I actually ordered up a new jockey/Centeron-G pulley and received it today. I didn't even have to compare it next to the old one. The old one had waaaaaay too much play in it. Apparently I was not very good (as in never) about keeping the derailleur pulleys clean and oiled. I'll put on the new cassette, chain and pulley and I'm expecting the bike will shift like it was new. And I plan to be much better about maintenance
Cheers....
Originally Posted by
stephr1
Kimmo,
Thanks for the input. I'll go back and double check things, but given the age of this derailleur setup (Alivio, 1999), I wonder if the way Shimano got the "play" back then was thru the diameter difference between the I.D of the pulley and O.D. of the bushing. I know the Centeron-G you speak of...I can see that embossed on the original "loose"/upper pulley. I don't remember either of the new pulleys having any reference to Centeron-G. I do remember one time that I pulled the original pulleys to clean them, put them back on swapped and found there was a width difference which caused one of the pulleys to bind.
Since you were kind enough to chime in, I have another question re: cassette "wobble". If I lift the tires off the ground and spin the rear tire so that it's not engaging the freehub (i.e. coasting, so to speak) I can notice a very slight wobble in the cassette and looks to coincide with wheel revolution. It's most obvious on the low (28T) gear and is prob'ly <1/8" total back and forth movement (on that gear). It's barely perceptible (if at all) on the 7th gear cog (which is where my chain skip has been occurring). I checked the axle and it's straight. Any thoughts on whether this is a bearing issue (recent greasing showed bearings and race in good shape and bearings all accounted for). I'm wondering if somehow a few spokes came loose and the hub is somehow misaligned...
Thanks again for the help....Steph
BTW - How are things in your hemisphere of the world? You must be getting near your winter. I visited eastern OZ (and NZ) over a decade ago and loved it (Spent a day in Melbourne before heading over to camp on Tasmania). Want to get back someday to see the western 1/2.