gear shifter problem
 

Hi everyone.

Been cycling for few years and now with the credit crunch age we are in, I am trying to carry out any repairs myself rather than go along to my local bike repair shop.

My issue is with the gears. Cleaned the whole chain system and now have a rather odd problem. Shifting up is not a problem but when i try to shift down, it sounds and feels like the chain has not shifted over completely and if i wait long enough it seems to slip into place.

The best and quickest way to cure it is if need gear 3 for example is to switch down to 2 and then move up to 3 which is a pain to do all the time.

Your advice is greatly needed and will be hugely appreciated.

you need a simple rear der adjustment. You need to loosen your barrel adjuster a little. Lots of on-line stuff on how to do this. The Park site has pics.

If you're not down-shifting quickly, you actually need to tighten the barrel adjuster if I am thinking correct.

This is a counter-clockwise movement on the rear derailleur....a very easy adjustment and not a major problem. It usually happens as cables stretch over time.

Search for Sheldon Brown's derailleur article - it explains it.

If the problem is that you cannot DOWNshift easily, then you'll need to TIGHTEN that barrel aduster to add a bit more tension to the cable. Turn it so that it backs some threads out from the part its screwed into, try it and repeat if needed. If it starts UPshifting poorly, back it off some.

Where you at Jack? I went to school in Springfield and grew up around the Camdenton area ;).

Sorry for the hijack--

It's worth clarifying terminology on what you'll be doing with the barrel adjuster here. You want to screw the barrel adjuster inwards into the derailer body by turning it clockwise. Hence it's "tightening" (in the sense that this is how you turn any normally-threaded screw or bolt in order to tighten it) but it's also loosening (in the sense that you are taking up less cable after the adjustment).

This assumes that by "shifting up" you mean shifting from a smaller rear cog to a larger rear cog (so a gear that is easier to pedal).

Also note that if you have a Shimano "rapid-rise" rear derailer (in which cable pulls the derailer in the reverse direction) you'll need to reverse the directions given in this thread.

The terminology may be kinda muddled here. I always thought that DOWN shifting was to approach FIRST gear, and the size of gears you'll traverse will get larger, but its still called downshifting and not upshifting. (to me, for like 50 years)

Upshifting is going to a higher gear and is what you do when you speed up.

"To shift to a lower gear: larger cog on the rear, smaller chainring on the front"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...f&aql=&aqi=&oq=

Its not just the chain that has to be clean but also the shifter cables (inner and outer). What gear shift system do you have (Grip shifters, trigger shifters etc)? When you are shifting down, do you mean shifting into an easier pedalling gear or shifting onto smaller cogs?

It's always best to say shifting to smaller or larger cogs rather than up or down, so there is not confusion. If shifting to smaller cogs hesitates, it's either a cable friction problem or the cable tension is too high.

Full spec of the bike I am riding is linked below

http://www.konabikes.co.uk/2008/dew/dew.php

Shifters are Shimano EZ-fire shifters and i refer to shifting down as in shifting into an easier gear

Seemed to get the problem after I cleaned the chain and derailer.

just adjusted the barrel adjuster with the thought of "whats the worst that can happen". Tested it and it shifts like a dream again.

Thanks everyone, great help

Just need to get my wheels trued (not a job I fancy doing so getting the experts on that one) and then got a bike in top health again.

Gonna stick around on here as feel you guys will be really handy to have around.

And you'd be correct. An upshift is to a smaller cog in the back.

You are correct, that is a down shift. And to correct your problem you need to shorten (add tension) the rear shift cable by turning the barrel adjuster counter-clockwise a bit.

Al