Rear gear tuning quickie

The good doctor

If when tuning my Campagnolo rear mech I have to turn the barrel adjuster a complete turn or more to make any difference , does this mean the cable itself needs tightening ?

John

litttlestwoo

Not necessarily.

Are you setting up the cable's for the first time, or are you adjusting cables which have been on the bike for a while and have just gone out of tune?

Check all your outer cables, that they are all seated correcctly in the cable stops and mech barrel adjuster. If your cables are old or have been used through the winter they may not be running smoothly inside the outers, replace at least the inner and perhaprs the outer's as well (dependant on age and condition).

It very easy to pull the cable to tight and make very poor shifts to highere gears, you need to be able to adjust the barrel adjuster in both directions, think of it as a fine tuner

Monty Dog

When fitting cables, I fit everything and clamp in place - give the inner a firm pull to 'seat' the outers and then retighten the clamp - you'll find an extra mm of slack that doesn't need to be taken up using the barrel-adjuster.

IME you only need to change cables when they are frayed or kinked - LBS do it just to make money and cables certainly don't stretch. Regular maintenance is to ensure they're clean make sure the open ends of the outers are kept clear. An annual wipe with some chain lube keeps them running free.