phantom shifting

[Dogmama]

OK, I'm nuts. I had a major tune about 400 miles ago. They changed out the rear cog. It was fine for about 100 miles and now it won't stay in a single gear - and shifting is really sloppy - sometimes I get two gears for the price of one shift. It phantom-shifts when 1. it's under a load or 2. it's a bumpy road.

Does anybody have a fix for this? I'm sure it must be a simple adjustment, but I've fiddled with the shift-barrel thing (on the cable next to the front fork) and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Could the back cog be mis-aligned? Or is there another adjustment I'm missing?

Another question - anybody have a really good book on road bike maintenance they can recommend?

[Veronica]

Check the tension spring on the rear derailleur. Sounds like there may not be enough tension on it.

Books - Zen and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance.

V.

[Veronica]

Another thought I had - is the rear wheel tight in the dropouts? We had a similar problem with our tandem and that was the cause.

V.

[pedalfaster]

Did you change your chain when you installed the new cassette?

Did your overhaul include new cables? It might be a simple case of cable stretch. Kind of like a new bike that needs the "30-day check-up". A few simple adjustments (barrel adjusters/possible limit screws...should get you going). Call the shop that did the overhaul.

[Roadrunner]

My husband has a book he likes on bike maintenance.
It's "The Bike Book" by Haynes.
Theres a phone no. for up to date information on their titles
The American no. I believe is (805) 498-6703.
They also have an e-mail address
www.haynes.co.uk
Hope this is helpful.
Margaret

[Irulan]

make sure the rear derailleur hanger isn't bent. Also, new cables will stretch.

~I

[spazzdog]

Take it back to the shop that did the tune-up. Usually they'll do re-adjustments for free if you've recently paid for a tune-up...

and do purchace Zen and the Art of Bike Maintenance. It's a great reference.