Help needed with indexing

The Big Cheese

Right. having a massive mare with my SRAM X0 indexing (compared to my XTR - no jokes please!!!)

Limit screws are set as per the manual.

B-Screw is set as per the manual (approx 6mm)

Middle chainring.

Starting off at smallest cog. the first click of the shifter and it jumps to third sprocket, missing the seconf. Shifting is all over the place, I get the 3 smallest cogs right, then the large cogs fook up and vice versa!!!!

Now I know this is a cable tension issue. BUT my question is this:

What direction does the barrel adjuster tightern and release (assuming clockwise is towards the rear of the bike and counter is away from the front of the bike (side view of the rear shifter from cable end) as Im getting this wrong I know I am.....

what should it be in before tightening the cable. Fully wound in or out????

Help please

What should

supersonic

Anticlockwise increases tension - as little as a quarter turn can make a difference.

nicklouse

un screwing the adjuster adds tension.

you have to much.

supersonic

From the other post:

You just posted this lol!

Make sure that the chain can still drop to the smallest rear cog from the second smallest with no cable tension (to add tension to test, pull on the exposed gear cable to shift). If it can, turn the H stop in an eighth turn. Repeat until it will NOT drop back, then back it off again until it drops in cleanly with no rattles. Your H stop is now set correctly.

I set the barrel adjuster usually in the middle, or 2/3rds screwed in.

The Big Cheese

well, have been fettling, and my barrel adjuster is fully clockwise, I cannot release anymore tension and the chain still wants to shift too far up towards the largest cog.

Wasn't this bad on my XTR

Have I pulled the cable too tight with the pliers into the mech?

supersonic

You could have done - very likely - but have you set the H stop as above?

The Big Cheese

TBH it kind of confused me (tricky over the tinterweb)

release the cable from the mech?

supersonic

No loosen it so that the tension is slack with the bolt.

When you pull on the inner cable with your hand and turn the pedals, it will shift down. Let go of the cable and it will drop back to the H stop with no tension. This is what you are judging.

When you have it right, pull the cable through quite tight. (make sure shifter is in the right gear).

Now index.

The Big Cheese

Right, without complicating things (I am at the 'cup of tea to calm down' stage.

I am standing at the drive side if the bike that is in the stand. Side on.

I loosed all cables off/took up the slack and stretch, did what you told me and it kept returning to the smallest cog, so I am assuming the H-Stop has been correctly set. From the back of the bike it is in line with smallest sprocket.

I then loosed off all of the cables, then turned the barrell adjuster all the way clockwise. Then gave it a couple of turns anti clockwise to give me room to fine tune.

Reconnected the cable to the rear mech, taught but not too tight, just tight enough so there is no slack in the cable.

Small cog, middle chainring. Turn pedals, jumps to 3rd cog. Now is that too much tension causing the chain to want to jump up the cog? If so, if I turn the adjuster anti-clockwise in 1.4 turn increments it should make it stop?

Sorry about this, my XTR indexed itself!!!!

supersonic

Even 1/8th turns!

If it is jumping to the 3rd largest, you don't want to add tension!
Clockwise reduces tension.

Also check the cable is routed correctly

supersonic

Oh it shouldn't jump with no cable tension or not having changed gear.

nicklouse

align the mech over the small cog (H). attach cable adjust tension till right.

then when it is all correct you can set the L stop.

where should the adjuster be? it depends if you add to much tension or dont.

The Big Cheese

Right, that was a royal pain in the harris, I did someting and then something else didn't work so went around in circles to the point when I nearly threw £3k out the window - seriously!!!

UPDATE:

Started from scratch,

All shift OK (albeit the jockey wheels are making a chatter and I cant stop them doing so, especially the bottom one!)

Shifts from the smallest cog up to the 7th no problem. However, jumps from 7 til 9 and is not sure what one it wasnt to go on to, however, my adjuster is fully clockwise and won't go anny further so I can add any slack.

