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.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

My solution, if you can`t find any with a better grip, would be to get some rubber sleeving of some sort and put on the smooth end. Obviously you`d have to disconnect things first. At least with some rubber on there it would give you a grip. You could also use the rubber type of olives that protect the frame from the cables, the ones on my bike are knurled.

 

[PpPete]

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

Not even Ebay, mine are AliExpress, as they all look the same. If someone can point me at a branded product that they have found works better I will certainly put down the £

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Not even Ebay, mine are AliExpress

We have the answer

 

[scotsbikester]

Not even Ebay, mine are AliExpress, as they all look the same. If someone can point me at a branded product that they have found works better I will certainly put down the £

I use the Avid ones, which look the same as Wafter's. I have them on the brake cables:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brakes/avid-bb7-road-inline-barrel-adjuster-kit/

I do actually have BB7 brakes. Though I'm not sure how they can be specifically for those brakes. I assume the naming of them is just because Avid make the BB7s.

They work perfectly.

 

[wafter]

Not even Ebay, mine are AliExpress, as they all look the same. If someone can point me at a branded product that they have found works better I will certainly put down the £

Well, as mentioned I've no complaints about the Avid items I have on my Fuji although they're on the brakes so the cable tension situation may be significant. IIRC mine cost about £8 for the pair..

 

[scotsbikester]

Well, as mentioned I've no complaints about the Avid items I have on my Fuji although they're on the brakes so the cable tension situation may be significant. IIRC mine cost about £8 for the pair..

Yes, mine work perfectly. I must have got them when I bought the brakes. To be honest I was never really sure how they actually worked. So a few months ago, when I was putting new brake pads in the rear, I actually took one apart and had a look.

I shouldn't really need them, as I've got interrupter levers (or whatever you call them, "cross tops"?) which have adjusters. But I'm used to them now.

I know all the instructions say not to use them to move the brake calliper, use the actual pad adjusters.. But I do use them to take the last bit of slack out of the cable, and maybe just put a little bit of tension in there too. I stop once I've seen the calliper move a tiny bit. I'll use them to "fine tune" the brakes. Keep turning the pad adjusters till I get rub, then back off a notch. But then tighten them up a little more with the inline adjusters. I think I can probably get some adjustment that is between the notches of the BB7s.