Renewing derailleur and cassette.

[Salty seadog]

Hi all, this is on the whyte montpellier hybrid. I've been having some shifting issues in the lower 3-4 gears in both the big and small ring, needing a little extra push on the shifter to get it into the next lowest gear (biggest cog), also a little bit of chatter. I'd been fiddling with indexing etc for a couple of months including going back to scratch and undoing the cable, still the same. The chain has plenty of meat on it and only the second on the bike with about 2500 miles on it

A little background info. The bike fell over in the house and knocked the hanger out of line, I had it straightened and it shifted perfectly for the next 2 1/2 years. Despite this when in the big ring and in the lower gears you could see that the rear mech cage was pulled slightly out of line,(towards the inside).

Took it into the lbs recently and the mechanic put on a new gear cable and cassette. It shifted perfectly in the stand but under load the problem was the same as before. The mechanic said maybe the cage had been twisted over time.

The nuclear option is to replace hanger mech and maybe cassette.

Question 1. It has sram shifters on it, will any derailleur work with the shifters, i.e pull ratio wise, is that dictated by the shifters alone?

Question 2. Does this cassette look ok to you wear wise?

Sorry for the rambling nature.

 

[wisdom]

Cassette looks fine to me

 

[screenman]

Why did the mechanic not check the cage, did he check alignment again?

 

[iluvmybike]

If you have SRAM shifters you will have to have a SRAM rear derailleur as the pull ratio is different to Shimano

 

[Bazzer]

I know you have said your chain has meat on it, but are you sure it is OK? You seem to have eliminated the hangar (at least on a stand), the cassette and cable. My current chain has lasted only around 3,000 miles and among other work on my bike is being replaced tomorrow.
I'd also have thought a chain would be cheaper than a hanger. If the problem persists you have eliminated one possible cause and have a spare chain for when your current one needs replacing.

 

[Cycleops]

I'd have thought the chain is ripe for replacement. You can't always tell just by looking that the cassette is worn.

 

[Salty seadog]

Why did the mechanic not check the cage, did he check alignment again?

Do you mean hanger alignment? He straigtened it out. It maybe that a skewed cage might not be visible to the eye. I think he sugested it might be only a fraction out. He is a good mechanic i trust.

I know you have said your chain has meat on it, but are you sure it is OK? You seem to have eliminated the hangar (at least on a stand), the cassette and cable. My current chain has lasted only around 3,000 miles and among other work on my bike is being replaced tomorrow.
I'd also have thought a chain would be cheaper than a hanger. If the problem persists you have eliminated one possible cause and have a spare chain for when your current one needs replacing.

I measured it at just over 0.5% and the mechanic came up with 0.4% so we both think it's good. I have a new chain at hoe so will slap that on next week when I'm home. It's amazing the blind spots a brain can have, I hadn't thought of that as this chain is good.

 

[Ajax Bay]

The chain has plenty of meat on it and only the second on the bike with about 2500 miles on it.
. . . .
Question 2. Does this cassette look ok to you wear wise?

You cannot really tell whether the cassette has worn 'too much' by inspection. Quite possible, after 2500 miles, that the cassette has worn and needs replacing. You should be able to tell this if the chain occasionally skips a tooth (on a sprocket (rear)).
But having said that, the symptoms seem more like misalignment of the hanger and possibly the cage slightly off true (vertically). This should be visible with the bike on a stand and viewing from the rear, checking across the full range of the cassette. The jockey wheels should remain absolutely vertical.

 

[pclay]

That cassette looks ok to me. By comparison, the cassette on my Cannondale has done 5500 miles and is still running ok. It's on the third chain.

 

[ryanme]

When you say you have been having shifting issues ...

Gears not changing well, or not sitting in gear? or the chain is slipping on the cog without gear change?

 

[pclay]

i would say that the chain is worn. Have you measured the chain wear with a chain tool? a good rule of thumb is to replace the chain every 1500 miles. if you current chain has 2500 miles on it, then I would say it is long overdue to be replaced.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I measured it at just over 0.5% and the mechanic came up with 0.4% so we both think it's good.

i would say that the chain is worn. Have you measured the chain wear with a chain tool?

Have you measured the thread, @pclay ?

 

[pclay]

Have you measured the thread, @pclay ?

They didn't say if they used a chain tool or not...

 

[Ajax Bay]

Do you think a chain tool is more or less accurate than measuring 10 links (10") with a steel rule? Why?

 

[Tin Pot]

Was the cassette replaced by the lbs or not?

OP appears to contradict.