Inline Barrel Adjusters. Why are they so badly designed?

[PpPete]

OK, so these rely on being able to turn one part with respect to the other.
Why the hell is only one half knurled?
As soon as there is a bit of tension in the cable the black part just spins around as the red part is turned.

 

[Webbo2]

So if it’s for your front mech. Put the chain on the big ring click you lever to drop it in to little ring. Don’t move the chain so its still on the big ring but now with a slack cable. Now it’s easy to tension.

 

[wafter]

I have a pair of Avid ones of broadly the same design and IIRC the plastic section locates into the threaded inner on a taper which gives pretty convincing engagement.

I've certainly had no problems with them slipping; although they are used on the brakes so won't see the constant tension during adjustment that would be the case if fitted to gear cables.

 

[scotsbikester]

The Avid ones I use for my BB7 brakes seem to work just fine. Unlike wafter's mine are under a little bit of tension all the time, which seems to be enough to hold one part still while the other rotates.

In fact when wound "together", reducing cable outer effective length, so reducing tension in the inner, one part can disappear inside the other. Even when extended there's barely enough "inner" to hold on to.

Maybe it's necessary by design? If the "inner" section had some sort of knurling, would that not mean that the inner diameter would have to be reduced, unless the body was made extremely thin? Perhaps the design restrictions are to do with the diameters of cables, inner and outer.

 

[Milzy]

I hate them and end up trimming for the worst. Would rather stop and adjust at the main source.

 

[PpPete]

I have a pair of Avid ones of broadly the same design and IIRC the plastic section locates into the threaded inner on a taper which gives pretty convincing engagement.

I've certainly had no problems with them slipping; although they are used on the brakes so won't see the constant tension during adjustment that would be the case if fitted to gear cables.

The problem is not that they are slipping once adjusted, it's the fact the black section is so short and smooth there is no way to grip it and hold it while turning the red part to adjust it. Well, there is a way with narrow nose vice-grip, but it scratches the anodising. A better design would have the two sections of more equal length and both knurled (or with 8mm hex)

 

[mickle]

Yeah. They're sh!te. I use them for display purposes only.

 

[wafter]

The problem is not that they are slipping once adjusted, it's the fact the black section is so short and smooth there is no way to grip it and hold it while turning the red part to adjust it. Well, there is a way with narrow nose vice-grip, but it scratches the anodising. A better design would have the two sections of more equal length and both knurled (or with 8mm hex)

Yes; I understand the problem... I think by design there's supposed to be enough friction at the taper / hose interface to ensure that the black bit sits static relative to the hose and threaded inner, while the outer is turned and jacks it all apart / together.

Thinking about my last post there is some cable tension on the brakes even when the lever isn't being pulled - not sure how this compares to static gear cable tension but it does make me wonder whether the functionality of some is better than others. Certainly haven't experienced any such issues with mine..

Are yours branded or some generic items off ebay etc..? There could be less-obvious design differences that affect performance between types..

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

I quite like them. On the recumbent (tadpole) the rear derailleur one is just in front of the seat so I can ride along and adjust it properly. On tour a lot easier than finding some way to hold the rear off the ground, particularly with the pedals right out front and derailleur at the back.