Shifting problem

[OakLeaf]

Okay. Try just tightening the cable and I bet that'll solve your problem.

You ought to have a barrel adjuster on the cable housing. Likely it's integrated into your shifter perch. Possibly it splits the housing near the shifter.

Shift into your small chainring to take the maximum tension off the cable. Feel the cable near the FD, is there a little slack in it? There shouldn't be. It should be taut but not super tight. Turn the barrel adjuster in the direction that lengthens the housing until all slack is removed from the cable and any further tightening moves the derailleur. If it isn't obvious which direction that is, turn the adjuster in each direction with a finger on the cable to find which way makes it tighter and which way makes it looser.

Once you've taken all the slack out of the cable, stay in your small chainring, but trim it one click to the up-side, and shift to your small cassette cog. Cross-chaining - you wouldn't do this on the road, but to tweak the derailleur adjustment you need to. Is it rubbing? If so, continue to turn the adjuster until it no longer rubs.

Now leave your RD in the highest gear, shift up into your big chainring, trim it so it's in its farthest outside position, and make sure the FD isn't rubbing there. If it is, tighten the cable a little bit more. (The cable will already be very tight here. Since you have finger/hand strength issues, you may need to shift the FD back down to the small chainring to be able to turn the adjuster. If that's the case, just turn it about half a turn, shift back up to the big ring and see if that took care of it.)

Go up and down through the gears both front and back to check the adjustment in all positions. If all seems good, you're done.

[Catrin]

Cool! I will try tonight - or tomorrow night if I get home too late tonight (alarm goes off at 4am).

Thanks - and will report back here when I've done this.

[Catrin]

Oakleaf -

I followed your directions and noted a good amount of slack in the cable on the FD side of the bike. The OTHER side was even looser but I left it alone. When I had removed the noise in the first step I cross-chained it in the granny gear and did not notice any noise.

Then I shifted into the big gear and found that the cable was looser and rubbing the FD so am continuing to tighten it. The other cable is now more taut than the one on the DR side and I cannot seem to get the cable tighter than it is. Indeed, even with a lot of tightening it does not seem to be significantly tighter - though the cable on the other side is. Does that make sense?

I will have the guys at my LBS check it Friday when I pick up my new saddle

[OakLeaf]

Um.

What's the second cable?

The one I was talking about was the one in the pictures on this page.

It's possible your high limit screw is too close, keeping your FD from moving as far from the frame as it needs to when you're in the big ring, if tightening the cable isn't having any effect on that end. I wouldn't have expected the LBS to get that wrong, but it's possible. The page I linked to also has instructions for setting the limiter screws. It's also possible that you're at the limit of your barrel adjuster and you're just turning the loose end inside the housing, in which case the cable will need to be re-positioned in the clamp (again - which would be strange).

Anyway, I think you made progress? and learned something about your bike? and it isn't worse so you can still ride to the LBS? if so, good.

[Catrin]

Um.

What's the second cable?

The one I was talking about was the one in the pictures on this page.

It's possible your high limit screw is too close, keeping your FD from moving as far from the frame as it needs to when you're in the big ring, if tightening the cable isn't having any effect on that end. I wouldn't have expected the LBS to get that wrong, but it's possible. The page I linked to also has instructions for setting the limiter screws. It's also possible that you're at the limit of your barrel adjuster and you're just turning the loose end inside the housing, in which case the cable will need to be re-positioned in the clamp (again - which would be strange).

Anyway, I think you made progress? and learned something about your bike? and it isn't worse so you can still ride to the LBS? if so, good.

Ummm, I thought you were talking about the barrel adjuster on the cable - I have seen them adjust it when dealing with my FD. There are two of these on either side....I only adjusted one of them.

I hope I didn't mess anything up I do tend to forge ahead sometimes - but I am certainly learning more about my bike I think it is better in the granny gear - though not in the middle...my fingers may not be strong enough.

[OakLeaf]

That looks like the correct adjuster (as long as it's the cable that goes to the FD), but I still don't know which other cable you're talking about?

[Catrin]

Um.

What's the second cable?

The one I was talking about was the one in the pictures on this page.

It's possible your high limit screw is too close, keeping your FD from moving as far from the frame as it needs to when you're in the big ring, if tightening the cable isn't having any effect on that end. I wouldn't have expected the LBS to get that wrong, but it's possible. The page I linked to also has instructions for setting the limiter screws. It's also possible that you're at the limit of your barrel adjuster and you're just turning the loose end inside the housing, in which case the cable will need to be re-positioned in the clamp (again - which would be strange).

Anyway, I think you made progress? and learned something about your bike? and it isn't worse so you can still ride to the LBS? if so, good.

That looks like the correct adjuster (as long as it's the cable that goes to the FD), but I still don't know which other cable you're talking about?

I could not seem to get a good shot of both - but there are two barrel adjusters on both sides of the down tube. I assume the other one goes to the RD? It isn't the brakes - that runs under the TT, so the second one MUST go to the RD.

I turned it upside down and that is indeed the case, one cable (and adjuster) per derailleur. I adjusted the wrong one Let's try this again