Gear indexing gone wrong

[timbrox]

Hi all

First time trying to index my gears earlier and even though it looked very simple in the instruction videos, I've made a mess of it (typical...!)

Mid-procedure, my barrel adjuster just seemed to be turning without doing much so I decided to reset everything by disconnecting the cable, turning the barrel adjuster in the full way, and then tightening up the cable bolt again. I was in the smallest cog at this point (as instructed), but then when I started testing it out again, found I could only get into a few of the gears with the shifter. The barrel adjuster helped me access 1 or 2 more, but at this point I thought something wasn't right if I needed to use the barrel adjuster to access half the cassette. So I redid the whole thing again: undoing the cable bolt, turning the adjuster in again, etc. but now when it's all set up again I can't even get out of the smallest cog. The shifter won't press in at all (as if I've reached the other end of the cassette).

Any thoughts on what this could be? I'm a newbie so have probably made some rather obvious oversight.

My feeling is that it's the barrel adjuster, it's very difficult to know if it's working or not (it's a Shimano ultegra one - I saw other online users saying they were having trouble with the specific Ultegra cheap plastic version I seem to have too...) But equally it could be anything...any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Adam4868]

I'm no expert but I allways do as follows.
Smallest gear at the rear.Loosen the clamp for cable and let tension off.
Make sure your shifter is in lowest gear/click also.
Wind barrel adjuster all the way in.
Then take tension up and clamp cable.
The chain should run smooth at this point...one click up on shifter then turn barrel adjuster a quarter of a turn at a time whilst turning pedals/crank until the chain shifts up a gear.I usually find once I've got the first couple of gears right the rest are usually ok.
Failing that youtube !

 

[PatrickPending]

Lots of vids on facetube

Gear Adjustment - Bing video

youtube indexing geARS derallieur - Bing video

Best way is to watch easier than to describe. Once you get the hang of it its easy. Best done on a bike stand though can do without...

 

[screenman]

First ask why it needed fixing, often down to rear mech alignment.

 

[roadrash]

if your hanger is straight , then i find this to be the easiest, simplest video there is..

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Gears need setting up initially with the chain on the smallest sprocket and the shifter in the highest gear, so you have all the cable slack at the back. It's possible to have the shifter in a mid-range position and the chain on the highest gear at the back. If you connect it together like this you wont be able to select all your gears.

 

[Specialeyes]

Wot @SkipdiverJohn said. If you've run out of clicks in the shifter, you've not reset it back to its lowest-gear position before tightening the cable!

You're on the right lines, don't lose heart! Just make sure you click all the way back down through the the gears on the shifter (so it thinks it's in the smallest sprocket) then set it up on the smallest sprocket

 

[raleighnut]

^^^^^^^ +1

You need to set the shifter back to it's first click.

 

[hatler]

The shifter should be in the highest gear position, corresponding to the small cog on the cassette.

Then do as Adam 4868 suggests.

 

[timbrox]

Thanks everyone for all your help. I've tried to set the shifter back to the small cog but now I get empty clicks either way. Nothing seems to happen, I turn the barrel adjuster but nothing happens. Something has gone wrong somewhere. The cable is also shorter now than when I started which I find suspicious.

 

[Domus]

Shifter is not in correct position. Click ALL the way to highest gear, with chain on smallest cog re attach cable.

 

[DCBassman]

Release cable from derailleur.
Turn pedals, chain will be shifted to smallest sprocket by spring tension.
Grasp end of cable to apply light tension, and shift toward highest/fastest gear.
At this point, re-attach the cable, still taut, and adjust.

 

[si_c]

I find it helps to use a pair of pliers to pull the cable through - you need to make sure that there is sufficient tension in the cable so that when you click there is no slack taken in before the shifter moves.

A good way to check if this is the case is once you've got it fully indexed and the shifter in the smallest sprocket if you pull on the exposed cable after it comes out of the barrel adjuster towards where it clamps there should be zero slack in there. If there is even the slightest amount of give then you need to wind the adjuster out until the slack is removed. If this takes more than a couple of full turns then you will have trouble indexing properly so wind it back in again and then loosen and reattach the cable properly.

If it's your first time doing this it may take a couple of tries to get it right so don't get disheartened.

 

[DaveReading]

I've tried to set the shifter back to the small cog but now I get empty clicks either way.

That doesn't sound right. Might be worth checking the action of the shifter on its own (i.e. without connecting the cable at the derailleur end).

You should only get the appropriate number of clicks in either direction - if not, there's something wrong with the shifter.

 

[Fifelad]

It sounds like you have done everything correctly, it’s not inconceivable that the barrel adjuster could be knackered. I’ve had to replace them before, albeit for more serious issues such as seizing