babaoriley7

First of all I have to say thank you for your help in the past, I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to fixing up my bike and you guys are a great resource.

I have a new issue that I'm wondering about, I've got a Schwinn Suburban that was in pretty rough shape. I've gotten it to the point where it is really quite ridable but the shifting network needs some additional work. I've done my best to adjust the derailers to the point that they are able to clear both the front gears. Unfortuantely it seems like it doesn't consistantly stay where I last adjusted it. Additionally when I down shift, the cable has a lot of slack. This might not be a problem at least in terms of being able to shift, but I would like to know if this is normal. Thanks in advance for your help.

luker

You must be talking about the front derailleur and shifter? The following applies to both front and rear, mostly...The slackness on return indicates a crudded up cable housing. Best plan is to change it (or them, if there are sections)...if there is no housing, then it is sticking on the guide that turns the cable upward at the point of the bottom bracket (or that little piece of cable at the rear derailleur). The "not staying" problem is a function of the lever. The lever is either 1.) not tight enough at the fastening bolt, 2.) too much grease on the washers inside, or 3.) missing some of the friction parts inside of the lever. I don't have a description of the inside of the shifter, maybe scooper or bob would have that detail?

USAZorro

When the shifter is in the position where the cable is loosest, undo the clamp on the derailleur, pull the cable until it's snug using your hand, and then tighten the clamp down firmly. The clamp should be tight, but a bit short of "gorilla" tight.

If your bike is auto-shifting, it probably means you need to tighten the screws that run into the sides of your shifter at the pivot point. If they're handscrews, just turn them until they're snug. If they require a screwdriver, tighten them until it takes a moderate force to move them. They auto-shift if there's not enough friction. If this doesn't work, it might be that you're missing a piece from inside your shifter.

Other general advice - lubricate your cables. If all else fails, replace them with new ones.

mswantak

Here's another thing to look at; I've been working on a '76 Raleigh Sprite with essentially the same derailleurs as your Suburban. I did all the usual stuff -- cables, stop-screw adjustments -- and I still had one bugaboo left. In shifting from the large to small chainring, the chain would immediately suck up between the two chainrings and jam.

Turned out the plunger on the FD worked fine until the last couple millimeters of travel, whereupon it would continue to retract, but as though it was stuck in molasses. That turned out to be the case; an accumulation of ancient lubricant had built up on the hinge pivots. Once I disassembled and cleaned the FD it worked fine.