Inline adjusters

Anonymous
Anonymous Posts: 79,667
edited November 2015 in Workshop
Never used them before but have a new bike which has inline barrel adjusters.

Running 5800 and want to 'shorten' the front mech cable to increase the throw of the front mech so it shifts further and doesn't rub the chain, which it now does in all the gears.

I have switched to the lower chainring and it seems to make no difference how much I rotate it in either direction as to what happens. Is there something I should be gripping to stop twisting so that it actually screws in/out? Which way should I be twisting?

If you follow this link you can see where it is situated, just forward of the cable stop.

http://uploadir.com/u/k1z2q572

I have 5800 on my other bike and set it up without an inline adjuster.

Comments

  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    There's only so much adjustment with the barrel adjuster. If the derailleur is rubbing in all the gears, I suggest you go back to square one and set the front up again.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Yeah probably shoddy setup. Annoyingly I don't have pliers or a Philips at work where it's warm, light and dry to fettle.
    Still cant see why it makes zero difference to cable tension when it rotates. How much slack is it supposed to take up?

    Job for tomorrow....
  • vorsprung
    vorsprung Posts: 1,953
    On a really nice set up you might have adjustment on the rear mech and also on the downtube.
    Barrel adjusters seem to just be for fine adjustment of that last little bit.

    If you have been using the cable for a while and it has started to need a lot of adjustment recently then this
    might be a sign that the cable is wearing out. One place worth checking for wear is inside the changers. If you pull on the brake part of the STI you should be able to see the gear cable inside. Changing gear will move it and so you can see quite a lot of this section of cable. And this section of cable is the most likely to fray and wear.
    Audaxing Blog - Long Distance Cycling
    follow on twitter-c.png
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Thanks vosprung.

    I am well aware of cable fray as I have now snapped 2 front cables (in the shifter!) and also the adjustment on the rear mech, as I've built a couple of bikes in my time - my other bike has 5800 and I set up the front mech perfectly without an adjuster.

    The issue with this bike is the front mech. The bike came pre-assembled, second hand, so I assume it was set up perfectly before. I am trying to work out exactly how much adjustment I should be able to get from the barrel adjuster, and why, even when I do rotate it, nothing seems to happen?
  • trailflow
    trailflow Posts: 1,311
    Nothing seems to happen because the initial tension when clamping the cable is not high enough. Like philthy3
    says its best to start over. If you can set up the 5800 FD without a barrel adjuster. It should be easier with one.

    To get the tension high, the low limit screw 'trick' needs to be used if your not currently doing it.

    Some barrel adjuster have very short range which doesnt help matters.

    See if my tutorial helps here
    viewtopic.php?f=40004&t=12976309&p=18969283#p18969283
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Yep - I recall the low limit screw trick. Just need a Philips to get it sorted.

    Thanks all. Still unsure as to what the barrel adjuster will help with but will take your word for it!
  • trailflow
    trailflow Posts: 1,311
    I find the barrel adjuster helps you re-adjust the tension after its gets abit sloppy over time. And it helps fine tune the feel of the trim.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,294
    [url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19731665#p19731665]coriordan[/url] wrote:
    The bike came pre-assembled, second hand, so I assume it was set up perfectly before.
    Think how incompetent the average person is, half of people will be more incompetent than that. :shock:
    Never assume anything has been done right by someone else.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    It was from someone on here who has close links to cycling so I doubt it was a ham-fisted spanner monkey.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    So it turns out that the cable outer was also rotating when twisting the barrel adjuster so it was having no effect. If you hold it still while turning it sort of works but annoyingly not quite 100% perfect. Still I need to do a large amount of fettling as I want to swap finishing kits over between the 2 bikes so a good excuse to sort it out.

    Cheers all

Categories