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| Adjusting your gears |
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Learning to adjust your bicycle gears yourself can really add to your enjoyment of cycling and probably save you some money in the process however, if you feel like you are getting in over your head, contact your bicycle supplier or manufactuer for assitance.
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Adjusting the front derailleur |
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Step 1
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Ensure that the bicycle is in a stationary position |
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Step 2
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Find the front derailleur: Starting with the left gear lever,( left lever picture ) follow the cable until it enters a mechanism near the front gears. This is the front derailleur ( front mech picture ). If the chain is on the smaller gear the cable between the shifter and derailleur will be slightly loose. If the chain is on the middle or largest gear the cable should be taught. If not, check that the cable is securely attached to the derailleur. |
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| Step 3 |
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Locate the derailleur adjusting screws,which are two small adjacent screws on top of the mechanism. One should be labeled "L" for low gear; the other should be marked "H" for high gear. ( rear mech picture) |
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| Step 4 |
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Ask someone to assist you by holding the rear wheel of the cycle off of the ground. Next turn the pedals forward and shift into the small gear. If the chain does not move into the small chain ring crisply, loosen the adjusting screw labeled "L" by one turn. ( rear mech picture ) |
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| Step 5 |
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Loosen the "L" screw an additional turn if you still cannot shift. If the chain comes off, tighten the "L" screw.
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| Step 6 |
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Shift into the big chain ring once you have set the inner limit. If the chain does not go into the big chain ring, loosen the "H" screw. If the chain goes too far and comes off, tighten the "H" screw. |
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| Step 7 |
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Shift the rear derailleur. The chain should not rub the front derailleur when you are in the big ring in front and in the small cog in back. Likewise, it should not rub when you are in the small ring in front and the big cog in back. |
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| Step 8 |
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Fine-tune your adjustment as necessary.
Tips & Warnings
- Generally, when the chain is on the small chain ring, the front derailleur cable should have a small amount of slack - it shouldn't be completely taught.
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Adjust the Rear Derailleur
Step 1 |
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Find the rear derailleur: Starting with the right gear lever,(right lever picture) follow the cable to the pulley mechanism near the back gears. ( rear mech picture) |
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| Step 2 |
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Look for the two gear limit screws. As with the front derailleur, there is one screw for Low and one for High ( rear mech picture ). Also locate the barrel adjustment screw, which the cable passes through when it reaches the rear derailleur
The too gear limit screws prevent the derailleur from shifting too far past the high and low gears at the back wheel. Be careful not to allow let the derailleur move too close to the spokes of the rear wheel.
The barrel adjuster fine tunes the crispness of the gear change by adjusting the tension on the cable. |
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| Step 3 |
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| Turn the pedals forward and shift into your smallest cog. If the chain does not shift into the smallest cog, loosen the "H" screw. If it overshoots the small cog, tighten the screw. ( rear mech picture ) |
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| Step 4 |
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Shift into the largest rear cog. Again, if it does not shift, loosen the "L" screw. If it goes too far, tighten the screw. |
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| Step 5 |
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Move up and down the gears. If the chain moves from the High to Low (Smallest to Largest) gear easily, but does not come back as easily there is not enough tension on the cable and the barrel adjuster should be screwed out (turned anti-clockwise). The reverse should be done if the gears move from Low to High more easily.
Tips & Warnings
- Once the limits are set, you may need to fine-tune them in the future to ensure that your gears are keep in optium working order.
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