Chaging gears problem

chris_newton

Hi all

I am really new to bikes and i have just bought a mountain bike, i have a few problems with it, the main one is gears. Sorry if this is going to sound really basic but i am new to all this bike stuff. The gears on the left handle bar goes from 1 to 3 and the ones on the right goes from 1 to 6.

When i change the ones on the right its fine and it changes fine. However if i try to change the one on the left from 2 to 1 it makes a hell of a noise and wont change, sometimes it does but most times itdoes not, it makes a really rattling noise and is quite loud.

When i first got bike it was fine for a few weeks and this has only just started?

Anyone go any ideas?

Thanks all for all yourr help

Chris

Shadowduck

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of cycling!

Sounds like your front derailer (gear-change-mechanism-thingy) needs adjustment. If it seemed ok at first, there's a fair chance something's a bit loose and it's drifted as you've ridden.

Have a look at what Sheldon Brown has to say about the setup, and ask back if you're not sure. While you're there, it's probably worth you having a look at some of Sheldon's other articles, he's a mine of information!

whyamihere

Very simple. The gear cable to the front mech's stretched. You need to wind the barrel adjuster on the shifter out a bit until the problem stops. If there isn't a barrel adjuster on your shifter, you'll have to pull the cable tighter at the actual mech. An easy way to get the required tension in the cable is to shift into the smallest chainring, release the cable, then pull the mech out slightly towards the middle ring, just a few millimetres, before tightening the cable bolt again. The mech will move back to its orignal position, but pull the cable tight as well.

chris_newton

whyamihere wrote:

Very simple. The gear cable to the front mech's stretched. You need to wind the barrel adjuster on the shifter out a bit until the problem stops. If there isn't a barrel adjuster on your shifter, you'll have to pull the cable tighter at the actual mech. An easy way to get the required tension in the cable is to shift into the smallest chainring, release the cable, then pull the mech out slightly towards the middle ring, just a few millimetres, before tightening the cable bolt again. The mech will move back to its orignal position, but pull the cable tight as well.

Many thanks for all ur replies, can u just elaborate on that a bit? sorry i really am new to all this, when you saywind the barrel adjuster on the shifter, where is this? and when u say pull the cable at the actual mech, again where is this lol

Sorry to sound dumb.

and thanks to shadow to for his reply how do i adjust the front derailer, i think this might be out of my league this lol

Thanks tho for advice

Chris

whyamihere

On the gear shifter on the left of your bar, there may be something which looks similar to this: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=8620

This is the barrel adjuster. Just just need to turn it until the shifting works correctly.

The mech is the device next to your crank arms, which pushes the chain. It will look something like this: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=3407

If you inspect the mech, you'll find the bolt which clamps the cable to the mech, it's this which you need to loosen in order to pull the cable tight.

It may be best for you to take it to a bike shop this time however, but ask to watch while they adjust it so you know what to do next time If you go in when the shop's quiet, mid morning on a weekday for example, this shouldn't be a problem.

Shadowduck

Would you really expect a gear cable to stretch so quickly, whyamihere? Not to say it wouldn't, I've just always thought of that as being something which happens over months rather than weeks. I was kind of assuming this was a Halfords special - my Darling Wifey's Apollo MTB had a lot of loose bits when she picked it up, including the front mech.

Anyway, whyamihere gives excellent advice, Chris. If (when) you get more addicted to cycling it may be a good idea to take a basic maintenance course so you can keep your bike in good fettle yourself, but none of it's all that complicated really - you'll soon pick it up one way or the other.

whyamihere

I'm also assuming it's a Halfords special, so I'm also assuming the setup wasn't spectacular to begin with. Only a relatively small amount of stretch would be required to make it stop working properly if it's not really there to begin with.

supersonic

Park Tools has the best front mech set up guide IMHO.

As above, will be a combo of factors - not a good set up to start, and the cables 'stretching' causing the tension to be reduced.