Can't get into top 2 gears

[lucklesspedestrian]

Hi, after I fixed the punctures on both wheels of the Raleigh Motus GT eBike I took it out today for a spin.

I now can't select the top 2 gears i.e. the smallest two sprockets on the cassette even though the indicator on the shifter tells me I'm already in 9 (it's a 9 speed cassette, Shimano Alvivo on a single chain ring). I couldn't work out at first why my cadence was so fast!!

My guessing is that with all the faffing about getting the bike in and out of the car, taking the wheels off etc, I've snagged the derailleur cable somehow and it's now too tight?

Obviously I'll have a look soon to see if there's anything obvious but I thought I would ask here first if anyone had a guess as to the likely cause before I go poking about and just make things worse (which I have a tendency to do!

Thanks again

 

[Mo1959]

Wheel definitely seated properly in the dropouts? Also, I presume you put it into smallest cog to make wheel easier to remove and then relocated the chain onto the same cog when reinstalling? Sorry if I’m stating the obvious

 

[fossyant]

Shift it into a sprocket you can access and check it's the right one, eg select 5. If it's not in that you could easily have pulled cable through, so adjust with the barrel adjusters (you may need to undo the cable inch bolt and pull more through). Check you've not popped the cable out of any cable guides, especially under the bottom bracket. Also check you've not bent the mech/mech hanger.

 

[raleighnut]

Check you've not popped the cable out of any cable guides, especially under the bottom bracket.

That was my first thought

 

[Cycleops]

If the foregoing doesn’t solve the problem go back and start from scratch, disconnect the cable, check the Hilo and go from there.

 

[lucklesspedestrian]

Thanks guys, will look at all those suggestions and never worry about stating the obvious with me!

 

[Dogtrousers]

My first thought would be - take the wheel out. Click-click-click on the gear lever to move to top gear. Put the wheel back in carefully, as @Mo1959 says, lining up with the small sprocket and checking it's seated properly.

Then if still wonky, start looking for more exotic causes like unseated cables. Leave the adjusters alone until you absolutely have to twiddle. You're unlikely to have accidentally twiddled them.

 

[lucklesspedestrian]

Shall report back tomorrow. Getting a period of relatively settled weather up here so intend to be out on the bike for at least the next week and don't want to miss out

 

[lucklesspedestrian]

My first thought would be - take the wheel out. Click-click-click on the gear lever to move to top gear. Put the wheel back in carefully, as @Mo1959 says, lining up with the small sprocket and checking it's seated properly.

Then if still wonky, start looking for more exotic causes like unseated cables. Leave the adjusters alone until you absolutely have to twiddle. You're unlikely to have accidentally twiddled them.

Yep, that did it, wheel off, into top gear, wheel back on, up and down the gears a few times to check, all good. Suspect I omitted to shift onto the smallest cog when removing the wheel as well as in all probablility locating the chain back onto an entirely different cog when I put the wheel back on. Thanks for all the replies....I'll learn!

 

[raleighnut]

Yep, that did it, wheel off, into top gear, wheel back on, up and down the gears a few times to check, all good. Suspect I omitted to shift onto the smallest cog when removing the wheel as well as in all probablility locating the chain back onto an entirely different cog when I put the wheel back on. Thanks for all the replies....I'll learn!

at least you didn't take the cable off and start 'fecking' around with that like someone suggested, my theory is if it worked before then it'll be right again.

A caveat, this is unless you know enough to take a bike completely apart and rebuild it from the frame up.