Maintenance on my bike

[Stugiffy]

Spent at least two hours yesterday trying to adjust my front mech, took me 20 mins to adjust rear mech, why is the front one such a pain in the rear, looked at YouTube clips, still not working properly, maybe I need a new cable, frustrating when u spend hours faffing around on something and still doesn't work

 

[Black Sheep]

I found the front easier to set up than the rear when I started learning how to do gears.

My method is to slacken off the cable holding bolt,
adjust the bottom movement stop (normally labeled with an L) to make sure it can't move the chain off the inside of the bottom chain ring,
pull the cable tight and secure
turn the cranks, put the chain onto the outer-most chainring
adjust the top movement stop (labelled either T or H) to make sure that the mech's chain guide isn't rubbing the chain (should sit comfortably each side of the chain)
any adjustments now should be done with the barrel adjuster that should be located near the shifter.

tighten to aid the chain going up the gears, slacken to aid it going down the gears,
sometimes slackening the top stop helps with getting into the top gear as it may need to move beyond the chain-line to aid shifting and then drop back.

hope thats of some help

 

[Stugiffy]

Yes i have tried that, my bike is quite old, about 11 years old now, maybe it needs a new cable, it is fraid at the end.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Worth putting a new cable on for the sake of a couple of quid.....but what problem are you having with it? Has the mech been moved?

 

[Stugiffy]

I did like a 40 mile bike ride on Friday, first 35 miles no problems at all, gears was clicking in perfectly, then for some reason or other gears starting slipping, chain come off, I was on a buzzy stretch of road, so didn't fancy taking my bike apart there. So stripped it all down yesterday, got the rear mech to work perfect, but front was being a pain, I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing just would not behave. Local bike shop said they could put a new cable on for £15, might do that saves the hassle of me doing it.

 

[HovR]

Yes i have tried that, my bike is quite old, about 11 years old now, maybe it needs a new cable, it is fraid at the end.

My money is on it needing new cables. When were they last changed?

 

[mrandmrspoves]

£15 is a lot for a cable and what should be about 10 minutes work! Chain was slipping? Coming off at the front I assume? Coming off the largest or smallest ring? (Either way - it will just mean screwing the appropriate stop screw in a little bit)

 

[Stugiffy]

Coming off the biggest ring, cable has never been changed haha. I'm so terrible I know, my poor bike

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Ok - so if chain coming off the top ring..... depending on your derailleur you may be lucky and the stop screws will be marked H (high) and L (Low) if so give a half turn at a time on the one marked H until the chain stops coming off.
If they're not marked, no problems, just have a look at the 2 screws and see which one the arm touches when put into high gear. If in doubt put it into low gear and see which screw is touching the arm now.
Word of warning....neglected mechs often have seized adjusting screws so worth giving them a good soaking with penetrating oil before you try adjusting them. Also ensure you use a correct size screw driver as they tend to mash up easily - and finally once you have identified which screw it is, just back the mechanism off slightly so it isn't under pressure when you try adjusting it.
A new cable will not sort this problem - but the above will do. A new cable might make the gear change smoother and easier but sticky cables tend to cause most problems when moving into a slacker position ie. dropping from a high gear to a low gear on the front derailleur - and from a low gear to a high gear on the rear derailleur..

 

[Stugiffy]

Ok, thanks very much, I will try and give it another bash tomorrow, out of interest what lube do you use

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Ideally I would use a penetrating oil initially to loosen the adjusters. (They may move without)
Many sing the praises of GT85 or Weldtite TF2 which contain Teflon to ensure things remain slippery - so convenient to spray into gear and brake cable outers. For my chain I use any good wet lube (or even clean engine oil) in the winter - apply liberally and wipe off excess with a cloth, and a dry lube in the summer. Bearings need grease and should never be sprayed - I use a lithium grease.
If you search the forums for WD40 you will see lots of advice suggesting not to use it - except as a cleaner.

 

[gwhite]

I take it that the Front mech is an index one? I really find that these are more trouble than they are worth. A friction lever solves all the indexing problems and is just as easy to operate so it's difficult to see the advantages in front indexing. I think Campag had it right with their friction one but for marketing reasons they would have been forced to follow the herd. I've replaced two of my front indexing levers with friction ones (Tourney) as it's difficult to find one of quality now. All suggestions gratefully received.

 

[Globalti]

Dont adjust anything until you have changed the cable.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Dont adjust anything until you have changed the cable.

Changing the cable is a good idea because it is frayed - but it won't stop the chain coming off.