Originally Posted by
sdodd
Not to be too obvious or off topic, but you might try checking your rear derailleur hanger alignment. I'm amazed at how much a small angle effects shifting on the rear. And, equally amazed that even though I baby all of my bikes (when I'm not riding them) I still manage to bend hangers enough that I have to get out the tool to straighten. When I find one bike that is out of alignment I usually just throw them all on the stand to check.
Excellent point! This can indeed have a large impact.
A cautionary warning: I tried to straighten a slightly bent hanger with a road link installed and the road link snapped in half with very little force. Check with the road link installed, but if you have to adjust, remove the road link before doing so, (or have a spare on hand).