Maybe a stoopid question, but...
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Maybe a stoopid question, but...
...when you drop out a rear wheel (say to fit the bike into a car), does the chain have to be replaced in the same cog positions to match what reads on the handlebar shifter numbers, when re-fitting the wheel?
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South shore, L.I., NY
Posts: 6,826
Bikes: Flyxii FR322, Cannondale Topstone, Miyata City Liner, Specialized Chisel, Specialized Epic Evo
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3185 Post(s)
Liked 2,020 Times
in
1,158 Posts
Easiest method for R wheel removal and install is to shift chain down to smallest cog. Makes it easier to get the chain back on the cassette when putting wheel back.
Likes For Steve B.:
#3
Guest
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 2,888
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1346 Post(s)
Liked 3,269 Times
in
1,439 Posts
^ This. Make it a habit to shift into smallest cog before removing the wheel, and the re-install is a snap. Do this for flat tires, too.
Likes For wellerchap:
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Posts: 5,869
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1792 Post(s)
Liked 1,671 Times
in
955 Posts
No. Shift the rear shifter to the smallest cog. Most rear shifters have number 1 as the largest cog not the smallest. You don't have to touch the front shifter
Likes For wellerchap:
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,760
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1107 Post(s)
Liked 1,197 Times
in
758 Posts
But to answer your actual question - no it doesn't, and it isn't a stupid question.
If you don't shift down to the smallest sprocket, but are somewhere in the middle, It's best if you put it back on the sprocket it was on when you took the wheel off, but approximately is fine. The approximately will be obvious by where the chain wants to go when you're putting the wheel on, because of the derailleur position. It will probably just go onto the correct sprocket. But if not, it will probably be close, and the chain will shift to the derailleur position as soon as the rear wheel starts turning.
If you don't shift down to the smallest sprocket, but are somewhere in the middle, It's best if you put it back on the sprocket it was on when you took the wheel off, but approximately is fine. The approximately will be obvious by where the chain wants to go when you're putting the wheel on, because of the derailleur position. It will probably just go onto the correct sprocket. But if not, it will probably be close, and the chain will shift to the derailleur position as soon as the rear wheel starts turning.
Last edited by Camilo; 08-07-22 at 10:07 PM.
Likes For Camilo:
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 962
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 497 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 622 Times
in
346 Posts
But to answer your actual question - no it doesn't, and it isn't a stupid question.
If you don't shift down to the smallest sprocket, but are somewhere in the middle, It's best if you put it back on the sprocket it was on when you took the wheel off, but approximately is fine. The approximately will be obvious by where the chain wants to go when you're putting the wheel on, because of the derailleur position. It will probably just go onto the correct sprocket. But if not, it will probably be close, and the chain will shift to the derailleur position as soon as the rear wheel starts turning.
If you don't shift down to the smallest sprocket, but are somewhere in the middle, It's best if you put it back on the sprocket it was on when you took the wheel off, but approximately is fine. The approximately will be obvious by where the chain wants to go when you're putting the wheel on, because of the derailleur position. It will probably just go onto the correct sprocket. But if not, it will probably be close, and the chain will shift to the derailleur position as soon as the rear wheel starts turning.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,760
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1107 Post(s)
Liked 1,197 Times
in
758 Posts
Yeah, but sometimes as you are trying to align things you can put it on a cog that is too far away from where the derailleur is positioned. This can result in difficulty in getting the wheel in the frame at a minimum and bend things if you try to force it. Best practice is noted above: shift to the smallest cog before removing the wheel or with the wheel out of the frame before you re-install. No guessing required and the easiest installation.
#10
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,093 Times
in
2,325 Posts
No, you don’t have to. It may be easier to shift into the highest gear but sometimes you forget. Just put the wheel into place on a convenient gear close to where it was when you took the wheel out. Lift the rear of the bike and spin the wheel around to get the chain onto the proper gear.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!