Bicycle Mechanics - derailuer adjustment question

Did the MS gran prix today. I finished top 10 with the Cat 4's and I'll find out tomorrow my ranking in the juniors...it was a photofinish. Anyways... juniors have to have a 52 chainring while I have a 53. Fortunately they are letting it slide but I have to fix it before tomorrow. So to pass the roullout I'm going to run nothing more than a 53-14. I have a 11-21 cassette and need to know how to adjust the derailuer so that the last few cogs below a 14 aren't in use. How do I do this? I know there are some high/low adjustors but where and how? Pictures would be nice :-p but I need this solved by tonight.

THANKS!!!


I have no idea what your original thread title had to do with anything, so i changed it.

Chances are you can do the job with just a screwdriver, though a workstand would be nice. Basically you are going to turn the high llimit screw in to the point that you can't shift past the 14 T cog. The limit screws are a pair of small screws side by side on the derailleur body. The High limit screw should be marked H. You can probably get it adjusted pretty close by eyeballing the pulley cage as you tighten the screw. When the cage is parallel to the 14 T cog, you're close. Then make small adjustments to see that you don't shift past the 14, or have trouble shifting onto it.

There's good info here:

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQrindx.shtml

Here:

http://www.bikeforums.net/barnettes/barnetts_ch32.pdf

And here:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

Good luck.

If you don't have a stand to do this on, this way might be easier. Shift the bike into the 14t, then screw the H screw in while watching the der closely. When you see the der just start to move stop and back off the screw an eighth to a quarter turn. Then test ride to confirm.

P.S. You may have a problem getting the limit this far in, the der screw will only push two maybe three cog widths.