Ideas?

nicklouse

you have too much tension if it will not go to the smallest cog. re clamp the cable.

77ric

mech hanger?

last time i indexed my x9 rear, i had exactly the same issue, 1-7 sweet as fook, then it would jump from 7 right to 9 just skipping over 8. i gave up and took it to the lbs, i informed the mechanic and he checked the mech hanger, it was every so slightly bent. looked straight to the eye, fixed that and reindexed bingo first time.

The Big Cheese

77ric wrote:

mech hanger?

last time i indexed my x9 rear, i had exactly the same issue, 1-7 sweet as fook, then it would jump from 7 right to 9 just skipping over 8. i gave up and took it to the lbs, i informed the mechanic and he checked the mech hanger, it was every so slightly bent. looked straight to the eye, fixed that and reindexed bingo first time.

I bloody hope not, its only had one ride from new, and I was very carful on the ride, road and XC light. The XTR shifted fine. The SRAM has been a bugger.

Shifts lovely from smallest cog to 7th , then when try to get it into 8 it goes to the largest cog. And as I mentioned above, there is no more in the barrel adjuster to slacken it.

I didn't even pull the cable tight into the mech to clamp, average.

Weird, normally once you have set the stops and the B-screw, it all falls into place.

Gonna come back to it tomorrow with a fresh head

nicklouse

do you have the wire on the right side of the mounting stud?

also i am not sure of your terminology.

9th small cog, 1st big cog.

the above seems that you are calling the second biggest cog 8th.

Shifts lovely from smallest cog to 7th , then when try to get it into 8 it goes to the largest cog

The Big Cheese

Think I've got it arse about face :oops:

I'm starting off on the smallest cog, and working my way up to the largest cog.

Shifts fine up until the 3rd largest cog, when I try to shift to 2nd largest cog, it hovers above it then decides it wants to go to the largest.

:?

EDIT: yes nick, it's in the right position (cable)

nicklouse

TBH it does sound like the wire is wrong.

The Big Cheese

*sigh* :?

Im mentally knackered because of this and as you say it's probably something really easy. Tomorrow I shall revisit,

One more question, when I chopped the excess cable off, I left 40mm. Is that OK. Shimano say 30mm, but there was no indication on the SRAM webby (or I just didn't see it) - I dont like to leave it too long, but long enough to be able to get some pliers to.

nicklouse

i always leave enough.

what is enough?

Oh and Sram is as easy as any to set up. if not easier as the poor adjustments are not as important due to the ratios.

ok my how to.

check the grove next-door to the binding post wire goes there.

fit cable. operate trigger needs tension to move up? add tension. maybe move it up the block stop pedalling shift down to make slack. take up some slack. test again adjust.

top 1st screw does not matter as the position is tension related it only stops over shifts.

so important.

9th (small cog) stop screw. then tension and finally the top (1st) screw to stop over shifts.


but the most important is the position of the wire.

but start again tomorrow.

The Big Cheese

Cheers Nick - been a great help, shall hopefully nail it tomorrow.

Thats what I get for doing it late at night!

Im shattered !

nicklouse

Mmm Beer.

The Big Cheese

Mmmm Bed (for me)

tri-sexual

hey mr cheese, looking forward to seeing the marin finished
you've spent alot of hours playing with the indexing
have a break and try again tomorrow

as a last resort take it to a bike shop who can probably set it up for you in half an hour, saves you lots of stress and fine tune the whole bike for you
you can then go out and enjoy it

nicklouse

1/2hour! on a bad day.

supersonic

Hehe, usually takes me a couple of mins, but nick and I have probably done thousands!

nicklouse

rapid rise shimano always take a bit longer.

as i always start the wrong way around.

supersonic

Lol, yeah, I do that too!

Though luckily haven't had (personally) a RR mech since 2006. Thank god.

nicklouse

LOL last one i had (personally) was ´98ish.

and this new shadow! it loves spokes.

supersonic

I love SHimano. But feck me, some of it IS sh1t.