Be Excellent To Each Other

Problem....

Rear derailler installed. Shifting works fine when on the stand. However if you go to ride it the gears keep slipping on the rear. It seems the pressure of peddling triggers it into shifting.

Any ideas?

Should just be the adjustment, bit strange you don't notice it (or hear it rattling) on the stand though.

Unless the rear spindle isn't tight, perhaps, check that.

Could a new chain slipping on the worn cassette.

I'm thinking this might be it. The old cassette is fairly worn.

If I try the adjustment which one should I be adjusting? The cable tensioner (assuming there is one as I can't do it from the handlebars)? The up and down limit adjuster seems fine.

I say its fine on the stand. It's makes a little noise but just assumed that was the new chain.

Failing that how do I select the right cassette if I replace it? I have a 9 speed but Wiggle seem to offer several sizes. My existing one is quite worn.

Is the chain slipping or are is it jumping between cogs? If slipping then new gears if not then adjust cable tension. If you need new gears then counting the teeths is probably your best way to pick them. People that know what the hell they're talking about may correct me later though

Chain isn't slipping. It's jumping between cogs, but only under pressure. The harder you pedal the more likely it is to skip if you see what I mean.

If I'd thought I'd have linked you to this last night.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html More info than you'll ever need.

Hmm. The suspect item seems to be the rear cassette which is badly worn. Chain is skipping rather than trying to shift and the bits on the cogs are all over the place and very worn. So off I went again to Halfords when the simpleton behind the counter tried to con me into an 80 quid cassette. When my jaw dropped he went and found the same model but not nickel plated which was nearly half the price.

Now have the cassette + a tool adaptor thing. Can't get the bolt to loosen. Will read up and try again in the morning.

New cassette on. Lucky I held onto my old chain as I needed it + the vice to release the old cassette.

The skipping is now 90% reduced with the new cassette. It now only does it under hard pressure so I'm guessing some tweaking is still needed.

Still not clear if the chain is slipping over worn teeth or if it's changing gear by itself, or both.

Brand new cassette on the rear so all new teeth, new chain and new derailler.

Not sure if it is changing gear or just trying to change gear. Problem is that when it happens you can't see what it's up to.

More adjusting. Now far far better. But it still skips with heavy pressure on hills. So it's still not right.

The chain seems to run smoothy but I can hear an occasional click. Could it be that? Or do I need a shorter chain? It's the same length as the one I took off.

Buy another chain and start again?

Tight link?

No. Checked for that. Found one, loosened it and it was fine.

However reading up on it, it seems narrower cassettes don't like the chains being split and rejoined without you using a special joining piece. So that could be it. I joined it old skool.

Bought extra chain just in case. However got home, had a fiddle and it's now behaving itself without needing an extra chain (still handy to have a spare). Only 2 jump shifts during a 15 mile ride and both were going over big potholes. Perhaps a tensioning issue with the chain? Presumably I could add a little more tension via the derailer spring thingy?

But other than that and the fact i need to tweak the front derailler it was a pleasant ride. The back end of the bike was free from noise and it actually felt easier to ride. I assumed this was in my head but my average speed was far better than it has been for the last month or so. I assume if the rear gearing was running badly it could impact my pace.

To aid the start of my ride I hummed the theme from Terrahawks while riding for the first mile. I believe this helped the new components bed in.

Probably psychologically more than anything. Anyway, glad you got it sorted.

The DHWC finals, live.
http://uk.freecaster.tv/mountainbike/10 ... illiam-gbr

Right, seeing as i've bought a seatpost, some litium grease and all I need now is a hacksaw, it really is time for me to get back into this proeprly. The afternoons are longer, and I (currently) finish at 4pm, so being able to get home and change to be out by half four is looking good. I've found two routes one really close to where I live taking in Baildon moor and one taking in Otley Chevin. The first one I can split into two for post work things, the second I can drive to my friend's house, go riding,and drive back.

I am loving my bike, and might go out for more rides in the evenings now... I just need to get more areo dynamic!

Start shaving everything. *EVERYTHING*

Try getting more Aerodynamic first.

Failing that, Oreodynamic.

i do

Cock.

Goodness, that must have been one hefty chicken to have done that to your wheel. Was it OK?

"I'm walking, I say I'm walking here, boy!"

