Phantom gear shifts

[w00hoo_kent]

Best money you'll spend (in the first instance) is for a work stand. Once you have one of those, google setting up the gears and index to your hearts content. If you look up the specific gears you have, there will almost definitely be a video of someone setting them up. Step through it and you'll be fine. I've ended up doing my 105 gears loads of times like this and it's both easy and satisfying once you've got the instructions in front of you.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I'm confident enough with DIY but not bike related DIY. I took it to the LBS this morning and he had a look at it and I think he worked with the barrel adjuster on the rear derailer. I was thinking of buying a DIY guide for bike maintainence. Does anyone have any experience of this book?

http://www.haynes.co.uk/bikebook/

Take your bike to the bike shop for now. Get a book, some basic tools and start to work on the bikes yourself then.
I don't know that particular book but my students used the ParkTool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance. The Haynes one looks OK as well.
I don't want to take you along the path of gear cable loosening and refitting yet.

 

[KneesUp]

OK. Ghost shifting is related to cable friction. Somewhere in your cable there is friction. Are you confident enough with DIY to release the cable on the back derailer and get it back on, doing a full adjustment from scratch? If so, then I'll proceed.

My bike does this occasionally - and continues to do so despite having replacement shifters, cable inners, cassette, rear derailleur, cable outer at the back and a new chain. (Not that I replaced those things because of the phantom shifts)

The cable outers at the lever end are original - I had it down as excess friction or a bent hanger (although it doesn't look bent, and I'm running 8 speed so it shouldn't be *that* critical) Thanks for the heads-up. I'll replace the remaining original outers when it starts to happen more.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

My bike does this occasionally - and continues to do so despite having replacement shifters, cable inners, cassette, rear derailleur, cable outer at the back and a new chain. (Not that I replaced those things because of the phantom shifts)

The cable outers at the lever end are original - I had it down as excess friction or a bent hanger (although it doesn't look bent, and I'm running 8 speed so it shouldn't be *that* critical) Thanks for the heads-up. I'll replace the remaining original outers when it starts to happen more.

Lots of people want to only replace cable inners but the difference a complete replacement makes in accuracy, dependability and pleasure, is enormous. Replace them all when you do replace. I explained a bit about this in a thread on cable stretch recently. Perhaps do a search with keywords "cables don't stretch" with me as the author.

 

[KneesUp]

Lots of people want to only replace cable inners but the difference a complete replacement makes in accuracy, dependability and pleasure, is enormous. Replace them all when you do replace. I explained a bit about this in a thread on cable stretch recently. Perhaps do a search with keywords "cables don't stretch" with me as the author.

Thanks - the short runs of outer from the shifters are the only bits that haven't been changed - largely because I don't have cutters to cut non-compressible outers. The bi at the back I had the LBS cut to length for me - I have no idea why I didn't get two more cut for the front!