My gears aren't shifting smoothly...
05-15-11, 08:28 AM
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My gears aren't shifting smoothly...
Should I bring it to a bike shop, or is the adjustment something I can do myself?
05-15-11, 08:39 AM
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Give it a try first, check out Youtube tutorials and Sheldon Brown.
05-15-11, 08:43 AM
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It's something tyou can easily do yourself IF (big if) you know what you are doing. First, we need a lot more information:
1. What type of gears? Derailleur, internal gear hub?
2. Where is the rough shifting occuring, front, rear or both
3. A much better description of the problem and symptoms
1. What type of gears? Derailleur, internal gear hub?
2. Where is the rough shifting occuring, front, rear or both
3. A much better description of the problem and symptoms
05-15-11, 08:49 AM
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1. Retro Grouch's quick and dirty answer: Look at where the shift cable enters your rear derailleur. See a barrel adjuster there? Stand behind the bike and turn it counter-clockwise 1/4 turn. My bet is that'll fix it.
2. The engineer's answer: Look up rear derailleur adjustment on the Park tool website. They'll have a good set of step-by-stem instructions. Start at the beginning and don't skip any steps.
3. The lawyer's answer: Take it to a bike shop. If they can't fix it to your satisfaction at least you'll have somebody else that you can blame.
06-24-19, 01:33 PM
#5
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1. Either, Put your bike on a stand(if you have one), or turn it upside down, or raise the back wheel off the ground
2. Turn the pedals in a forward motion.
3. While turning the pedals, shift the gears
4. While shifting the gears, watch the chain guide to see if it is loose
5. Check to see how much pressure you have to apply to the brakes to come to a full stop. This could be a sign. That your brake cables need replacing. If that is problem, a bike shop would have the time, and parts needed to fix the problem.
06-24-19, 02:32 PM
#6
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My gears haven't shifted smoothly in a long time. Then I started taking antidepressants and benzodiazepines. My gears still don't shift smoothly but now I don't care so much.
06-24-19, 07:14 PM
#7
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Bwahaha..... Gosh I still miss the bennies from long ago.... And I can tweak my own bikes yet today, thanks to you-tube. 👍
06-24-19, 08:06 PM
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Something you most likely "can" do. Whether or not you want to take the time to learn is another story. I found it was quite complicated and I kept learning as I tinkered with more bikes, but now am glad I learned. I still get confused sometimes though as we all do 
06-25-19, 04:57 AM
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OP would have to be pretty slow if he hasn't figured this out in 8 years.
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