Improve a deore rear mech with a new shifter?

bluechair84

My girl is struggling to get her head around the rear cassette that sometimes doesn't shift into place needing a few extra clicks. It doesn't help that when we first got her bike I cocked up the alignement on the mech a few times and she can't really tell the difference between it needing another click and it being out of alignment.
Well its set up all fine now but I want to fix it's random non shift that is driving her mad. I reasoned that it was because the Deore stuff was designed to work with 7,8, and 9 speed so it's non shift is when it is searching for an inbetween cog (its a 9 cassette). So it must be the amount of cable pulled at the shifter - so if i replace the shifter for an LX model will it be solved? Or do I need a course in how to turn screws?

nicklouse

changing to an LX shifter will only solve any problems if the means of fitting it remove any problem parts like dirty inner wires or poor outers.

the LX shifter will have no effect on a poorly set up rear mech.

Save your cash and get the current set up sorted correctly.

Prowlus

get a sram system . Far better at shifting than any shimano one

bluechair84

The rear mech is now set up correctly.
But am I right in thinking that the Deore rear mech and shifters are designed to work across the range of cassette types, and that replacing the shifter will make the mech shift purposefully along a 9 speed cassette instead of it searching for gears that don't exist?
I shalln't be changing to Sram - been a Shimy all my riding life, and If I change to Sram on the girls bike and treat her as the guinea pig whilst I figure it out she won't be happy! If I ever change to Sram it'll be on my bike first so I can see how it feels. But it is an interesting idea...
I'll strip the cables before the next ride too and see how that changes the shift.

bluechair84

Saying this - Nicklouse, do you think that Deore should be shifting first time to each gear and that I need another go at setting it up? The system will run in each gear fine, just some of the middle gears need some more clicks than normal to get the chain up.

supersonic

I agree with nick, the shifter is not the problem here - it is set up and cables. Strip the cables out, clean or replace, then set up from scratch.

SRAM 'far' better than Shimano?! In your opinion lol.

nicklouse

bluechair84 wrote:

The rear mech is now set up correctly.
But am I right in thinking that the Deore rear mech and shifters are designed to work across the range of cassette types, and that replacing the shifter will make the mech shift purposefully along a 9 speed cassette instead of it searching for gears that don't exist?
.

rear mechs are dumb they only do what they are told to do by the shifter.

as long as the shifter is the same number of gears as the cassette and the chain is also for the same speed any compatible mech will work. (not sram).

if the rear mech is set up correctly (as you say) then you have other problems.

outers that are too short. stiff links, incompatible parts, dirty cables..............

bluechair84

I'll get some new inners and outers then and see if that cures it. It's had a lot of use and they may very well need sorting out. When it's done i'll let you know how it went.
Cheers for your responses guys

Splasher

Daft as it sounds, in addition to what's ben said above, make sure your rear mech is attached securely - a loose attachement bolt causes play which causes mis-shifts.

Having changed your cables and checked our mech, are you confident you know how to set up the limit screws and indexing?

bluechair84

I should be able to, I've been riding for years and years and have built three different bikes from scratch... But I won't pretend to be a know-it-all (I still put my lower headset bearings in upside down and have to buy a new race each time...). Like I say, when it is in gear it runs smoothly. I still have a suspision that the shifter is pulling through a different amount of cable needed for 9 speed so that it can accomodate 7 or 8 speed. It's a process of elimination now before I try an LX shifter. But yes I'll double check the alignment of the mech and have a good nosey. Thanks

tjm

I still have a suspision that the shifter is pulling through a different amount of cable needed for 9 speed so that it can accomodate 7 or 8 speed.

in what way does the shifter accomodate 7 or 8 speed? I've never come accross a multi-purpose shifter - they are either 7 speed, or 8 speed or 9 speed but not a combination.
(at least the case with my 8 speed deore and 9 speed deore shifters).

sc999cs

bluechair84 wrote:

I still have a suspision that the shifter is pulling through a different amount of cable needed for 9 speed so that it can accomodate 7 or 8 speed.

I just looked at CRC website and shifters seem to be for a particular speed, i.e. a nine speed shifter is designed to work with a nine speed cassette only. Does your girlfriend have a really old grip shift (did these ever come in Deore?) because I believe these were friction shifters, but for normal trigger shifters then they will be indexed.

supersonic

A 9speed shifter will not owrk on anything but 9 speed. If you are running it on an 8 or 7 speed cassette you have found your problem.

bluechair84

Nine speed cassette, deore shifter, all original equipment on a year old bike. But I thought that Deore was Shinamo's Universal groupset and could be used with a range of cassettes. All other models are dedicated to a particular number of gears - though I might be wrong. I'll have a look on the Shim website if I get a chance and see if it says anything about deore being universal.

Splasher

Deore shifters are designed for a fixed number of gears just like every other shifter. If the shifters, cassette and chain came with the bike then it's all 9 speed.

nicklouse

bluechair84 wrote:

Nine speed cassette, deore shifter, all original equipment on a year old bike. But I thought that Deore was Shinamo's Universal groupset and could be used with a range of cassettes. All other models are dedicated to a particular number of gears - though I might be wrong. I'll have a look on the Shim website if I get a chance and see if it says anything about deore being universal.

Deore 9spd shifters are for 9spd ONLY

rear mechs are dumb and can be used with any cassette.

Like i said. shifter chain and cassette all HAVE to be for the SAME number of gears ot you WILL have problems.

So the shifter is it a 9spd one? the chain is it a 9spd one? as you say the cassette is.

bluechair84

Ah alright, in which case i'd best get started with the 'how to tighten a screw' lessons. I'd do all the regular stuff like check nothing's bent and replace inners and outers.