Originally Posted by
maddog34
Ahhh, an Old Alivio... it may be worn... that also will bring reluctant shifing up... and down... and variable chain noise...
i'm no fan of that particular chain brand, but they just wear fast, shouldn't cause shift issues when new... get a KMC z71 next time... a bit more money, but MUCH better!
Bell chain is usually flat-sided, other better chains have shifting aids built into the side plates...
do get the Der. hanger checked... if to just keep more from suggesting it.
Inspect the Der. by grabbing and twisting just enough to check the freeplay of each hinge point... they will all have a tiny bit of play, but too much causes trouble.
ALL the pivot points are checked, one by one.... and then overall slop too...
Rollers can be too loose also... they have more play than people think, but TOO much sucks.
So I took the der off the bike and twisted it in all configurations. I especially tried to twist it from the pivot points and rivets. I found to play. It's tight as can be. I did wash the excess oil off with soap/water and dried it with alcohol. it's still free and easy to manipulate, no sticking. I inspected the der carefully and didn't see anything wrong.