How come my derailleur is like this?
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
How come my derailleur is like this?

It's in the second to highest gear. Seems kinda high up there no? Haven't ridden it in a while. Was having problems with this derailleur.
Also, anyone know of a video that shows how the adjusting screws work with maybe like a transparent animation? So far I've not been able to figure it out by looking at it or hearing instructions on how to use them. I need something visual that could hopefully show me how the insides of it work.
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#2
Really Old Senior Member
Is it on a chain ring up front? Other than the smallest?
Put it on BIG:BIG and see how much "slack" is in the chain.
You want 1 to 1-1/2" (2 to 3 "half" links). Anything more contributes to the condition shown in your picture.
Put it on BIG:BIG and see how much "slack" is in the chain.
You want 1 to 1-1/2" (2 to 3 "half" links). Anything more contributes to the condition shown in your picture.

#3
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Your chain is too long.
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#4
Senior Member
The chain could be too long but if that chain has been on there a while it may be that the tension spring in the barrel of the derailleur (inside the part where it attaches to the axle) may have broken. When you move the derailleur down (counter clock-wise), does is spring back on its own? You might also check the stop screw to see if it allows the derailleur to rotate too far to the back.
The skewer may need some attention also. Most folks have the lever on the non-drive side of the bike.
The skewer may need some attention also. Most folks have the lever on the non-drive side of the bike.
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Chain looks too long to me.
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Chain is either too long or it's not on a front chainring.
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sure looks there is like a crack in the derailer also
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That *might* be a weird shadow.
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#9
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Thanks guys. I'll be back after order some parts. Lots a mess going on here...
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It is more convenient to have the lever on the left side. However, when I was pulling trailers a lot, I put my levers to the right so they wouldn't interfere with the trailer (after breaking a lever 15 miles from home and the nearby sporting goods store said they could order a new one for me in a couple of weeks).
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I would put some oil on the chain and all derailleur pivots, it looks very dry. That's where I would start. It could be your bike had a longer caged rd before the one that's on there now. The chain may be have an extra link. If your chain is long you can also set via small to small and remove links until there is no drag at the rd cage.
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I suspect that the chain wasn’t sized when installed. It looks like it was just taken out of the box and installed, especially considering that the bike is in the second smallest gear. Here’s how to size the chain properly.
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Days of Wineless Roads. Bed and Breakfasting along the KATY
Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
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#15
Senior Member
FWIW: based on the photo, I think the OPs RD may be this one (or another STX/Alvivo RD from the same time frame):
https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.a...108&AbsPos=588
If it's the RD-MC32, here's the EV and SI (SI is common to several STX and Alvivo RDs):
EV: https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/ev/RD...MC32-1466B.pdf
SI: https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/si/00...001-00-ENG.pdf
Hope these help.
https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.a...108&AbsPos=588
If it's the RD-MC32, here's the EV and SI (SI is common to several STX and Alvivo RDs):
EV: https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/ev/RD...MC32-1466B.pdf
SI: https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/si/00...001-00-ENG.pdf
Hope these help.