Are barrel adjusters device-specific?

[swee'pea99]

Just been putting the closing touches to my new build, and wiring up the rear mech I suddenly realised there's no barrel adjuster, which makes adjusting the indexing pretty much impossible. Can I buy any old barrel adjuster, or do I have to get one specific for the mech (it's an old Shimano 600)? Thanks.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Anything that will take slack out of the cable and fit will work. It doesn't have to be on the derailleur it could be at the gear lever, or anywhere along the cable run - but it is ideally at the derailleur for ease of adjustment.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

If you can tap and thread, you can fit a barrel adjuster to the derailer you have. Otherwise, like Mr/MrsProves above says, you can even use an inline adjuster somewhere on the cable.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Just been putting the closing touches to my new build, and wiring up the rear mech I suddenly realised there's no barrel adjuster, which makes adjusting the indexing pretty much impossible. Can I buy any old barrel adjuster, or do I have to get one specific for the mech (it's an old Shimano 600)? Thanks.

I have no barrel adjusters and I find adjusting the indexing perfectly possible. You do realise there is an adjuster on the mech?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I have no barrel adjusters and I find adjusting the indexing perfectly possible. You do realise there is an adjuster on the mech?

I think he's got one of those new Shimano MTB derailers with no barrel adjuster. Adjustment is supposed to happen at the shift lever but mix and match setups sometimes end up with no adjuster at either end.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I think he's got one of those new Shimano MTB derailers with no barrel adjuster. Adjustment is supposed to happen at the shift lever but mix and match setups sometimes end up with no adjuster at either end.

Well he says it's an old Shimano 600. That was the forerunner to Ultegra and mine had an adjuster on the mech.

 

[subaqua]

I think he's got one of those new Shimano MTB derailers with no barrel adjuster. Adjustment is supposed to happen at the shift lever but mix and match setups sometimes end up with no adjuster at either end.

agree with this
so have used a tap to add one to shifters . old Mr Tanton , my CDT teacher would b proud. for the olds amongst us CDT =DCT = Craft Design and Technology - a horrible 80s thing that replaced metalwork and woodwork . i believe it is now called resistant materials technology these days which makes CDT look sensible

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks - that's really helpful. To avoid any unnecessary bafflement, it looks like this - I've put a wee red arrow where I suspect a barrel adjuster may once have lived...

I can't see any other way to make adjustments on the mech itself.

I can't see any threading inside that hole, incidentally., but maybe if I got, say, one of these

that might not be a problem.

I'm still very open to ideas and advice, BTW!

 

[zacklaws]

Anything that will take slack out of the cable and fit will work. It doesn't have to be on the derailleur it could be at the gear lever, or anywhere along the cable run - but it is ideally at the derailleur for ease of adjustment.

Maybe easy to adjust when your stopped, but try adjusting it whilst your riding in an event, you would have to carry on with poor shifting or get dropped from the group as you stop to adjust them. Its far better to have an adjuster at the shifter or down tube for "on the fly" adjustments as you ride and still just as easy as if it was on the mech.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Maybe easy to adjust when your stopped, but try adjusting it whilst your riding in an event, you would have to carry on with poor shifting or get dropped from the group as you stop to adjust them. Its far better to have an adjuster at the shifter or down tube for "on the fly" adjustments as you ride and still just as easy as if it was on the mech.

Indeed, under the circumstances you describe an adjuster that you cannot adjust while riding would be a problem and of course many new bikes are equipped with an adjuster near the gear change lever as well as a 2nd one on the rear mech.

 

[swee'pea99]

Possibly worth mentioning that I won't be needing any kind of instant response...this is a tourer I'm putting together. Does anyone happen to know whether the 600 mech I have would originally have come with an adjuster? I'm just wondering whether it might predate indexing...I guess you don't need precise gear adjustment with friction shifters...

 

[sittingbull]

........ Does anyone happen to know whether the 600 mech I have would originally have come with an adjuster? I'm just wondering whether it might predate indexing...I guess you don't need precise gear adjustment with friction shifters...

Looks like an RD-6207 which does indeed pre-date SIS............ and came without an adjuster.

 

[raleighnut]

These alright for you.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...c2KtVgmrrBfB4_kZjpJc1vw&bvm=bv.96783405,d.d24

 

[swee'pea99]

Looks like an RD-6207 which does indeed pre-date SIS............ and came without an adjuster.

Bit of lateral thinking that drifted into mind while out walking t'hound....will an old pre-SIS shifter like this work properly with SIS shifters? (Assuming I can get the barrel adjuster sorted.) I know SIS shifters work by pulling an exact length of cable-per-click....will old mechs respond by shifting by exactly the right amount? Or would I be better off cutting my losses and looking for an SIS shifter? (I have the brifters, or whatever you call them, so I'm determined to go SIS one way or another.)

 

[subaqua]

Bit of lateral thinking that drifted into mind while out walking t'hound....will an old pre-SIS shifter like this work properly with SIS shifters? (Assuming I can get the barrel adjuster sorted.) I know SIS shifters work by pulling an exact length of cable-per-click....will old mechs respond by shifting by exactly the right amount? Or would I be better off cutting my losses and looking for an SIS shifter? (I have the brifters, or whatever you call them, so I'm determined to go SIS one way or another.)

if you mean will the SIS shifter on the handlebar work with the non SIS rear derailleur- yes it will as its the shifter on the bars that has the bit for moving the correct length of cable to shift the chain onto the relevant sprocket.

as others have posted that RD looks like it was not threaded, the brake adjusters might work .

can you not put the adjuster on the shifter on the bar ?