Ghost shifting ....

the phantom pieman
the phantom pieman Posts: 165
edited February 2011 in MTB workshop & tech
My Orange Patriot has always suffered from ghost shifting
It's not the shifters , I've changed them
Nor the cables - as I changed them
Nor the chainset - as I have changed that

So it could be the XT rear changer or the chain ... are either of those likely?
Or do I need goretex cables ??

In high gears there are no issues
In low gears in the smaller two chain rings , the chain skips or ghost changes ....
Any ideas

PS doesn't seem to be cable length or routing as I have also played around with those ....
Cotic Soul
Cotic BFe
Cotic Road Rat
Orange Patriot (2006 version)

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    which end is causing the problems? front or rear?

    lean on your saddle with the rear mech on 5 and work the travel through its range. watch the rear mech. does it move? if yes poor cable routing/too short outers.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • the phantom pieman
    the phantom pieman Posts: 165
    It's the rear that is the issue
    Cotic Soul
    Cotic BFe
    Cotic Road Rat
    Orange Patriot (2006 version)
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    nicely edited there :lol:

    Could be indexing.

    Small cogs tend to excentuate even the slightest stiff link more than the bigger cogs.

    How are the teeth on the cassette?
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    the phantom pieman wrote:
    It's the rear that is the issue

    so does it move?
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • the phantom pieman
    the phantom pieman Posts: 165
    Tomorrow
    The young jedi hasn't got there yet !!

    Editing - yeah, thankfully I survived that f***witted comment I made .... :D
    Cotic Soul
    Cotic BFe
    Cotic Road Rat
    Orange Patriot (2006 version)
  • the phantom pieman
    the phantom pieman Posts: 165
    OK, allowing the rear travel to do it;s thing, the rear changer only moves to cope with the geometry change re the sprockets and chain-ring.

    No side to side movement as such - so I guess it isn't that ....

    So what else could be causing the issues?
    Cotic Soul
    Cotic BFe
    Cotic Road Rat
    Orange Patriot (2006 version)
  • cavegiant
    cavegiant Posts: 1,546
    If the bushings are worn on your rear deraliur it would cause that exact issue.

    The reason I know is I had that exact issue, and fixed it with a der swap.

    The new SLX is far better than the old XT, worth it.
    Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?
  • Stu 74
    Stu 74 Posts: 463
    Have you changed both the inner AND outer cables?

    Stu
  • Dan_xz
    Dan_xz Posts: 130
    Check the chain for stiff links - all too easy to overlook!
  • VinceCable
    VinceCable Posts: 21
    is the gear hanger bent? take it off and put on a flat surface - should be zero movement. If there is any movement your gears will never index properley even if you replace everything else. makes a big difference, normally cost about £15 for a replacement
    Remedy 9, Anthem X1
  • the phantom pieman
    the phantom pieman Posts: 165
    Inner cable replaced not the outer. Only cos it's a pain in the arse as it runs through the swing arm
    Will check the hanger and the links ...

    Just off there now !
    Cotic Soul
    Cotic BFe
    Cotic Road Rat
    Orange Patriot (2006 version)
  • the phantom pieman
    the phantom pieman Posts: 165
    Inner cable replaced not the outer. Only cos it's a pain in the arse as it runs through the swing arm
    Will check the hanger and the links ...

    Just off there now !
    Cotic Soul
    Cotic BFe
    Cotic Road Rat
    Orange Patriot (2006 version)
  • SpiCan
    SpiCan Posts: 31
    Does the top jockey wheel move from side to side a bit? If the bearing packs full of rubbish it blocks and it needs to move to fine tune the indexing.
    I remove the jockey wheel and clean it all out, usually gets it.
    Time VXS, Spi Roubaix Elite, Cannondale Caffeine F2,
    S Works Stumpjumper fsr, Dahon folding.
  • Stu 74
    Stu 74 Posts: 463
    the phantom pieman wrote:
    Inner cable replaced not the outer. Only cos it's a pain in the ars* as it runs through the swing arm
    Will check the hanger and the links ...

    Just off there now !

    Just about every time I have had shifting problems it has been the cables. My mate had terrible shifting problems with his bike and tried everything except the outer cables. Guess what it was?

    I use XTR inner and outer cables and replace both the inners and outers at the same time every 6 months.

    I bet you this will fix it!

    Stu
  • the phantom pieman
    the phantom pieman Posts: 165
    Inner and outer now change, shadow XT changer on
    SLX shifters ...

    I just need to wait until it stops snowing now !
    Cotic Soul
    Cotic BFe
    Cotic Road Rat
    Orange Patriot (2006 version)
  • ricardo_smooth
    ricardo_smooth Posts: 1,281
    My fsr xc wouldnt index properly, turned out to be the b tensioner screw needed a tweak
  • edwarj123
    edwarj123 Posts: 11
    It's the most annoying thing for me, ghost shifting, indexing etc. It makes riding so much less enjoyable and for me it's not something I can easily resolve. I'm ok with things that need to be replaced etc but setting the gears up I can never get right myself. i try and change all the different screws, bots, indexing on the triggers etc and can never get it perfect.

    I had major problems in January and it turned out to be the chain and cassette so changed them. Last week I got a branch caught up in the rear and managed to bend the rear hanger slightly, when I took it into the LBS the first thing they noticed was my jockey wheels were knackered, they were like little sharp filed teeth. They replaced the wheels and hanger and set up again and it's as good as new again but how long will it last before something else screws up the smooth changing - there's too many factors involved with gears! :-)

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