Bike shifts down badly

[Kookas]

The chain sits on the old sprocket for a bit too long before finally moving onto the smaller sprocket. I did that mickling thing yesterday, and the cable was recently replaced with the housing. It doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Kookas]

Nope, the problem is still there, plus it won't shift to the biggest sprocket if I do that either.

It's really sticky shifting into the smallest gear and the gear above that, too.

 

[mattobrien]

What condition are the chain and cassette in? I have never failed to be happy having changed then, the difference can be quite big, especially if they are well beyond their recommended limits.

 

[nappadang]

What condition are the chain and cassette in? I have never failed to be happy having changed then, the difference can be quite big, especially if they are well beyond their recommended limits.

What would you consider the limits for a cassette and chain? My bike has probably do e 1500 miles since new in August but shifting down doesn't always happen smoothly.

 

[Onyer]

Nope, the problem is still there, plus it won't shift to the biggest sprocket if I do that either.

It's really sticky shifting into the smallest gear and the gear above that, too.

I had this problem and found that the hanger was not aligned correctly. Quck visit to the shop where I purchased the bike fixed the problem and they run very sweetly now.

 

[Skipper]

It could be just wear and tear. I had this problem, with one of the rings, never wanted to change from 5 down to 4. Cleaning, tweaking and adjusting things the best you can might alleviate things. But for me I ultimately changed the cassette and chain, and the problems disappeared.

 

[robjh]

If it partially affects the 2nd smallest sprocket too then it's not the end stop screw. I'd be looking at the cables and housing, but you say that they are new. When you click the r/h gear shifter, does it definitely release cable? If not, it could be a problem at the lever end.
Other than that I'd be looking at gunking up on the rear mech, else chain wear and tear, or as someone said, hanger alignment.
It's worth noting that I've found that some very careful micro-adjustment of cable tension can work wonders, when I've initially suspected something more serious.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

If you have recently changed the cable, it may just need indexing.

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Are you talking front chain rings or rear cassette where you have this issue ? Sorry, can't make it out from the above posts.

 

[Kookas]

So I managed to fix it.

I loosened it a little bit and lost my biggest rear sprocket, which made me retighten and reindex it to get it back - which mostly solved the problem. That said, I think it's time to replace the chain, and the cassette too. I have spares for both lying around just waiting for this day, so why not? And now that I'm mickling, the next chain should last a little longer.

 

[screenman]

You would be suprised how much the rear hanger is out of alignment on most bikes, I wrote about this a while back on another topic. Even when you have everything else set up as good as possible alignment is a huge factor to smoothness.

I have not checked a bike yet using the hanger alignment tool that the hanger was not out of alignment on. Massive improvement when it is straight.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I had a similar problem, in which I could adjust the cable tension and/or limit screws so it would shift smoothly from large to middle chain ring, or middle to large, but never both. Eventually I found out that the chain was short by 1 link. I added the link, and it's much improved .

 

[Globalti]

How many times do I have to post this on the forum for people to understand it?

It's not the chain or cassette or the derailleur hanger, it's the derailleur cable where it curves round to the derailleur; it becomes sticky and gets crudded and rusted up, especially in winter. It needs replacing at least every six months in order to maintain performance. Get your LBS to cut you a metre of cable outer then cut it into the same lengths as the existing cable then keep them in a safe place.

Once you've changed the outer and cleaned up the inner you'll be amazed at the improvment in shifting.

 

[Kookas]

How many times do I have to post this on the forum for people to understand it?

It's not the chain or cassette or the derailleur hanger, it's the derailleur cable where it curves round to the derailleur; it becomes sticky and gets crudded and rusted up, especially in winter. It needs replacing at least every six months in order to maintain performance. Get your LBS to cut you a metre of cable outer then cut it into the same lengths as the existing cable then keep them in a safe place.

Once you've changed the outer and cleaned up the inner you'll be amazed at the improvment in shifting.

I'd only replaced that a couple of weeks prior, though. Both inner and outer.

 

[Skipper]

You would be suprised how much the rear hanger is out of alignment on most bikes, I wrote about this a while back on another topic. Even when you have everything else set up as good as possible alignment is a huge factor to smoothness.

I have not checked a bike yet using the hanger alignment tool that the hanger was not out of alignment on. Massive improvement when it is straight.

Do you think the LBS will adjust it for me. I'm not confident enough to have a go myself, and the tools are a bit pricey!