Originally Posted by soni_guin
Mine sticks in cold weather, so it's time to tear it apart and re-lube it (or is it time to throw the Trek out... err.. ebay it.. and get a Real bike..lol)
Are there any tricks/traps I should know about before I attack with the hex wrenches?
A VxGT derailleur. Tourists used to like them because, if you had one, you didn't have to bring along a mallet for pounding tent stakes into hard clay. That's a sturdy derailleur.
Grab the bottom of the cage and try to wiggle it laterally. If you can feel a significant amount of play, it's probably dead. If it still feels reasonably tight, and friction shifters will overcome a pretty sloppy derailleur, just clean it up the best that you can. When it comes time to lubricate all of the pivots just remember that it's impossible not to put on too much. Put the tiniest dot of lube that you can manage on each pivot, let it sit for 1/2 hour or so, then try to wipe off all of the lube that you just put on with a dry rag.