Rear Derailleur problem

ronniewhufc

hey guys need some serious advice,

i had a pretty bad crash a few weeks ago which resulted in a broken wrist so not been able to cycle, i decided to get my bike out today to give it a check over due to the severity of the crash, i noticed the rear derailleur isnt changing gears correctly

it is a SRAM GX 2x10 speed

it doesnt seem to want to go into the top 3 gears and the last gear (largest cassette)

nothing seems bent but there is no screw like thing on the derailleur to alter the position of the chain, im not much of a gear mechanic as im newish to MTB as i have been a bmx rider for most my life so i dont want to start messing around with it too much, i do have a 3 year bike cover from halfords but always try to fix things myself, that being said would you recommend i let them take a look just in case i mess up the whole thing?

i apologise if i dont make much sense im not that great with MTB parts

02gf74

Take it to lbs, which sounds like it will cost nothing but you'll not learn.

Or Learn about mtb parts how they work etc and you will be able to service your bike yourself.

If you are all thumbs who does know one end of a spanner then leave alone.

Post your location maybe someone nearby could take a look.

ronniewhufc

chelmsford cm2

ive worked on gears very little but the way this SRAM is set up is completely different to previous one ive worked on

steve_sordy

ronniewhufc wrote:

chelmsford cm2

........... the way this SRAM is set up is completely different to previous one ive worked on

You bought the bike from Halfords didn't you? Hmmmmm

ronniewhufc

yes, only option with the cycle2work scheme, i know they are average for bikes but saved myself 43% of bike value

02gf74

ronniewhufc wrote:

ive worked on gears very little but the way this SRAM is set up is completely different to previous one ive worked on

Too far away from me.

I find this hard to believe unless you have di2.

Gears works by having a derailleur utilisiya parallelogram mechanism to move ve chain sideways across the sprockets. This hasn't change since its invention god knows how long ago and still applies to di2.

The derailleur moves by being pulled by a bowden cable one way and returns by means of a spring. There have been other arrangements e. G. Shimano pneumatic and electric but I doubt you have those.

The cable is pulled and released by one or more levers, this part varies in design but functions the same way.

Thee are a number of ways to fine tune the gear shifting.

Did you say what make, model derailleur and shifter you have

steve_sordy

ronniewhufc wrote:

yes, only option with the cycle2work scheme, i know they are average for bikes but saved myself 43% of bike value

Forgive me, nut you misunderstood me. I wasn't having a go at the bikes they sell, or your choice of bike. I was having a go at Halfords. Their build ability is suspect at the very least.

JGTR

steve_sordy wrote:

ronniewhufc wrote:

yes, only option with the cycle2work scheme, i know they are average for bikes but saved myself 43% of bike value

Forgive me, nut you misunderstood me. I wasn't having a go at the bikes they sell, or your choice of bike. I was having a go at Halfords. Their build ability is suspect at the very least.

What every Halfords? I know loads of people that have bought bikes from Halfords with no problems at all.

whyamihere

If it was working before the crash, and isn't now, then chances are you've bent something. Take it to a proper bike shop (or Halfords, but they can be a bit hit and miss), who will be able to advise on whether it's a bent derailleur, bent hanger, or just a set up error.

The Rookie

By screw like thing at the derailleur, I presume you mean the cable tension adjuster, this isn’t fitted to the derailleur on higher end mechs but there will be one at the shifter.

ronniewhufc

The Rookie wrote:

By screw like thing at the derailleur, I presume you mean the cable tension adjuster, this isn’t fitted to the derailleur on higher end mechs but there will be one at the shifter.

yes thats what i mean buddy, as i said ive not worked with MTB much before and only other one i had had the adjuster on the rear derailleur, there was an adjuster on the break lever but i just couldnt find balance as it would switch between what gears i could reach, i have decided to take it into halfords, i got them to look at it infront of me before i handed it over and they agreed it isnt bent or broken so no need for a new one, they said the crash may have knocked the alignment out but said its an easy fix so ive left it to them, ive been caught in bad timing of moving in about a week and due a baby within 6 weeks so time is something i dont have but am pushing myself to learn how to perform maintenance on my own MTB,

i will probably in the future ask you guys for the most basic advise and probably bore you but any help is truly appreciated

many thanks guys

steve_sordy

JGTR wrote:

...............

What every Halfords? I know loads of people that have bought bikes from Halfords with no problems at all.

I know it is not every Halfords, because a mate of mine works at one in York and he knows what he is doing. A different mate in Banbury also swore by his local Halfords. But again, it was someone he knew there in the workshop that was good. There are sure to be more, but they should all be good and they are not. There are too many stories about dodgy Halfords. Here are two from me, they happened to me, I didn't just hear about them

My mate bought two cheapo hybrid bikes for him and his wife, from Halfords. I had a look at them and discovered that the strap on mudguard on the downtube of both bikes was clamped over the gear cables! This not only made shifting a bit sticky, but it was wearing grooves in the frame! When they had reported the problem shifting, they were told that it would ease off in time. It sure would! Once the frame had deeper grooves worn in them! :shock:

I was out on the bike and came across two girls (16-18 years old) puzzling over the bike that one of them had. I sorted out the shifting which had been the problem. It shouldn't have been a problem because this was the first trip out on a brand new bike bought from Halfords that morning. While I was working on the bike I noticed that the fork was on back to front! :shock: Disc brake on the wrong side etc, so it wasn't just the fork design.

02gf74

Wow, you'd have to be a top calibre moron to do that, I mean the cables/ties is just common sense, backward forks maybe not so but if you don't know how to assemble a bike, then you should not be allowed to go near one and stick to shelf stacking.

steve_sordy

02GF74 wrote:

Wow, you'd have to be a top calibre moron to do that, I mean the cables/ties is just common sense, backward forks maybe not so but if you don't know how to assemble a bike, then you should not be allowed to go near one and stick to shelf stacking.

Not morons I believe. I suspect that the guys working at Halfords are on minimum wage, young, maybe not bikers, and get little training (probably from other similar guys who were shown once). They probably do their best, but they are not equipped to do the job properly. And most of their customers can't tell the difference anyway, so the guys seldom get any decent feedback. What feedback they get is probably from angry customers. And who listens to angry people?

Also, I wonder how many of the bikes come in part assembled from the Far East? Who knows who builds them? :shock:

02gf74

Apologies, they are genuises earning a bit of pocket money before they sit their Mensa exams.

steve_sordy

02GF74 wrote:

Apologies, they are genuises earning a bit of pocket money before they sit their Mensa exams.

ooohhh!