How much should a LBS charge to index my gears?

sm1thson

Dirty (inner) cables mess up indexing. make sure your cables are smooth or its all a wasted effort.

naefearjustbeer

My bike shop does things like this for free, I always offer money but they dont want it But then again I am always in buying new tubes, lube etc so they know my face.

beverick

cooldad wrote:

You will have an adjuster on the shifter.

I agree that you should have an adjuster somewhere along the cable run. However, my road bike (running Shimano 105) doesn't. Once they're set correctly and the cable's "worn in" the gears work fine.

antfly wrote:

It says so in my bike maintenance book, I don't just make this crap up you know. You have to set them right in the first place, with the cable loose.

On the basis of that answer my advice would be to buy a new maintenance book. Indexing between gears is controlled wholly by the shifters. The derailleur does as it is told and has no say in the matter.

As others have said, the only time the limit screws really come into play is when the shifters are releasing cable (changing up on a "top normal" and down on a "low normal").

The 105 rear derailleur on my hack bike works perfectly well in the absence of the bottom limit screw.

moggy82 wrote:

Actually Cooldad,

....both top and bottom gears have a larger amount of pull (on the cable) than the other gears.

Chris

??? I can't see how this is the case, on shimano anyway. The gears are evenly spaced across the block (or chainring on a triple) and, if you take a shifter apart, the ratchet is evenly spaced.

Bob

milfredo

Cooldad is 100% correct.

It is also worth mentioning that you can easily correct indexing while peddling along from the shifter barrel adjuster (which also means that you are putting the drive-train under load).

On level ground peddle in the highest gear (smallest) on the cassette.

Now press your thum gently against the shifter to start to move the gear onto the next highest sproket and you should feel a lack of pressure if the cable is not tight enough (can even change up one to see if the gears actually change up at all but always move back the smallest).

now with you left hand, while still pressing the thum a litte to move up, turn the barrel adjuster or the right shifter AWAY from you (anti-clockwise) to start to tension the cable and you will start to feel this with your thum on the shifter.

Go a little at a time until one click of the shifter moves the gear up onto the next sproket. Check it moves back to the smallest and play about to find the sweet-spot.

Your rear gears are now indexed.

If they don't continue smoothly up the cassette you might have other issues such as bent mech hanger, worn parts etc.

It really is a on-the-trail adjustment and everyone should be able to do it. It's certainly not worth £20, just have a play about!!

antfly

beverick wrote:

cooldad wrote:

You will have an adjuster on the shifter.

I agree that you should have an adjuster somewhere along the cable run. However, my road bike (running Shimano 105) doesn't. Once they're set correctly and the cable's "worn in" the gears work fine.

antfly wrote:

It says so in my bike maintenance book, I don't just make this crap up you know. You have to set them right in the first place, with the cable loose.

On the basis of that answer my advice would be to buy a new maintenance book. Indexing between gears is controlled wholly by the shifters. The derailleur does as it is told and has no say in the matter.

As others have said, the only time the limit screws really come into play is when the shifters are releasing cable (changing up on a "top normal" and down on a "low normal").

The 105 rear derailleur on my hack bike works perfectly well in the absence of the bottom limit screw.

moggy82 wrote:

Actually Cooldad,

....both top and bottom gears have a larger amount of pull (on the cable) than the other gears.

Chris

??? I can't see how this is the case, on shimano anyway. The gears are evenly spaced across the block (or chainring on a triple) and, if you take a shifter apart, the ratchet is evenly spaced.

Bob

I don't need a book to index gears. Like super said the screw sets the reference point for the starting tension.