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Just had my spring tune-up at the LBS, and the shifting is rough. Took it in, they found a rock. Ok, should be fine now. Went on a ride, the rear gears jump gears all over the place. About thought my entire chain was going to snap.
Is there a way to learn to do this myself? At least when I'm on the road and it's not shifting right, I can stop and tweak it.
take it back. Yes you bet you can learn, but most of us are too lazy or not so inclined.
I like Park Tools' online tutorial on derailleur adjustments. Once you learn which way to turn the barrel adjusters to fix the symptoms you're experiencing, then you can definitely do some mid ride tweaking.
It helps if you do a little pre-maintenance troubleshooting on the road. Try and notice what happens when you shift at the bars. All that does is tighten or loosen the cable. If the rear derailleur starts "doing something" immediately, but not enough to shift gears, or too much, you can try either tightening or loosening the cable a bit more. There's a barrel screw on the cable for that. What you're doing is aligning the amount that the cable shortens with each shift, with the space between the cogs, because it can be off. If you keep track of which way you twist the barrel screw and how much, it's easy to backtrack to the original position.
Don't adjust the small screws marked H and L. They demarcate the outer positions of the derailleur, and don't affect the shifting as such.
If you shift at the bars but nothing happens at the rear derailleur or it shifts later, chances are something is causing the cable to stick or be slow.
Ok, thanks. I'll work with the barrel adjusters when I get home. I see them on the bars.
I think I need to go to the bike maintenance classes at REI for awhile. I still don't know how to change a tire/tube.