Rear Derailleur cable issue

woodenbox
woodenbox Posts: 3
edited June 2014 in Workshop
Hi,

I've been having some shifting problems with my rear derailleur (shimano) which I attempted to fix yesterday. However, after tinkering with it I managed to loosen the tension in the cable and the cable is no longer becoming taut. There is quite a bit of give in the cable along the frame. The end result is that now shifting gears from the handle bars does nothing to the rear derailleur.

Adjusting the barrel adjusters doesn't change anything either right now.

Is this something that can be fixed (by getting a new cable for instance)?

Will pictures be useful for identifying the problem?

Comments

  • arlowood
    arlowood Posts: 2,561
    Sounds like your rear deraillleur cable is snagged somewhere along its length.

    Undo the cable at the rear mech. Make sure you have clicked the inner paddle on the STI all the way as if you were engaging highest gear (smallest cog on cassette) then grip the inner cable with some pliers and pull until it is taught. If you can, spray some lubricant in and around all the ferrules on the cable outers as well as in and around the STI itself.

    Screw the barrel adjuster on the rear mech all the way in (clockwise). Re - attach the inner cable and re-index the gears as in the following video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ

    Hopefully this will cure the problem unless the inner cable has frayed - in which case you will need to replace it.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Last 2 occasions when my 105 indexing went awry it was because the RH shifter cable was fraying inside the shifter. (quite common apparently) Second time I left it so long it actually snapped. Fortunately both times I was able to retrieve the frayed remains and install a new cable; I've read about shifters becoming jammed, and £2 for a new cable suddenly becomes £££ unreasonable for new shifters.
  • lapavoni10
    lapavoni10 Posts: 146
    If the cable runs under the bottom bracket thats the first place I would look. Its probably run out of the guides and got stuck there.
  • woodenbox
    woodenbox Posts: 3
    Thanks everyone. I went to replace the cable and the wire had frayed inside the shifter as well as the outer housing having been frayed. Have replaced that now.
  • florerider
    florerider Posts: 1,112
    Had the same problem with fraying in the shifter too. Spent ages checking the cables etc outside of the shifter and re-indexed many times, but missed this until it broke. The only place it had frayed was in the shifter.

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