Rear Derailleur problems

Lungs94

Ok so I've been having alot of problems with this bike and my basic mechanical knowledge usually gets me out of trouble but with this I'm stumped

So I noticed shifting wasn't clean with my derailleur (Alivio) so I reset everything set the limits, and the shifting was still hesitant, so I loosened the cable to index it to see if that would fix the problem, so I index it put the cable back on and now it's got worse, if I start at the smallest cog the shifter doesn't actually do anything up until the 3rd click?, like the derailleuer won't even move and the shifters feel really loose until the 3rd click, then after the 4th click it gets really stiff?
whats caused this? I've only indexed it? I followed youtube videos properly but everything that happens on those videos don't happen? I've also noticed, when I tried to fit the cable back on, it didn't go back in the same place? like it's harder to pull taught. Now I woke up this morning to check the gears, and the shifter doesn't do anything? like again it's loose then stiff but the derailleur isn't doing anything, Is this due to dirty cables? I don't understand how though as I only replaced the cable 2 months ago, theres no fraying at all..

mattyfez

Did you put the shifter into tje smallest sprocket position before reataching the cable?

The Rookie

Or the Derailleur onto the smallest cog and the shifter into top (highest number) gear? (Opposite way round if it's rapid rise).

Lungs94

Yes I've done both of those, but the cable isn't doing anything? the shifter is still really loose and the derailleur doesn't move at all, this is what I've done: Tighten barrel adjusters and loosen 1 full turn, shift to smallest cog (in my case move the derailleur to smallest and manual the shifters), remove the cable from the pinch bolt, pull cable taught and do up pinch bolt, thats what I've done and the shifters don't do anything until the 3rd click to which point only after the 3rd click the derailleur starts to move up 1 gear, then after 2 gears of shifting smoothly it will then go really stiff to the point of breaking the lever if you force it to 5th gear, then when I shift down it's completely out of control, like sometimes it will shift 1 and then skip 2, or it would shift fine, and then we go back to the start when the derailleur doesnt do anything till the 3rd click.

Edit: I've also realized the shifter will not shift past the 4th click, both ways when the cable is not attatched.

cooldad

Read Parktools, loosen/take everything off, and start again. Step by step.

Lungs94

cooldad wrote:

Read Parktools, loosen/take everything off, and start again. Step by step.

I've done that..I've literally just done it again, step by step took the shifter off, at first it was very hard to shift, but sprayed some GT85 on it and it freed it up a little bit, put it back on the bike indexed it, and now it shifts up and down the cassette but shifting is poor, adjusting the barrel adjuster works, but it doesnt if you get me, for example for shifting up sometimes it won't shift so I'll turn the adjuster till it shifts etc, but then when it wont shift down I turn the adjuster the other way till it shifts down, but then wont shift up till I adjust it the other way but it's an endless contradiction?.

The Rookie

If the shifter was that bad then the cables are probably FUBAR!

reformedfatty

If you're using the barrel adjusters as part of your routine gear shifting, you're doing it wrong.

If your shifter isn't operating cleanly, you're wasting your time trying to index gears with it. If the cable isn't able to move freely, you're wasting your time trying to index gears with it. If the mech hanger is bent, you're wasting your time trying to index gears with it.

It sounds to me like you have problems with the shifter and the cable at a minimum. Did you replace the cable outer or just the inner?