Is it the derailleur or is it me?

[Cindyloo]

I have a Trek 1000 WSD with the Shimano Tiagra rear derailleur. I have taken it back to the LBS twice to get it adjusted and it STILL is sluggish and messed up. Is it just the nature of the Tiagra? The rear clinkety-clanks on the high and low end. The front I have to hold way too long for it to kick in. My DH encourages me to "half shift" but I nudge and it does not help. He said there is no way for the derailleurs to be dialed in across all the gears but I think that is BS! I don't like being on rides and the bike sounding like it is going to fall apart!

So.....is it time to upgrade, change mechanics, or learn how to shift? I have read reviews of the Tiagra and they are not flattering. Is the Ultegra that much different that the 105? Thanks for any advice!

[weathergal]

I'm not the most mechanically inclined, but what chainring are you in when you get the clinkety-clank from the rear? Sometimes I get that when I'm in the smallest chainring in front and I shift the rear derailleur "up", or to the smaller cogs, which is approaching cross-chaining.

As for Tiagra derailleurs themselves, I have one also, and yes, they are not high-end. It should work fairly decently though. Mine will usually shift when I want it to, and not skip unless something else on my bike is out of whack. I've had more problems with my front (Sora) derailleur, which often falls off the chainring when I try to shift.

Sorry, that probably wasn't too much help.

[DebW]

I'd suggest taking your bike to a different LBS for adjustment, or perhaps read up on derailleur adjustment at the ParkTool web site and give it a try yourself. Make sure that your cables are well-greased and running freely and smoothly. I haven't worked on Tiagra myself, but this sounds like mostly an adjustment issue. Though do avoid cross-gearing (see the other thread here) because those will always be noisy and cause extra wear on your drivetrain. Your front derailleur will make better shifts from inside to outside if your are on an outer rear cog, and from outside to inside if you are on a middle rear cog - it's just the nature of the chain angles. It's also a complication of indexing the gears that the chainline isn't going to be quite right on the rear sprocket in all 3 chainrings. The outer 1 or 2 cogs should only be used with the largest chainring, the middle cogs with the middle or outer chainring, and the inner cogs with the middle or small inner chainring. You have to learn to accept these limitations. But within these limitations you should be able to get reasonable shifting and no clinkety-clanks and no big time delays. If the shifters work poorly when you follow the above advice on which gear combinations and shifts to avoid, find a new mechanic.

[7rider]

I figure you have a triple on this bike?
If your chain is in the "big" ring in front, you should generally not have it on the big ring in back.
If you have it on the small ring in front, don't put it on the small ring in back.
These gear combinations put too much of a bend in your chain.. which generally doesn't like to bend in that direction. That bending can lead to clattering. That *may* be some of your issue. If that's where you find the most racket, adjust your gear positions accordingly.
Also. as your DH suggests, you can "feather" your STI shifting by half-shifting the derailleur that's making the noise. Sometimes if your gear combinations are okay, that helps to quiet things down.
As for Tiagra vs. Ultegra...Ultegra's like 4 steps up over Tiagra. Ultegra is nearly top-of-the-line Shimano (one step lower than Dura-Ace). I've heard folks say that the best performance for dollar value in the Shimano line is at the 105 level. Above that, you get lighter stuff, but the cost goes up quickly and the performance from the components doesn't go up as quickly to match.

[Cindyloo]

Thanks ladies, great advice as usual! I do have a triple on this bike. Now I understand that it isn't the adjustment across all gears that may be the issue but the chain angle. This is the case in some instances but in the middle front ring and easier 3 rear gears it was making noise. So I think it is a combination of user error and questionable mechanic . I am going out to the silver comet trail tomorrow and will work through the gears to pinpoint the problem better. I would love to learn how to make adjustments myself so I will definitely check out the park tool website. I'm not afraid of a little grease!

[LynneK]

I had a similar problem when I bought a new bike after riding for 18 years on a Nishiki 12-gear triathlon bike with first-generation index shifting. Having three front rings messed with my head and made me worry that I was doing damage to the chain. Then my LBS guys threw the bike up on the rack and showed me how to trim the gears.

The idea is much like what your husband suggested, but I find that I have to do more than a nudge (my components are Shimano 105), and it took me a little while to get comfortable with doing it out on a ride. One thing I've found is that once I've trimmed once in one direction, I can't trim again in that same direction -- if I try it'll do a full shift. So I've adapted to having to re-shift quickly if I accidentally do a full shift.

I'd suggest asking your LBS to put your bike on rollers, let you ride, and show you how to trim your gears. I think it's the kind of thing that is easiest to learn by experience.

BTW, DebW has a great definition of gear trimming in this post:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showp...1&postcount=10

[Cindyloo]

LynneK, this weekend I did just as you suggested and had an experienced rider go through crosschaining and nudging the front derailleur. It helped me tremendously this weekend on a 40 miler. A little knowledge and practice goes a long way! I still have my eye on the 105 though!