Here’s my issue. Shifting, specifically, shifting on my rear derailleur. I’m in the classic mode of “two shifts down and one shift up” to be able to get to a larger gear. When I shift to a lower (easier) gear, I have no problem. But when I want to shift into a higher (harder) gear, I get a lag then I get impatient and shift again to get to the gear I wanted in the first place and then I shift back one gear to get everything back up to speed. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure that this is not the way things are supposed to work. My question is: how do I fix this? Is it a cable thing? Is my derailleur worn out? It is about 7 years old now. (I know, I know.) Has its spring lost its sprung? I’ve replaced the pulleys and I have a new chain and I keep my bike pretty clean. So what do you think the problem is? Pictures below.
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The problem isn’t your old shifter, the problem is you.
how old is your cassettte?
My cassette is probably a season old, but I don’t think that’s the issue. There’s no skipping of gears. Just shift lag.
buy a new bike.
it’s your rear derailleur. not even a question. achmed the mechanic.
change the cables and housing, that should probably do it.
7 years makes the derailleur old, but I would bet on the cables/housing first, then on the shifters, if all else fails, then I would look at the derailleur.
seconded.
New bike not an option, sorry.
I would thin NYVC owners would be pimping on the latest and greatest equipment from all the bike advertisers etc. Its like a Ferrari Dealer rolling to work in a Nissan Sentra.
You’d think that, but you’d be wrong.
If I read it here it must be true.
If that pesky hanger isn’t perfectly square with the plane of the wheel, the bike’ll never shift to its potential. In my experience, the hangers of even brand new, megabuck frames are usually a little off. Simple gauge available from Park, etc., checks alignment and allows for corrections via cold working the metal (aka “bending”). Make sure the RD pulleys are in good shape, too. Good luck.
a seven year old derailleur. It’s that it is a seven year old SHIMANO derailleur. Come on Dan…… your soooooooo 90’s. Upgrade to SRAM and join the revolution.
as we like to say in Canada, you fix it by throwing it away.
new cables ans housing should do it.
Your issue sounds like cables and housings. They wear out faster than most people think. Provided that the Hanger is aligned, of course. Install new cables and housings and make sure they are the correct length. Don’t cut them too short trying to save weight. The insignificant savings will be outweighed by the increased friction. If you remove the chain and the derailleur snaps back on its own, then it’s not the der’s fault. Your shifters might be in need of lube also.–Sensei
New cables and housing it is, I will pick up in about a month or so.
have you tried the usual/official SIS adjusting process using rear barrel? if you need a manual i think i might have mine around somewhere and can transscribe it quick. for what it’s worth, i run ~7-8 yr. old (9 spd) dura ace and have the same issue now & then. takes ~5 min fine tuning the adjusting, and after a few twists & turns, it runs perfect & lasts a good long time. new housing, schmousing–you don’t need new stuff–unless it’s never been replaced? even if not, just disconnect the cables & take out the old housing, get some pedro’s syn lube or i use shimnao factory “hypo spitt” (seriously, that’s the name) and use the cool needle-like nozzzle that fits easily inside the housing, and squirt a ton in there. (i do this for both derail’s & brake housing, by the way.) then, stick one end of each piece of housing at end of a floor pump’s presta opening and give it a very short blast to work all the lube thru. reinstall cables & housing, do the quick adj. process, and presto, good as new.
on cross bikes the last little bit of housing before the derailleur tends to collect mud/grit. you might have some salt and road crud in there. try cleaning/lubing or replacing just that part.
Need a cable tension tool … barrel adjusting is a lesson in futility. http://tinyurl.com/9s43ee
Plus new cable and housing.
doubt it’s the derailleur itself. don’t think they ever wear out.
probably just stretched cables.
but if you were in the market for a new gruppo SRAM rival is $900. Compare with the new Dura Ace or Campy record which is thousands $$$. SRAM is light, simple, and works great.