I spent about an hour cutting down a seatpost so it would fit into the frame, using about half a tub of lithium grease doing so. Once that was done, I pumped the front tyre up using my new foot pump, which was fine. The rear tyre has French valves, so I used the adapter, supplied with the pump which did not work, and it let all the air out. So I had a flat rear tyre. Wanting to use the bike tomorrow, I stuck the spare wheel in (which has the same valves as the front), as it is my 7 speed spare (FIR rim, LX hub, purple nipples retro bike fans) and sorted out the indexing and the brakes. I pumped it up to 50 psi. I then rode down the back garden, which is a few tiered steps and on the bottom step it went BANG! and no more spare wheel. The wheel was from the Proflex. I'm a bit unsure about the front now, to say the least. Hopefully I can save the tyre, hub and nipples. It's cursed, this bike, I swear.

Hungover out of shape twat will attempt 12 miles tomorrow, climbing 850 feet. Will text expletives from the top to MrsA. Getting shitfaced tonight probably not best idea.

How's that working out for ya Mountain Mali?

I had quite a nice ride. My new cycling cardigan is really good, as is the book I got with this route in. It was quite quiet out, too. The first climb was brutal, there's a photo when I'm not even at the top of Baildon Moor, and a second looking back down. I live in the valley, by the canal. The other photo was about half way around, looking towards Leeds. I had a really nice quiet time, and there were no farmyard dogs to chase me, which is an added bonus.

Had a play with a helmetcam the other day. http://vimeo.com/39862673 Looks a lot flatter than IRL and the fun rocks & roots look a bit boring. Weird.

Also, I could do with a better way of fixing it to my lid. That mount's helluva shoogly.

Suggested soundtrack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41X6XeLfZeY

That looks like a really fun run. Lovely scenery. Fair bit faster than I'd go.

I should look into getting a camera thing like that.

Cycled to work for the first time in ages, and the first time I've ridden since getting the bike fully serviced. It's much better - wheels true, no brake rubbing, the groan from the rear axle reduced to a very faint squeak, the gears change accurately and smoothly, the tyres are properly inflated and the chain hardly jumped at all - two minor ones in quick succession on a flat while maintaining speed, five minutes in, then nothing, even when I had to work up a 1:2 incline. It seems a load easier to ride, too - I set off from home in 3/8 and had no trouble, which surprised me.

Well worth the £45, though I think I'm still likely to end up with new cassettes and chain in the near future because the teeth on the front are visibly worn even to me. My own fault for not getting it set up properly from the word go and continuing to ride after the derailleurs misaligned to the point of constant grinding and near-inability to change.

Oh, and yes, I'm knacked from it. Excellent!

My service cost me £78 and included a new cassette and chain. It does go lovely now..

Right, so, what's a GOOD brand of berailleur, because after 4 flat miles these Shimano ones have fucking de-indexed AGAIN, and I've been really careful not to knock them since the service. The money I've spent on this piece of shit would've got me more commutes worth of petrol in the twingo, in less time, with less being knckered and being pisses off at it being fucking aawful.

Aye, it's a good un. The 20-30 minute push is almost as nice as the ride back down. I'll get a video in summer to show you the difference, it gets lovely & wild up there

Not going that fast really, it's only ~0.8 miles long so that'll work out at an average of 21mph.

As for the camera it's one of these things but the prices have went through the roof recently

Shimano or SRAM are both much of a muchness, but if you switched to SRAM you'd need to change your shifters too* so I'd stick with Shimano.

Don't worry too much about knocking them, they can take a bit of a beating.

Learn to adjust the indexing yourself, it only takes a minute & it's a piss easy thing that shops will skin you on. I didnae have a clue how bike gears worked last year & now I could do it with my eyes shut. #indexing">http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjust ... l#indexing
*Pull ratios. Don't worry about it.

Dunno if this is still the case cos I am soooo out of touch with MBs but I get on really well with my current setup, shimano XT 'Mechs' and shifters.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=Shimano+XT&PartnerID=2324&InStockOnly=true&gclid=CPeB8tanra8CFQkRfAodxGO1nA (these guys are pretty good to deal with IMO as well)
I tried XTR and thought they were a bit on the highly strung side and the price! This was what, 8 or so years ago I fitted them (when I worked for a bike shop and got paid in parts) but theyre still going well now, they went out of sync a couple of times but I got the most expensive control cables I could find one year and that seemed to sort them out. did you get new cables? usually they stretch a bit when new and put the sync out but you can sort it by winding out the adjuster knob on the shifter a bit.

yeah and what Wullie said...

