Rear Derailleur shifting issues
 

I have a Salsa Vaya with Shimano Deore, 9-Speed, Long Cage rear deralleur, Microshift Bar-End shifter (indexed), and a 9-Speed 11-34 clog. My high and low limit screws are good but if I get the smaller gears shifting good, the larger gears don't line up correct with the chain and it creates noise, If I adjust the barrel screws to add or remove some tension in the shifting cable, I can get the larger gears to run smooth, but then the smaller gears don't align that great with the chain and derailer. Any suggestions? I do not have any issues getting the rear derailleur shifting good and I am pretty good at getting the derailleurs aligned and shifting well. It is almost like this bike the indexing is not correct for the rear clog.

1. Check dish of rear wheel. If off, correct.
2. Install rear wheel such that it is centered between the chain stays.
3. Use derailleur hanger tool to align derailleur hanger parallel to wheel AND frame.

By doing the above - you eliminate a "ghost" in your rear shifting troubleshooting process.

=8-)

Too many people try to resolve shifting issues while ignoring the derailleur hanger and rear wheel dish.

=8-)

Have your bike shop throw a hanger-alignment gauge on there. That's the first thing I would check, with those symptoms.

Will take it by the bike shop and let them check it out. I have never used a hanger-alignment gauge. I this something I should learn to use or is it something that only is needed like every couple of years?

They probably wouldn't charge much at the LBS, and the tool is at least $40. There was a thread here about making your own? http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Alignment-Tool

I use mine a lot more than I ever expected, but then I'm a bit of a bike geek with several bikes and always a project going on of some sort. Just today I rehabbed some kid's Mongoose. Sightly bent hangers are actually the #1 shifting problem that I see.

How does wheel dish affect shifting when it has no effect on the relative position of chain/cassette?

LBS mechanics have two ways to do it:

A. 1/2 hour $35.00 tuneup way is to center the wheel in the stays WITHOUT checking dish - and align derailleur hanger against the wheel.

Pros = quick, dirty, and works...so long as that wheel stays there centered UNTOUCHED from there on out.

Cons = it's the wrong way to do it because while the hanger is aligned against the wheel - it may not be aligned in parallel with the frame. Also, non-linear loads may be applied to the axle lending to failure. Furthermore when an off-dish wheel is centered in the stays - it negatively impact bicycle handling - as two tracks are created instead of one resulting a tendency for the bike to "lean" to one side.



B. 1-2 hour tune-up in the $50.00 - $100.00 range.

Check dish of the wheel, center wheel in the the stays, align hanger parallel to the WHEEL AND TO THE FRAME

Pros = The right way to do it - anytime the wheel is replaced with a new wheel also properly dished - NO hanger alignment issues occur. An off dish wheel when installed will be self-apparent calling for correction. Also, when both front and rear wheels are properly dished - the wheels cannot be blamed for handling issue in the bicycle as a whole.

Cons = A lot more work as the wheel dishing consumes 10-15 minutes time, the hanger alignment another 5-10 minutes time.


More importantly, though, when you center a rear wheel that is OFF DISH - the freewheel / cassette is no longer operating in parallel with the frame. Depending upon the chain position - the chain will now unnecessarily hit the cog at an angle that introduces more wear than what typically would occur - this will be evident by a slight increase in noise.

The important thing to remember overall is that 99.99 percent of the bicycle frames we ride are built around a centerline. Everything on that frame operates on center with the frame centerline - or in parallel to it.

Rims, hubs, bottom brackets, headsets, seatposts, saddles and bars operate on the centerline. Cranksets, pedals, derailleurs, drum brakes, and disc rotors operate in parallel. Ensuring that they do so promotes the best operating efficiency for your bicycle whether it be handling, shifting, or chain wear.

=8-)

The first thing I'd check is how it shifts when you manually assist the derailleur against cable friction.