new to the forum, just started riding to work on a daily basis. Situation- when i shift gears there seems to be a lag between the input and the actual shift. I will attempt to shift while pedaling and nothing, then click and clank it jumps into gear. I have had to shift, stop pedaling, and start pedaling again to not get the jarring shift. I am assuming the cable is stretched but am not sure. I ride on the road which is flat, it is an older GF wahoo (2005 ish). Looking for some advice, am familiar with tools and would rather learn to fix than pay to fix. Thanks...........

Tighten the cable just a bit.

1. Shift onto your smallest cog - then feel the shift cable. In this shift position the cable should feel taut but not tight. It's not too uncommon for the shift cable to be so loose that it's a whole gear off. If that's the case, disconnect it from the derailleur and reattach it so it's taut.

2. Shift just 1 gear and see if it shifts up. If it doesn't, tighten the cable with a barrel adjuster 1/4 turn. Try it again and tighten again if necessary. Once the indexing is right for the 1 to 2 shift, it will usually shift the remaining gears one-at-a-time crisply.

3. If it doesn't shift across the whole cassette crisply, your derailleur hanger is probably misaligned. You're probably going to have to take it to a shop with a gauge to fix that.