alignement checked at a trustworthy shop. I'd have reservations on your current one if they can't replace cables and index gears...

my experience with worn / damaged, out of alignment derailleurs / hangers is that when the index if correct for the top few gears it is out for the bottoms ones, and vice versa. i can't see how it would just effect a single ear in the middle

if something has went wrong with the indexing itself (very unlikely?) You could set up the indexing so as it is one notch out, Index it so as position 2 is for 1st gear, then see if it still slips in 4th or is 5th now not engaging properly

 

[roubaixtuesday]

my experience with worn / damaged, out of alignment derailleurs / hangers is that when the index if correct for the top few gears it is out for the bottoms ones, and vice versa. i can't see how it would just effect a single ear in the middle

I agree, I read the Op that it was 4th gear downwards, not just the single gear:

re-indexed three times still it wont index or stay in gear on 4th gear down.

If it's just that cog then most likely wear? And new cassette/chain needed.

 

[markharry66]

I agree, I read the Op that it was 4th gear downwards, not just the single gear:

re-indexed three times still it wont index or stay in gear on 4th gear down.

If it's just that cog then most likely wear? And new cassette/chain needed.

no only fourth gear down everything else above and below indexes just fourth gear slips, will stay in gear for a while then slips, sometimes just slips going to change cassette as fed up with having it indexed, while I love visiting bike shops I done it to much recently over last few weeks.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The symptoms you describe strongly suggest a bent gear hanger. I would replace that if I were you, ideally getting alignement checked at a trustworthy shop. I'd have reservations on your current one if they can't replace cables and index gears...

This.

Any decent LBS should be able to diagnose the cause of gears that won't index, it's only a very simple system and not an autobox on a Jaguar.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Thanks for editing the thread title. It was making me itch.

 

[wiggydiggy]

no only fourth gear down everything else above and below indexes just fourth gear slips, will stay in gear for a while then slips, sometimes just slips going to change cassette as fed up with having it indexed, while I love visiting bike shops I done it to much recently over last few weeks.

I had a indexing gremlin recently, no amount of twiddling by me would solve it but the LBS diagnosed a sticking gear cable, changed it and then that fixed it. Could try that?

 

[Gunk]

Is the derailleur straight?

That’s my thinking, had one at work the other day which wasn’t changing properly, mech looked straight but I popped it off and checked it with our Park Tools measuring tool and it was just out enough to mess up the indexing.

Slight tug and order was restored

 

[Punkawallah]

Take the cassette off and disassemble, reverse (flip over) the fourth gear so that it now runs backwards (you only have to file one little bit of metal away). and reassemble

buy a new spoke

cost of repairs about a fiver

Interesting niblet about reversing the cog on the cassette - how does it affect the gear changing?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Interesting niblet about reversing the cog on the cassette - how does it affect the gear changing?

Would it even work? Aren't the freehub splines assymetrical? I've never tried to put a sprocket on the wrong way round, but this picture suggests that it wouldn't fit unless you took a Dremel to it. There's a big "anti-spline" and a little one next to each other (z in the diagram) and they'd be the wrong way round to mate up with the spines if you flipped it over.

As usual - I'm probably wrong. And as noted, I've never tried it

I know the plastic spacers that you put between the sprockets are reversible, but they have a bit of rotational wobble.

 

[markharry66]

This.

Any decent LBS should be able to diagnose the cause of gears that won't index, it's only a very simple system and not an autobox on a Jaguar.

you would think on third local bike shop. Taken in to two, bike was worse than when I had taken it in. One was so bad actually refused to take it back, have the feeling I was ripped off. i wont mention them other than to say they were Sh*t.

 

[Jameshow]

Has it been ridden. In 4th gear all it's life so it's worn and slippong?