Buy a $900 gruppo instead of buying some cables and housing?
Yes We Can!
Economic stimulus begins right here on NYVC!
is that the same cable i gave you at floyd???
you give me $900, which I use to buy a handful of derailuers, then you get your teammates to give me $900 each which I will use to purchase a bulk of front derailuers, and so on. By the time we cover all of CRCA everyone gets their gruppo at a discount and the profit can be reinvested for next year’s “hot” gruppo. You can’t lose!
Please send the money to:
account#: 1Z234T891T000738888F
c/o Cayman National Bank
Buckingham Square
720 West Bay Road
PO Box 1097
Grand Cayman KY1-1102
CAYMAN ISLANDS
-Anon
Is that account number a UPS tracking number?
here’s my proposal: each of you drop off $900 at my apt. this afternoon (i’m at 64th & park) and i’ll send you one component from a red gruppo each month. in less than a year, you’ll have a full red gruppo at a fraction of the cost of the full group price.
thanks.
–bernie
may even have broken strands. when things get that bad and no amount of adjsuting will fix it that is often the case. replace before it snaps…
uhh….”if” you’re in the market for a new gruppo. Rhetorical, like. Not, “go out and buy a new one”.
the truth is, SRAM sucks.
Really, it sucks. Its just not good. Doesn’t shift as well as the other two, and is much harder to adjust. What’s the point of that double-tap nonsense anyway? If you have it, and you love it, awesome. But if you don’t have it and were thinking of switching, borrow or rent and put at least 200-300 miles on the gruppo before you make a mistake you’ll regret.
I had shimano, now I only ride SRAM. Once you go SRAM, you never go back…
Let’s have a protracted argument over your misinformed opinion. GO!
really?
i have a full season of on a SRAM gruppo, it’s awesome. it has held up fine, even through a crash where the bike landed on the right shifter. It has a more direct, mechanical feel than the others, but I like that. And SRAM a US company if you care about that sort of thing.
nothing wrong with Shimano or Campy, they’re great, but the new stuff is shockingly expensive.
where are sram parts manufactured?
So What did you do to fix the problem and how well did it work?
Not fixed yet, note the crank arm that has been fused to my bottom bracket since mid-summer.
Make sure your limit screws are set properly and then go through the indexing (checking cable tension is part of this process). If you don’t know how to do this look it up on Park Tools website. If the limit screws are set and you’ve indexed properly and the problem still exists then check that your hanger is properly aligned. If the problem still persists then suck it up and take it to your LBS and have a professional mechanic look at it.
quit riding now & drink heavily until spring.
then borrow the single speed english cruiser-style bike from the nun on the run in central park one weekend morning for a crca race, go as hard as you can right from the gun, and throw up in grand fashion–preferably by engineer’s gate so you’ll have a crowd.
lather, rinse, repeat….
a high end derailleur like that should never wear out. Definitly chech to see that your derailleur pulleys are in line with the highest (hardest) gear this is an easy way to make sure your limit screws and derailleur hanger are properly aligned.
I had to replace my record rear after 4 years and 50000 miles. It had slop at the pivot. Just worn out. It was doing exactly what dan is complaining about. Sometimes shift up two, down one. sometimes carry the edge of the chain on the teeth of the gear for a second before dropping down onto the gear. It was like it shifted up when I was down shifting untill it dropped on. Never say never.
when you go to the smaller (harder) sprocket, you actually loosen up the cable. it is the spring of the rear derailleur that pulls the cable. hence, i suggest you look at the following: a – is the cable stuck in its housing? it may need regreasing or replacement; b – if you loosen (turn counterclockwise) the derailleur barrel adjuster by 1/2 turn, did it shift better? c – is the parallelogram spring of your rear derailleur still strong? it may be weak that is why when you release the cable, the derailleur does not move quickly.
old cable guide (at the BB)
cable cuts into the guide over time and it takes a few beats for the cable to loosen (going into a higher gear)..