Improving shifting performance
 

Apologies for cross-posting to the touring thread but I'm not getting many responses there. Anyway, here's the situation: I can't seem to get my shifting dialed in perfectly. I'm using Dura Ace barcons, a Deore long-gauge derailleur, a Sugino triple crank (46-36-26), and a wide range 9sp cassette in the back (11-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32). Now, it shifts pretty well, BUT no matter how much I adjust it, I can't get ALL the gears to shift crisply. If I tighten the derailleur a bit, one gear won't click in properly; if I loosen it a bit, the previous gear is okay, but a different gear won't go smoothly. BTW, I'm alking about gears right in the middle of the cassette, not extreme cross-gears or at either end of the cassette.

By way of comparison, my go-fast bike with 9sp 105 brifters and a 105 RD is smooth as butter and has been since a tune-up 2 years ago a month after I bought it. I want my touring bike to be as smooth. Is this impossible? Just what you have to deal with with a triple crank and such a wide range cassette? What can I do to get this sucker smooth? I'm willing to change some parts if need be. The dude at the LBS says that my barcons (Road use) aren't really made to go with this derailleur (MTB use) and so it might not be possible to get it perfectly dialled in. Is he right? What would be the cheapest/best way to get this fixed?

BTW, I tried turning the little ring on the barcon to friction mode, but it still clicks as if it's in index mode, albeit it does seem to allow for some friction-y fine tuning. It's still not that great in a couple gears, though.

Any help most appreciated!

Tom in Osaka

Check your shift cables. I know you have long casings making lots of turns under the tape! First thing to do is check the casing where it was cut and remove the burr if it has one as this will cause drag and poor shifting even with short casings. Next you need to lube the casings. Drop by your local Wal-Mart automotive area and find a spray can of Super TECH white grease. Make sure it has the straw still taped to the side of the can. Remove the cables from the casings. On the shifter ends of the casings insert about 1/4" of the straw and squirt in some white grease. Have your cable ready to put back in the casing right after you squirt the grease in. You don't need to thread it through the shifter yet. You want the cable soaking up the liquid grease before it congeals as well as pushing it down those long, curving casings under the tape. After a few moments the grease will congeal and you can remove it and thread it through the shifter. Do all the casings along the cable run the same way. You will be surprised at how much better the cables slide inside the casings!

Long cage derailleurs are a little slower to shift than a short cage version. Triple fronts aren't always as easy to setup as doubles. Barcons have longer cable runs with lots of curves. So you have those things to contend with. I would check your cables and housing to make sure everything is smoothly routed, without kinks or burrs. I prefer a dry chain lube on my cables as opposed to grease, YMMV.

Sometimes the problem could be with the cassette cogs themselves (could be tolerance, wear, etc.)

Your Dura Ace rear derailleur is rated to handle a 27T maximum rear cog. You can violate this limit by a tooth or so but a 32T big cog is really pushing it. An MTB rear derailleur would be more suitable.

Maybe he should try a Deore long cage.

If you changed the thread title by one letter, my answer would be more fiber in your diet.

/I need to grow up. :(

Please read before posting. He has a Deore long cage rear derailleur. The Dura Ace parts are the Barcon shifters.

Maybe I should read the OP a little closer before I answer. :) I saw the Dura Ace shifters and didn't read the rest carefully enough. Sorry.

Like others, I would guess that the problem is in the cables. Make sure your runs are smooth and have no tight radius bends. Maybe put a few drops of tri-flow on the cables to lube them up.

First off, the Dura-Ace 9-speed barends work with all Shimano MTB rear derailers. The BS guy was BS'n you :-) It's the Dura-Ace 6-, 7- and 8-speed shifters that are incompatible (although there are ways to get them to work).

Things to check...

1) When I bought a pair of Shimano 7-speed indexed barends, they came with a little curved plastic sliver installed that made the levers pull enough cable for indexing 6-speed. I had to remove it to get 7-speed.

2) Check your cable attachement at the rear derailer. Incorrect attachment can cause the derailer to move to much per shift.

Also check to see if your derailer hanger is bent.

What kind of chain and cassette?

Thanks everybody for the tips. I really appreciate the ideas. I'm going to try checking and lubing the cables.
Miamijim, the chain is SRAM, don't know what kind of cassette. It came with the XT hub, so possibly XT, but maybe not. The finish on the cassette looks more LX-ish than XT to me, but I'm not sure. Is there anyway to find out by looking at it?

Thanks, all.

Tom in Osaka

Is it Shimano?

Remember....Ford parts dont work well on Chevy's...(try a Shimano chain)

Nonsense! The SRAM chain is not a problem. Shimano chains are not necessary for good performance on Shimano cogs. Installing a new chain will have zero effect whatsoever. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Shimano would like you to believe that SRAM chains won't work as well as their own on their equipment, but this is bogus. I and many other cyclists prefer SRAM chains to Shimano. We certainly wouldn't if they didn't work on Shimano equipment!

I would check the cables. If you can't get it right, set the shifter and derailer to the smallest cog, detach the cable from the derailer, turn the adjusting barrel on the derailer all the way to the right, then re-attach the cable. Adjust the derailer until the chain runs smoothly on that gear. Everything should then work fine all the way out to the big cog. If this doesn't work, you may want to consider some changes to your cable routing (and new cables and housing).

I strongly prefer SRAM chains. They perform better than Shimano, and those chain pins are dreadful of the Shimanos. Good to see another Amherst person on-line. Sadly, I think I saw a rider down in a car collision today at the corner of Snell and S. Pleasant. Police were on scene. Hear anything?

Again, just want to say thanks to everyone for all the helpful comments and suggestions! I'll post and let you know how it goes after I play with the cables. Probably won't get to it until the weekend, though. I'm sure you'll all be waiting on pins and needles :-)

Tom in Osaka

Just a quick update for those who may be interested. Last weekend after doing my usual drivetrain clean and lube, I also lubed the cables. It has helped a LOT. It's still not 100% perfect, but it's pretty close. Thanks for the tips, everyone. I knew this was something that you're supposed to do, but I didn't realize how much of a difference it can make... especially when you haven't done it even once since you bought the bike a year ago in spite of long commutes 3-4 times/wk, a few short tours, and much rain riding. Thanks again!
Tom in Osaka