Bike Maintenance - Help

[tylerrr]

So I started cleaning my chain again and the chain fell off. I put the chain back on, but now my gears won't change with the hand controllers. They feel stuck.

When I switch gears up on the handle bars, nothing is happening. It's stuck on the same gear/spoke.

Can you give me a fix to get my gears changing again?

thanks

[tylerrr]

BTW, to get the chain back on, I pushed up the rear derailer(I think this is what it's called on the back wheel) to get some slack in the chain so I could put the chain back on the forward spoke by my pedals.

So I think when I pushed that piece forward to get slack, it's stuck there now possibly?

[Dragline]

Not sure what the problem is, but I'm wondering if you put the chain back on a different gear than it fell off of, or if you moved the shifters while the chain was off and put it on the same gear.

I think I would try taking the chain off again, shift the derailleurs out to the ends (so you know what gear its suppose to be in) and putting it back on.

[jacob]

BTW, to get the chain back on, I pushed up the rear derailer(I think this is what it's called on the back wheel) to get some slack in the chain so I could put the chain back on the forward spoke by my pedals.

So I think when I pushed that piece forward to get slack, it's stuck there now possibly?

You pushed without shifting down to the smallest cog (or whatever cog it's currently at)? If so, I think the shifting cable has come loose. Especially if the shifter is no longer moving it? The shifter should still be moving the cable. If you shift up or down does the cable move?

If that is what happened, you need to readjust the derailer.
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-t ... ifter.html

[Ego]

Sometimes when the chain comes off it gets wrapped around one of the nubs on the derailleur cage plate that shroud the upper or lower pulley. Look closely and trace the route of the chain as it passes through the derailleur. Make sure it is touching nothing but the two pulleys. If it is on the outside of one of those pieces of metal rather than the pulley itself, push the derailleur forward to get slack in the chain then move it around the nub and back onto the pulley.

[vexed87]

Once you understand how and why the derailleur works, troubleshooting will be much easier!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vjc2mmgG6I

[tylerrr]

awesome feedback and i've watched several videos on how derailers work and get adjusted. I will report back once i try today.

[tylerrr]

ok, so it's in working order now and I bought some citrus degreaser and did a nice clean job. I adjusted the h screw some on the highest gear(smallest rear spoke).

So when I did a test ride, i can tell that when I switch between the 2-3 highest gears(smallest spokes in rear), it's just not as smooth as when I switch between the lowest gears. That's obviously because I adjusted the h screw some and the cable might be bad too.

So should I try fine tuning with the cable housing adjuster to see if i can get those high gears switching more smoothly? I don't see where that is on my bike compared to videos that show that cable adjuster where the cable meets the housing. It seems i don't have one.

thanks!

[C40]

Not all bikes will have that tension adjusters at the cable housing(s). Yours might have some adjustment at the shifter. If not, you can adjust the cable tension by loosening where the cable is connected at the derailleur. It's harder to use that for small adjustments. Also, this can be a bit tricky the first time, so before you do anything, you should measure how much the cable currently goes past where it is clamped by the derailleur. So you'll know where to put it back to if things don't go well. If you have other people around at times, you might want to wait to do this until there is another person to ask for help if you need it. It can be a little bit awkward (the first time) trying to loosen the clamp, and then adjust it, and tighten it with the cable tension that you want.

Before you make any adjustment, make sure you figure out which way is which (if you make the cable tighter, which way does that pull the derailler?).

[C40]

Also - the shifting not being smooth could be due to things other than the derailler setup. It could be from something else like the teeth on certain cogs being worn more.

Oh and also - if you didn't already, check if there are tension adjusters at the downtube cable stop.

[tylerrr]

Also - the shifting not being smooth could be due to things other than the derailler setup. It could be from something else like the teeth on certain cogs being worn more.

Oh and also - if you didn't already, check if there are tension adjusters at the downtube cable stop.

tks, excellent info. There is a hex screw on rear of derailer where cable runs down. That must be where i can fine tune the cable tension.

also, i did look at downtube cable stop and it just looks like a housing piece-not something i can turn with my fingers and adjust.

Could the b screw need tweaking?

[vexed87]

The hex screw will be holding the cable in place and is unlikely to be for fine tuning the derailleur cable tension. Just follow the cable for a thumb tension barrel adjuster. Unless this is an ancient bike it will have one! They are often located just on the derailleur or buy the last piece of cable housing. On some BSOs they might also be located by the shifter.

Also the B screw is for adjusting chain tension, only bother adjusting this if you have problems getting into the the lowest (largets) cogs.

If there is no cassette wear and adjusting the cable tension doesn't help it sounds like your derailleur hanger is out of alignment.

[tylerrr]

The hex screw will be holding the cable in place and is unlikely to be for fine tuning the derailleur cable tension. Just follow the cable for a thumb tension barrel adjuster. Unless this is an ancient bike it will have one! They are often located just on the derailleur or buy the last piece of cable housing. On some BSOs they might also be located by the shifter.

Also the B screw is for adjusting chain tension, only bother adjusting this if you have problems getting into the the lowest (largets) cogs.

If there is no cassette wear and adjusting the cable tension doesn't help it sounds like your derailleur hanger is out of alignment.

ok, there is no barrel adjuster by rear derailer. Let me look today to see if it's up by my hand shifters. It's a newer Specialized Cirrus Comp(2-3 years old) bike. I'll report back.

[vexed87]

A relatively new specialized cirrus must have a barrel adjuster! Which rear derailleur system are you using? Might be worth taking a few close ups of the cable routing at the business end and I'll highlight it.

[tylerrr]

A relatively new specialized cirrus must have a barrel adjuster! Which rear derailleur system are you using? Might be worth taking a few close ups of the cable routing at the business end and I'll highlight it.

the adjuster was up by handlebars. I tried replacing my first tube on a tire the other day. Everything was fine, pumped up new tire with new tube, then started putting the wheel back on the bike and 5 minutes later, it sounded like a gun shot went off....

The new tube i just replaced popped. Either I put too much air in or the same culprit in the tire popped this tube just like the last one?

This kinda bummed me out and shows me it takes quite a bit of work to become a decent bike mechanic.

[sky]

The tire was probably not properly seated. You have to put a few pumps of air in it, then look at it closely to see that it is evenly in the rim.

[Gilberto de Piento]

There may be something still stuck in the tire but it is more likely you pinched the tube between the tire and rim. Look on YouTube for tire changing videos. They should explain how to avoid this. You may be able to figure out what is causing the issue by looking at the popped tube. Put air in it to find the hole if needed.

[vexed87]

Edit: Opps didn't see above

If it exploded while inflating to higher pressure, its almost certainly a pinched tube, it helps to inflate the tube slightly before you insert it into the tyre. Not too high pressure, just enough so it holds a rounded shape.

It's important to regularly look out for flints working their way in through the rubber. I make a point of doing this every time I clean or lube my bike. This week I didn't and I suffered two flats on the way to work >.<

Happens to the best of us!