fender1

Hi,
I am riding a an old Trek TX 500 frame bike and it came with the above mentioned rear derailluer. The bike has a triple 50/40/28 on it and When I shift to the big ring the the first and second gear seem to rub somewhere ie a lot of noise. Also it is very difficult to get into the small ring. I seem to have to do a lot of shifting and playing around to get it into the small ring. The bike has suntour bar end ****ers, moustache bars and the shift/brake cables are non-areo. I took it to the LBS where they had done some service (for things I did not have tools for bb etc.) and was told the derailluer could not be adjusted any further becuase the chainstays are too long? This seems completely wrong to me. Is it possible that the derailluer is bent and if so how could I tell? Thanks for your help!

CV-6 

Not sure what you are saying here. Are you referring to the two small cogs on the freewheel? If you are referring to the two large cogs, then the problem is chainline. You should not ride in that combination but use one of the two smaller front chainrings in combination with the larger cogs to get the gear you want.

Are you referring to the front small chain ring? This sounds like front derailleur adjustment. If you have not done so before, you may want to consider replacing your derailleur cable and adjusting. I guess it may be possible that the front derailleur may not have the capacity for the triple. Did it come on the bike?

I get the impression you do not like the Suntour barcons. If the system is not properly adjusted, they can be a PITA. As for the chainstays too long....first time I ever heard that line. Is this poor shifting situation a recent development or has it been that way since you got the bike? This sounds like adjustment to me.

fender1

Thanks CV-6. No I really like the barcons. I really love the whole bike, I have just never ridden a triple. I was riding an internal hub bike previously and there are no chainline issues. (that I am aware of) The front rerailluer is a Suntour Mountech(?) It would seem that the bike was set up for touring so that is why I was questioning the gearing issues. I was unawre of the chainline issues. All of the cables were replaced (Shifter and brakes) so maybe it is an adjustmnet that needs to be done. As I am writing this I remembered that when I received the bike (it came via UPS ) the rear drop out on the drive side of the bike had been bent closed a bit in shipping so that the rear wheel would not slide in. I (gently)opened it up. How can you determine if therre is a bend if it is not easily seen?

CV-6 

The drive side rear drop bent may account for your problem, but I don't think so in this case. There is a way to check alignment of the derailleur hanger, but that requires a special tool. Before I did that, I would pursue adjusting the derailleurs. As for the chainline, just think smaller front ring(s) to the larger rear cogs and larger front ring to the smaller rear cogs. Most of the time the middle front ring can use all the rear cogs. One thing to check might be the actual chainline and you can pretty much eyeball it. If you have a six speed rear freewheel, the space between cogs three and four should line up with the middle front chain ring when viewed from straight behind the freewheel. If it is a five, cog three should align with the center front ring. Another eyeball check is to take a look at how the derailleur pulleys line up with one of the cogs. They should all be in the same plane.

I burns me that bike shop you went to was too lazy to even try to help. I would be looking for a new bike shop if I were you. I am surprised they did not try to sell you a new bike.

cudak888 

Thought I'd put these two cents in:

Your LBS' excuse is both ridiculous, and indirectly funny (read=stupid), for a longer chainstay length would actually improve chainline by reducing the Y-axis offset of the chain.

I dare say that a recumbent (ducks for tomatoes), for instance, will have a slightly better chainline then most VLWs, and, let's say, a 10-speed musclebike with 20" wheels and very short chainstays will have chronic front derailer/chain contact. (This is probably why you haven't seen 14 or 21 speed BMX bikes at X-Mart, or anywhere else for that matter.)

Of course, the slop in the chain of the recumbent might still make a racket. They ought to design a special derailer for recumbents with an exceptionally strong pulley cage spring. Heck, this might help to alliviate chain-skip problems on Shimano Hyperglide freewheels...

Take care,

-Kurt

fender1

Yeah, I am looking for a new LBS but more importantly I bought a Park tools manual teach myself to do my own repairs. Thanks for the insight I will investigate and try to adjust myself. Worst case it would go to a bike shop anyway, I just might learn something. Also the funny thing is they have tried to sell me a new bike previously but when this Trek showed up they stopped bugging me. In fact I have had 3 of the sales people on differnt ocassions tell me what a "cool" bike it is. (They were all born after the Trek was built) I even had customers who were with sales peole inquire where they could get a bike "like that green one" (my Trek!) I think I bother them now because I always ask for something they don't stock. (cloth bar tape, small blinkie light, bell etc.) And while I appreciate the new bikes (technology etc.) they don't move me (no pun intended!) the same way my "old" bike does. Also i commute to work on my bike and while I love it dearly, see it as form of transportation/art. They tend to see bike (in my opinion ) in a very macho/bragging rights/ I can kick your butt kind of way. Different philosophies i guess. So with the help of the bike forum folks I am moving on an and continuitng to do my own thing. Thanks ALL!!!!

CV-6 

Parks book is a good investment. Let us know how it all goes.