Easy Derailleur Repair
- If shifting problems develop quickly, like during a ride, make sure your cassette is free of sticks, grass and mud, and that your back wheel is sitting squarely in ...
- Your chain jumped into the spokes? The hanger may be bent. ...
- Also common: bent links. Spin the crank backward to find the tight or damaged chain section. ...
- Diagnose wear issues by first cleaning the chain, ensuring the hanger is straight and the wheel is fully seated in the drops. Shift the gears. ...
- If stops are correctly tuned and the barrel adjuster won't clean up the shifting, check your cables. ...
- If steps 4 and 5 don't fix your shifting, check the chain and cassette for wear. Worn cassette teeth have a thin profile and hook slightly. ...
How to adjust your rear derailleur?
The many parts of a rear derailleur
- The upper area on the derailleur is the b-knuckle.
- On Shimano and SRAM derailleurs, the b-tension adjuster fine-tunes the height of the guide pulley. ...
- To adjust cable tension, use the barrel adjuster.
- The guide pulley keeps the chain in line as it moves from cog to cog during shifts.
How to install a rear derailleur?
How to install a rear derailleur . We suggest that you wear a pair of safety gloves whilst doing this, as not only can you catch your fingers, but it is also a very messy job. Prep . Step 1 - Using your chain pliers, remove your chain, and set it aside. Step 2 - Remove and dispose of the old rear derailleur.
How to clean and lubricate a rear derailleur?
Maintain Your Rear Derailleur
- Shift to the big chainring and big cog, then loosen the rear derailleur's cable clamp.
- Set the inner limit--or how far the derailleur can travel toward the spokes. ...
- Set the outer limit-or how far the derailleur travels away from the spokes. ...
How to tune a rear derailleur?
Now you can micro-adjust your rear derailleur using the buttons on the shift lever:
- Press shifting button X to move the rear derailleur one step towards the inside (larger sprocket)
- While turning the crank/front chainring keep moving the rear derailleur towards the 4th largest sprocket until it makes a slight noise
- The chain now touches the 4th sprocket. ...
- Press the junction box button until the red LED turns off. ...
What is a rear derailleur?
The rear derailleur is made of pulley wheels, springs and leverage mechanisms that move when pulled by a cable. The derailleur moves inward or outward from the cassette, making the chain move up or down the gear cluster as the wheels and springs keep tension on the chain to maintain its position. The most common derailleurs come from SRAM and Shimano. Each brand of derailleur has its own unique features, but all derailleurs have basically similar designs and means of adjustment.
How to adjust rear derailleur cable?
If your cable is too tight and your barrel adjuster is all the way in, you’ll need to loosen the cable clamp bolt on your rear derailleur and adjust the cable slightly slacker. From there, repeat the shifting steps and adjust your barrel adjuster accordingly if necessary.
How to know if your cable is too tight?
If the chain doesn’t move to the next cog, add tension to the cable. If the chain moves up two or more cogs with one click of the shifter, your cable is too tight.
Do you need to keep your drivetrain clean?
Once your shifting is dialed, go ride! Don’t forget to keep your drivetrain clean and lubed to maximize the life of its components and shifting accuracy.
Can you rebend a bike derailleur?
If your derailleur hanger is bent, you should replace your hanger or take your bike to a local shop. It’s usually okay to re-bend many derailleur hangers into alignment. This is because there is very little stress from riding the bike or shifting gears. As a rule of thumb, if a hanger survives a repair by bending, it will survive use. But there are some hangers that you should just replace; extremely thick hangers and titanium hangers are difficult and sometimes impossible to repair.
Symptoms of a bent derailleur hanger
Shifting is inconsistent across the cassette. The rear derailleur can be tuned to shift quickly and easily between some gears, but it still shifts poorly between others.
Why do derailleur hangers get bent?
The derailleur hanger is a piece of metal that attaches your rear derailleur to the frame. It’s a sacrificial component that bends to save your frame and/or derailleur from catastrophic damage. Hangers usually get bent because:
How to fix a bent derailleur hanger
The proper tool for checking and straightening a bent derailleur hanger is called a derailleur alignment gauge:
Replacing a bent derailleur hanger
If you’ve already bent a hanger multiple times, or you just don’t want to deal with straightening it, you can usually purchase a new hanger. They are inexpensive and easy to replace. You can usually find them by through your bike’s manufacturer, a local shop that carries your bike brand, or hanger retailers like Wheels MFG or Derailleurhanger.com.
