- Skipping or badly performing gears
are a terrible thing to have.
The game of gear roulette when you shift a lever
and hoping the chain goes onto the correct sprocket
can be a frustrating thing.
So let's solve those gearing problems.
(futuristic music)
Now in the setup we're looking at today,
it's operated by a Bowden cable.
The cable starts in the shift lever
and is held in place there by a small barrel-shaped end
that sits within a ratchet mechanism.
It then finishes at the derailleur,
where it's clamped in place.
So when you move a shift lever, the cable,
which is connected to a ratchet system
within the lever, it allows the cable to travel
a predetermined amount, which then correspondingly
moves the rear derailleur the same distance
as the gap between the adjacent cassette sprockets.
Firstly, let's look at the limit screws,
as these play a part in the complete setup.
They do the job of controlling the lateral limit
of the rear derailleur.
The H screw is the adjustment for the highest gearing
of the cassette, so this sprocket here,
and the L screw sets how far the derailleur can move
in this direction.
Ideally, these screws want to be adjusted
so the chain doesn't go further than the lowest
or highest sprockets.
A great way of checking your limit screws
are set up correctly is to unclamp the gear cable
and whilst turning the cranks with one hand,
push the derailleur inwards slowly with the other hand
and check to make sure the derailleur
can go into the lowest sprocket but importantly,
not overshoot that sprocket and into the spokes,
as that can be both dangerous as well as costly.
Having to replace both the rear derailleur
as well as any spokes.
If the derailleur has difficulty going onto the lowest
sprocket, then loosen the L screw slightly
until the derailleur can go into it.
You wanna have it so the upper pulley wheel
of the rear derailleur is directly beneath the sprocket.
And on the flip side, if you don't touch
the rear derailleur and allow it to find its way
into the highest gear, have a look from behind
and see where the upper pulley wheel is.
Too far to the right of the highest sprocket
when you look at it from behind, you'll need to gently
screw the H screw in to bring it back
directly underneath the sprocket.
And if the upper pulley is too far to the left
of the sprocket, then slowly unscrew the H screw.
It's important here to not tighten or untighten
these screws too much, as they don't need massive amounts
of adjustment to move the derailleur.
Okay, now those limits are set.
Gently pull on the gear cable and ensure that your gear
lever thinks that you are in the highest gear.
So click the lever all the way in.
We're now going to turn the barrel adjuster
on the rear derailleur all the way in
to the rear derailleur.
Then undo it between 1 1/2 or two turns.
Then, pull the cable through the clamp
and make sure it has some tension behind it,
but not a crazy high amount, also not too loose,
and then tighten it in place.
Give the pedals a spin.
It should stay in the highest sprocket.
If it's moving onto an easier one,
then undo the clamp and make sure there is less tension
on the cable.
Happy?
Okay, then let's start turning the pedals again,
and at the same time, change into a lower or easier gear,
and you'll notice that the derailleur
is moving inwards slightly.
If you're really lucky, then the gear has engaged.
But that's not actually gonna be that likely.
What you will need to do is continue to turn the pedals,
look at the gearing from behind,
and check where the upper pulley is.
If it's not quite engaging with the next sprocket,
then turn the barrel adjuster outwards,
therefore applying more tension onto the cable
until it does engage and go into place.
And importantly, no rattly sounds.
You want the chain to be perfectly central
with the sprocket.
If the chain was too far to the inside of the bike,
then you can gently screw the barrel adjuster
in a bit to reduce the tension, meaning it will happily sit
on that sprocket better.
Right, now we should be all nice and quiet
and no rattling.
Then simply go through the gears
and make sure they're working as they should,
one click, one gear change.
Now, there are, of course, a couple of other things
that can affect the gear indexing.
So cleanliness.
Make sure the cables are nice and clean.
A big culprit here on many bikes
is under the bottom bracket, 'cause that can get
absolutely caked in road debris.
And also have a look to make sure the cables
are not kinked in any way, as well as misrouted.
This can create big problems.
An out of line mech hanger, that can be a real pain,
as can a worn-out drive train.
And finally, if all of this isn't solving it,
think about changing your actual cables,
because fresh inner and outer cables
can make the world of difference.
All right, I do hope you've enjoyed these tips
on how to index your gears just that little bit better
to give you perfect bike riding.
Let me know, though, your tips for indexing gears
down there in the comments section,
and also remember to like and share this with your friends.
Share it with someone whose gears are always rattling
and making an awful sound on those group rides.
Don't forget, check out the GCN shop
at shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com.
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