daveed

Sorry about this ... but I need help figuring out how to adjust the two screws on my kid's Altus 7-speed rear derailer. Removed the wheel to mount a new tire last night and must have screwed up something cuz, once the wheel was back on, the gears slipped a bit as I test-shifted the bike on the stand.

So I started messing around with the two screws (not knowing what I was doing) and quickly all hell broke loose. The bike now merely shifts 4 gears up and 4 down, skipping badly as it moves toward the smallest cog. The chain is new; the gear teeth aren't worn.

What the trick here, fellas?

Dave

onelessunicycle

check parktools.com they expalin it well

af895

Daveed,

Check to see the wheel axle is seated properly in the frame. Merely replacing removing a wheel and reinstalled shouldn't have changed a thing with the derailleur.
Having said that, now that YOU have changed something (grin) there's a bit of work to do.

There's a good primer at https://www.parktool.com/repair/ as onelessunicycle suggested. The specific page you need is this: https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=64

I'd add to that: only adjust one thing at at time and DON'T adjust anything that doesn't need adjusting. Since you adjusted the H & L limiter screws, work with each of those, in sequence.

Also: check that wheel to see that it's been put back where it needs to be.

While you're at it, it never hurts to make sure all the derailler cable housing is seated correctly - sometimes it get pulled out of the little guides on the frame and that can mess with shifting since the cable housing is then effectively longer.

Good luck and let us know how you make out with it!
Cj

phoebeisis

To get rid of the noise-skipping ride a bit while slightly tightening-or loosening the shift adj "nut"on the shifter(it is where the cable comes out of the shifter).It will shorten-or lenghten the cable-turn it until that annoying"I kinda want to shift,but not quite" noise is gone.Turn it a little bit one way-if the noise decreases-then that is the way-if it increases-go the other way.
Now shift till you get it in the biggest cog-get off and eyeball it.Is the derailleur lined up with the cog?If not then you must have screwed in the "stop" too far-it is one of those adj screws.Choose either screw-turn it counterclockwise while watching the derail.If it is the top "stop" then the derail will move closer to the spokes.If it doesn't move-you have the wrong screw-turn the other screw-does it move toward the spokes- it should.Just kinda eyeball it so the derail is lined up with the top cog-maybe a little more inboard of perfectly lined up.
Now shift to the smallest cog-you now know which screw controls that stop.Dial it till the derail is more or less in line with it.
Ride it a bit-dial out skips by using the adj where the cable comes out of the shifter.Luck,Charlie
PS-You are adjusting 3 things
-One stop screw prevents the derail from crashing into the spokes,but allows it to get to the top cog when you are in the biggest chainring.
One prevents it from dropping the chain outside the smallest cog,but allows it to shift to the smallest cog when on the smallest ft chainring.
The third adj kinda finetunes the position of the derail,so you get clean shifts,and none of that annoying skipping-reshifting-clicking.It lenghtens or shortens the cable(of course it doesn't actually shorten the cable-it pulls on it more or less and moves the derail.)
There is also usually a cable adj down by the derail.