Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Indexing is unlikely to work well mixing Suntour index with a Shimano derailleur, but it should be easy to make friction mode work very well.
I've read differently, specifically for 6 or 7 speed Shimano, not modern/quality stuff. But, as you say, if I get friction to work smoothly, I'll deal with it.
Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Usually this is simply a matter of dialing in the adjustments, including the often misunderstood "B-screw" which sets the height of the RD.
I'll be a monkey's uncle if the p.o.s. RD-TZ30
has a "B" screw. I was looking for it since Sheldon Brown and others reference it; and since the problem seems to be tension/height related. The $5.00 OEM part does not have a ready way to remove the plastic housing and seems likely to break if forced. Will try to find a part diagram for the thing.
As far as the hanger goes, it seems as square as I can tell with a small steel square. The bend was in the pulley hanger. I've got it so that there is about 1mm or less of misalignment between the jockey and idler. Using my friend parallax, I can ensure that they are both straight in the front-back/up-down plane. Obviously I can ensure with the cable adjuster that one or the other is exactly aligned with the relevant cog, just not quite both.
When the bike is hanging, I can friction shift through all the gears, though the difference between the lower three cogs is very small -- requires finesse on the shift lever. When actually riding, even if not really pedalling enough to maintain speed, the shifts are useless.
However, you're starting out with a handicap because you had a bent derailleur, likely installed on a bent hanger. So you'll need to make sure these are resolved before wasting time trying to adjust. Start by carefully eyeballing the idler cage, and checking with a straight edge, to make sure it's straight and the pulleys are on the same plane with no twist or misalignment between them. Next shift to a gear combination where the idler cage is close to vertical. Place a straight edge (yardstick or broom handle) vertical against the rear wheel, then stand behind the bike and eyeball to see if the cage is parallel to the wheel. You can repeat the same test in the horizontal plane (likely requires a friend to hold things for you), but it's harder to get a well alignd view, so do the best you can.
With the RD reasonably aligned, you should be able to get some semblance of reasonable shifting in friction mode if you follow the tutorial.[/QUOTE]