Rear derailleur confusion here
#28
don't try this at home.
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Each limit screw touches part of the derailleur body to prevent it from moving farther. In your photo, with the chain on the biggest cog , one of the two screw's points will be touching or close to the corresponding spot on the derailleur body, while the other one has a big gap. Shifted to the smallest cog (the High limit), now that other screw will be close or touching, and the one for the biggest cog (the Low limit) will have a big gap.
The advice to follow the Park Tool Repair Guide is really helpful -- I like that it starts from scratch, with essentially no prior knowledge needed, and works through the derailleur alignments step by step.
The advice to follow the Park Tool Repair Guide is really helpful -- I like that it starts from scratch, with essentially no prior knowledge needed, and works through the derailleur alignments step by step.
#29
don't try this at home.
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Which side the cable goes at the clamping bolt is critical!
Years ago, I unknowingly clamped my Campagnolo 10 speed derailleur cable on the wrong side of the bolt. That difference in cable angle was enough to throw off the shifting. I could get either the top half or bottom half of the cog to shift cleanly, while the other half was very noisy. It took me a lot of wasted troubleshooting to figure it out -- after I noticed the correct clamping on a new bike at the bike store.
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#30
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Is it just me or does that dropout look bent open?
#31
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think it might be the lack of hanger?
Also the fact both the high limit & low limit screws are at the extreme outboard end of their travel suggests to me the mount point is bent inwards or maybe it’s a symptom of the wheel not being fully in the dropout on that side.
Also the fact both the high limit & low limit screws are at the extreme outboard end of their travel suggests to me the mount point is bent inwards or maybe it’s a symptom of the wheel not being fully in the dropout on that side.
#32
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Do these older derailleurs have a groove in the clamp faces that the bolt holds together? The cable fits into the groove. That's a good clue on newer derailleurs.
Which side the cable goes at the clamping bolt is critical!
Years ago, I unknowingly clamped my Campagnolo 10 speed derailleur cable on the wrong side of the bolt. That difference in cable angle was enough to throw off the shifting. I could get either the top half or bottom half of the cog to shift cleanly, while the other half was very noisy. It took me a lot of wasted troubleshooting to figure it out -- after I noticed the correct clamping on a new bike at the bike store.
Which side the cable goes at the clamping bolt is critical!
Years ago, I unknowingly clamped my Campagnolo 10 speed derailleur cable on the wrong side of the bolt. That difference in cable angle was enough to throw off the shifting. I could get either the top half or bottom half of the cog to shift cleanly, while the other half was very noisy. It took me a lot of wasted troubleshooting to figure it out -- after I noticed the correct clamping on a new bike at the bike store.
#33
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Move the derailleur in and out while looking at the threaded ends of the adjusting screws - the one that gets closer to the stop tab when you push the derailleur in is the low limit screw.
The floor is in focus, the derailleur isn't. Probably not easy to see on a small screen.Focus is fine in that one, but the cable clamp looks incorrectly positioned.
The floor is in focus, the derailleur isn't. Probably not easy to see on a small screen.Focus is fine in that one, but the cable clamp looks incorrectly positioned.
the Cable Housing is a couple inches too short, though.... meh, it'll work for now..
Last edited by maddog34; 09-21-23 at 02:37 AM.
#34
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Maybe there's enough wrong with the bike to justify buying a new one!
And this time...try to take care of it.
And this time...try to take care of it.
#38
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except the Cable is EXACTLY where it Should Be in the pic... I have an STX RD sitting here on the desk, and a few more in the bin, plus three on bikes here....The Cable is Routed Correctly.
the Cable Housing is a couple inches too short, though.... meh, it'll work for now..
the Cable Housing is a couple inches too short, though.... meh, it'll work for now..
#39
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There really isn't another cable-and-clamp configuration that makes sense here.
For what it's worth, I have this shifting a 7-speed cassette with a Suntour 8-speed indexed thumb shifter and it shifts well.
#40
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#41
I'm good to go!
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I wouldn't claim the drop out as bent until seeing it with the wheel out. vertical drops usually are intended for the axle to be fully inserted in them. This axles does not appear to be fully inserted as noted by some others. So possibly it's hiding the edge that is parallel to the other.
The cassette is a CS-HG30-81. Which I think is a 32T on the biggest cog. I wonder if the OP swapped cassettes and is outside the specs and tried to make it work by not putting the wheel all the way in the drop? Haven't looked up the specs for that RD. Just wildly guessing though as we all do sometimes. Maybe it'll make the OP give additional info though.
The cassette is a CS-HG30-81. Which I think is a 32T on the biggest cog. I wonder if the OP swapped cassettes and is outside the specs and tried to make it work by not putting the wheel all the way in the drop? Haven't looked up the specs for that RD. Just wildly guessing though as we all do sometimes. Maybe it'll make the OP give additional info though.
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#42
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I think the cable is routed correctly. Here are a few pictures of an STX on my Trek 750.


There really isn't another cable-and-clamp configuration that makes sense here.
For what it's worth, I have this shifting a 7-speed cassette with a Suntour 8-speed indexed thumb shifter and it shifts well.


There really isn't another cable-and-clamp configuration that makes sense here.
For what it's worth, I have this shifting a 7-speed cassette with a Suntour 8-speed indexed thumb shifter and it shifts well.
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I usually just put it in a low gear, click up several gears without pedaling, so the chain holds the derailleur and the cable is slack. Then you can pull the cable with nothing more than a finger and thumb. If you pull too much you can slacken the pinch bolt and let the derailleur pull it back.
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Rotate the anti-rotation tab 90 degrees in either direction, whichever way it locates properly. The cable shouldn't be trapped by the tab, just held in the groove on the derailleur arm. That's just general advice, there may be exceptions (I'm thinking of some old Simplex derailleurs, I'm sure there are more).
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Rotate the anti-rotation tab 90 degrees in either direction, whichever way it locates properly. The cable shouldn't be trapped by the tab, just held in the groove on the derailleur arm. That's just general advice, there may be exceptions (I'm thinking of some old Simplex derailleurs, I'm sure there are more).
juntjoo has this cable routed correctly.



Last edited by hokiefyd; 09-21-23 at 12:53 PM.
#48
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The plate with the tab will not clock 90 degrees to either direction. The cable is designed to be trapped between the tab and the bolt threads. I have a picture below of the serrations on the derailleur body (inboard of the cinch bolt), the serrations on the plate, parallel with and next to the tab, and an image showing how the plate won't turn 90 degrees and still clamp on the derailleur. If you look closely, the washer plate has a non-circular center hole, which actually matches the bolt with a non-circular shaft. The plate can be rotated 180 degrees on the bolt, but not 90 degrees.
It's actually not an anti-rotation tab in this case...the shape of the bolt shaft and nut keep that plate from spinning -- not the tab itself.
juntjoo has this cable routed correctly.



It's actually not an anti-rotation tab in this case...the shape of the bolt shaft and nut keep that plate from spinning -- not the tab itself.
juntjoo has this cable routed correctly.



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How often am I ever wrong about this kind of thing?


See the tab? Image search is your friend.
Last edited by Kontact; 09-21-23 at 01:28 PM.
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Shimano have several different styles of cinch bolts on the STX line of deraillers. I have two of them. One as pictured on the Trek 750 and one matching what is more commonly seen in an image search (my picture below). Critically, it's not correct to route the cable to the outside of the bolt, with either style.
With the style of cinch bolt and plate juntjoo has, the cable is routed correctly.
With the style of cinch bolt and plate juntjoo has, the cable is routed correctly.

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