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Twist shifter not indexing lowest gear

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Twist shifter not indexing lowest gear

Old 11-12-17, 11:55 AM
  #1  
george tarleton
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Twist shifter not indexing lowest gear

hi! i am brand new to the forum. i have been building an aluminum bolt together recumbent delta trike with a split axle. i bent the drive axle somehow. i replaced it and am now trying to set up the rear derailleur and twist shifter with great difficulty.

everything worked fine before i bent the axle and had to replace it. now, the shifter will not index to the number "1". the gears will move from 1 to 7 fine, but the grip shifter will not twist past 2 to the 1 position.

details-
-shimano 8 speed cog set that the largest cog is 34t.
-three chain rings but trying to adjust on the middle one.
-double checked chain length to proper length (large ring to large cog)
-derailleur- shimano acera rd-m390
-"microshift" twist griip numbered 1 to 8 mounted on "U" shaped underseat steering in the vertical position. the "microshift" twist shifter is supposed to be shimano compatible.

-there are two gentle bends from the shifter to the derailleur but no different from what was working before.
-with the chain disconnected the derailleur will move between the smallest cog and the largest cog by hand.

i can adjust the derailleur to hit smallest cog to second largest cog or largest cog to the second smallest cog but not both.

if there is much tension on the shifter cable the twist grip will not go past 2 to 1. the shifter gets harder to twist with the more tension on the cable there is. the shifter cable moves smoothly when not attached to the derailleur and will index on each number

i have tried every different adjustment method i could find on the internet bike forums/topics to no avail.

shifting worked fine on my first steel tirke and fine on this one until i replaced the axle. i can not figure out what i am doing wrong here. i have been beating my head against the frame in frustration for 5 days.

any ideas on what i did wrong would be appreciated.

thanks george tarleton
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Old 11-12-17, 12:29 PM
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dabac
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So the derailer alone can cover the whole span?
And the shifter alone will move across the whole span?
But together they won’t overlap entirely?
And they did before the axle got bent?
Tricky.
Is it possible that you’ve routed the cable at the wrong side of the clamp?
That’ll mess up the stroke.
A common cause is failing to release all cable before clamping. But it sounds like you’ve covered that.
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Old 11-12-17, 05:22 PM
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george tarleton
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yep. tried that.
thanks-george t
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Old 11-13-17, 06:12 AM
  #4  
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Delta trike.

I'm wondering about the derailleur hanger alignment but I don't know how to do it. The derailleur arm has to be perfectly parallel with the cassette cogs.

Good luck.
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Old 11-13-17, 02:33 PM
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george tarleton
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grouch-i will check that

thanks - george t
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Old 11-13-17, 02:39 PM
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Originally Posted by george tarleton
grouch-i will check that

thanks - george t
If you have a place to work that has a perfectly flat floor, a carpenter's framing square might work.
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Old 11-13-17, 04:26 PM
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grouch- it checks out. i used a torpedo level and plumb bob. i was going to try the carpenters square if that did not work.

i will have to replace the grip shifters. it was impossible to change shifter wire without tearing it up. it will work but look like crap now.

i was thinking about getting shimano indexing twist shifter. anyone recommend something else that will not break the bank.?

thanks- george t
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Old 11-13-17, 04:53 PM
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i was looking at the shimano twist shifters on amazon. they list a revoshift and a tourney. what is the difference between the two?

thanks- george t
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Old 11-13-17, 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted by george tarleton
i was thinking about getting shimano indexing twist shifter. anyone recommend something else that will not break the bank.?
What are you using for a derailleur? That will limit your shifter choices because they have to match. I don't like twist shifters so I consequently have little experience with them and can't offer any advice.
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Old 11-14-17, 12:17 AM
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i am using a shimano acera derailer.

i put a new shifter cable in. and i found some shifter housing i did not know i had. still no joy.

what do you use for shifters?

thanks- george t

Last edited by george tarleton; 11-14-17 at 12:19 AM. Reason: forgot to put something else in.
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Old 11-14-17, 08:12 AM
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Originally Posted by george tarleton
what do you use for shifters?
Bar ends are my go-to shifter choice if they'll fit. I'm pretty much just as happy with the non-indexing versions. Keep in mind, however, that I'm a non-repentant retro grouch. They're not for everybody.
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Old 11-14-17, 10:15 AM
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With the chain off, click through all the gears and make sure each gear indexes properly. (You'll probably have to hold the jockey pulleys out of the way.) If they index and you're got enough clicks in your shifters, then something is blocking the derailleur from moving far enough. If it's not indexing, then check the cable clamp. There's a groove in the clamping plate to indicate where the cable should run.
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Old 11-15-17, 12:56 AM
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i tried the shifter without the chain on but the cable attached. it stopped on the 7th cog and the shifter would not move from 2 to 1. with the cable detached from the derailleur the shifter will go through all 8 positions. it does not lock up until i put enough tension on it to move the derailleur.

the derailleur with move out far enough to be lined up properly with the 8th cog when done by hand.

cable is attached firmly at the clamp in the groove.

at this point i thinking the shifter or the derailleur or both are toes up. maybe easier to just replace them both?

thanks - george t
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Old 11-15-17, 01:12 AM
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Originally Posted by george tarleton
i tried the shifter without the chain on but the cable attached. it stopped on the 7th cog and the shifter would not move from 2 to 1. with the cable detached from the derailleur the shifter will go through all 8 positions. it does not lock up until i put enough tension on it to move the derailleur.

the derailleur with move out far enough to be lined up properly with the 8th cog when done by hand.

cable is attached firmly at the clamp in the groove.

at this point i thinking the shifter or the derailleur or both are toes up. maybe easier to just replace them both?

thanks - george t
Maybe the cable isn’t seated properly in the shifter, and the knob at the end is catching at the innards somehow?
Doesn’t sound like there’s anything wrong with your derailer.
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Old 11-15-17, 07:40 AM
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If the jockey pulleys detent on each cassette gear through the range but you are missing a click at one end or the other, then it's probably the shifter. You might be able to disassemble the shifter to see what's catching to prevent full range. For the detents, they typically use a bearing ball running across a toothed track, and held in place by a leaf spring. Not always easy to re-assemble. It's probably better to just replace it
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Old 11-16-17, 12:53 AM
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to all that responded- thank you very much for your help. because i kept trying all the different solutions you folks suggested, i spent alot of time looking at the derailleur. i kept looking at my wife's 2 wheeler and how the derailleur was positioned on the frame. i looked at the derailleur hanger on her bike and then on my trike and i finally realized that the bolt the connects the hanger to the derailleur was in the wrong place. instead of being at the 7 o'clock postion it was in the 5 o'clock position. i must have put it back wrong when i changed the axle not realizing that the pivot bolt position was in the wrong place. heck,i did not even know what the right position was. i did not have any witness marks. it was not until i looked at the derailleur mounting thread on atomic zombie and i could see how a derailleur was hacked and welded to the frame that the penny dropped!

still, all the suggestions helped me learn how to trouble shoot and tune a derailleur, so our efforts were not wasted.

this a great forum with very helpful folks.

so, thanks again. i may even get the bolt together aluminum delta finished before christmas. sure would like to try it out before the snow flies.

have a great thanksgiving. george t
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