Shifting problem-internal routing.

[Rip Van]

Hello, my bike (Planet X CX SXL) recently developed shifting problems. I've had it less than a year and it's done about 600 miles. When going in to higher gears, coming down the cassette, the derailleur sticks when I tap the lever (sram rival X 1). I believed I'd narrowed it down to cable friction so changed the cable outers and inner. Now, when I try it with the handlebars unwrapped it works OK. When I start taping to the handlebars, before rewrapping, it starts sticking again. I'm considering leaving it out of the handlebar tape but that would be messy. Any thoughts people?

 

[Ajax Bay]

Check the ferrule or the interface between the cable and the shifter is excellently aligned and is not being pulled off line when you use tape to secure the outer to the bar.

 

[Rip Van]

Thanks Ajax, seems OK there. The photo that includes my hand would be roughly where it's sat since new, now displays symptoms. The second photo position, it works OK.

 

[Cycleops]

Would seem to be a cable inner or outer issue. Are the outer s good quality? Alert from greasing the inner I’m out of suggestions.

 

[si_c]

I think the issue may be arising from the way the cable is exiting the shifter - as you tape up the bars it's crimping the cable tight against them and probably making the curve internally a bit tight - raising friction.

Try playing with the cable run, and before you tape the bars up use some electrical or masking tape to hold the cable in place against the bars and make sure that the shifting works then. If I'm right then once you retape the bars the problem shouldn't recur.

 

[Rip Van]

Would seem to be a cable inner or outer issue. Are the outer s good quality? Alert from greasing the inner I’m out of suggestions.

New outers and inners. Not expensive, Lifeline, chain reaction? Could get it to work with the original stuff when not taped (insulating tape). Soon as I started securing to the bars, pre bar tape, the problem re-occurs.

 

[Rip Van]

I think the issue may be arising from the way the cable is exiting the shifter - as you tape up the bars it's crimping the cable tight against them and probably making the curve internally a bit tight - raising friction.

Try playing with the cable run, and before you tape the bars up use some electrical or masking tape to hold the cable in place against the bars and make sure that the shifting works then. If I'm right then once you retape the bars the problem shouldn't recur.

I've done all that. Spent the whole day yesterday, starting with adjustment, narrowing it down to the handle bar section of the cable run. I've now retaped the bars with the gear cable out of the tape and seems OK but not really a solution. As I said in my OP it only started the other day but has worked flawlessly since I bought the bike. Head scratching.

 

[Milkfloat]

I just want to check that you definitely have the cable routing correctly at the derailleur end. It may be worthwhile disconnecting and checking to see if the cable slides nicely.

 

[Racing roadkill]

It sounds like a ferrule has dislodged, out of sight somewhere, and when you strap down the cable firmly, the cable is being trapped by it. Or possibly the rear derailleur cable is slightly too short. A good way to check that is to try shifting with the bars turned to each side in turn, without strapping down the cable at the bar end, then repeat with the bars strapped down.

 

[fossyant]

Might be the cable quality - worth considering.

 

[Rip Van]

I just want to check that you definitely have the cable routing correctly at the derailleur end. It may be worthwhile disconnecting and checking to see if the cable slides nicely.

Done already, thanks.

 

[Rip Van]

It sounds like a ferrule has dislodged, out of sight somewhere, and when you strap down the cable firmly, the cable is being trapped by it. Or possibly the rear derailleur cable is slightly too short. A good way to check that is to try shifting with the bars turned to each side in turn, without strapping down the cable at the bar end, then repeat with the bars strapped down.

All checked before I posted, thanks. Maybe I should have put more in my OP but I didn't want to make it too long a read.

 

[Rip Van]

Might be the cable quality - worth considering.

This could be it. I was thinking along those lines on today's bike run (believe it or not, I have more than one bike😅)

 

[fossyant]

Worth trying genuine SRAM.

 

[Kestevan]

It's worth checking the how clean the cable cut is under the ferule, if its not perfectly straight and clean it can cause the inner to rub/catch. I found cutting the outer with a piece of inner cable in place helps to stop the outer deforming (and use proper, decent cable cutters, not pliers etc).

Having said that, I had a poor experience with Lifeline cable outers on SRAM. No problem with them on Shimano, but was never happy with the shift quality on my SRAM Rival setup.