XT thumbshifters, LX rear mech. Deore on the front. 8 speed 32-11 on the rear, STX 22,32,42 on the front. I'd kill for lower gearing at present.

All bike stuff is easy after the first time, it looks tricky but once you faff about a bit and use a freezer, hammer and a broomstick to install headraces all is fine.

With mechs you're better off with middle tier stuff, so XT rather than XTR, as the weight savings are negligible and they wear out a helluva lot faster and they're much much pricier to replace so you'll find yourself in a world of pain changing chains every 6-8 weeks if you're riding daily, and cassettes and middle rings on the crank twice a year and derailleurs/rear mechs every 18 months.

If you want to spend money on a bike, the order to spend it, if you're in the situation of not having a £1500 frame is as follows. Buy decent kit that doesn't wear out, so things like wheels, brakes and a headset. A decent set of wheels will be unbreakable unless you're routinely doing >10ft drop offs. Brakes are the same, so buy the best disc brakes that you can afford. Servicing is easy, the only major expense is pads and they last a couple of years with regular riding unless you corrupt them with oil or something. Then a decent headset, which is the bearing mechanism which goes through the head of the frame between the forks and handlebars — buy a decent one like Chris King (yes, they're expensive, but they're guaranteed for 10 years and I've never worn one out) which are literally "fit and forget" as you can transfer them to a new frame.

With the stuff that wears out, like mechs (derailleurs, front and rear), chains, cassettes and cranks, buy middle tier stuff as it's a lot cheaper, lasts much longer and there's fuckall in it weight wise.

Buy decent forks if you can afford it as they do last and they do transform the ride, but go for end of season stuff for big discounts.

On a more pertinent note, if you're bike has been recently serviced the cables stretch a little after a few miles and will knock the indexing out, so first port of call is at either end of the cable where there should be a threaded adjuster screw the cable goes through the middle of both the handlebar/shifter end or the derailleur end. Quarter turns in one direction, ride and try and adjust accordingly — so if it gets worse you're turning the thread in the wrong direction, obviously.

I will want an info dump on disc brakes soon. And wheel building.

I'll try the cable tensioning next time I ride, cheers db. It's got Shimano Altus derailleurs of some sort. Xtr rings a bell, but might be related to the suspension/fork. It's all fine for me except the bastard gears continually going off index, having worn the teeth in no time, and the chain slipping/junping which is much improved since the service.

Wookie: no new cables, no. Didn't realise they had any bearing, beyond the stretching thing.

Wullie: I'll read that. Ta. It came with instructions and they made no sense at all.

That completely batshit mental & amazing Sheldon Broon website & the Park Tools one are pretty much the only repair/maintenance references you'll ever need (unless of course you're stuck without a computer, but bikes are relatively straightforward).

Obviously pulling apart shit like forks is a bit more involved, but that's why they have tech documents on the manufacturers websites.

As I'm not a big woman, what they are riding down is what I rode/pushed up.

Went for a day of coaching at Fort William/Nevis Range downhill* the day. Bloody hard work riding there**, but feeling a whole load more confident so that's money well spent
*If you've never seen it, then it looks a bit like this & no, funnily enough I still can't ride like that
**Especially on knackered forks with 50mm travel instead of their full 170mm! Oops!

I'm seriously considering getting rid of the RTS now. The seatpost problem has reared it's head again, it's fine for downhill, but uphill and along the flat the fact it it too low really shows. To solve it, I could remove it, and then get a shim and a new post, after filing the inside of the seat tube. This'll cost money and I'd rather chuck that towards a second hand hardtail, which'll be lighter and hopefully work 100%. So, I'll be looking at eBay for a bit. The RTS has been a nice experiment in first generation full suspension technology, but ultimately hard to live with on a day by day basis.

Scrub that, I've just come back from quite the fun ride on it.

found those polyurethane bushes today. they're supposed to be for antiroll bar drop links really. and are red if that helps

(that was you asking about them right?)

Red stuff always makes your bike faster!

Oh, yes, please, ta. I won't be able to do much with them until I get the other frame up, mind you.

How many you want? 4? pm me your address and I'll come and peer through your windows at night send them.