Snapped Rear Gear Cable

[summerdays]

I limped home (it wasn't too bad apart from making me very cautious knowing I didn't have my normal acceleration to rely on). Mainly because when I looked I realised I didn't have any cable cutters, couldn't get the cable end bit off.

Anyway now I'm home I've almost extracted the cable BUT I'm failing to get the nipple out of the shifters.... Deore 9 speed ones.... Any suggestions how I coax it out of there?

 

[fossyant]

pop the shifter in gear 9

 

[summerdays]

Have you clicked the shifter so you can see the nipple?

I can see the nipple but it's just not quite lining up with the hole and I suspect the problems with the cable line in there so I'm unable to push through from the other side.

 

[derrick]

I can see the nipple but it's just not quite lining up with the hole and I suspect the problems with the cable line in there so I'm unable to push through from the other side.

Can be a bit of a bitch when it breaks there, When that happened to me i ended up taking the shifter of to get it out. good luck.

 

[Sharky]

Is it magnetic? A magnetic screwdriver or sticky tape might just pull it out?

 

[summerdays]

It was magnetic but not enough, and we tried pushing pulling etc... In the end it took 2 hours just about to remove it. The first hour myself then Mr Summerdays too, taking the shifter apart.

Then when I put the cable back in I didn't thread it properly .... But only discovered I hadn't seated it properly once I had tightened the bolt at the rear derailleur. Undo it all and re-thread. And at one point I realised I had left the shifter upside down but couldn't move it round the handlebars to the correct position without undoing the brake clamp and the grip clamp, which I had to do.

Anyway I've just done a quick ride and I seem to have some working gears, and I'll check tomorrow when it's light to see exactly how many I have got!

That's the tangle the cable was in!

Thanks for the advice... It might have taken me a long time but at least I did it, a friend when I told her said I was mad and I should have just taken it to the bike shop!

 

[Ajax Bay]

Blow that image up, frame it and sell it. Very 'arty'.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

It was magnetic but not enough, and we tried pushing pulling etc... In the end it took 2 hours just about to remove it. The first hour myself then Mr Summerdays too, taking the shifter apart.

Then when I put the cable back in I didn't thread it properly .... But only discovered I hadn't seated it properly once I had tightened the bolt at the rear derailleur. Undo it all and re-thread. And at one point I realised I had left the shifter upside down but couldn't move it round the handlebars to the correct position without undoing the brake clamp and the grip clamp, which I had to do.

@summerdays it seems your mechanicals, like mine, take days rather than hours to solve. Nothing is ever straightforward for me either.
Having problems at the moment with a rear derailleur hanger that won't come off the derailleur
Hope all is well with your gears tomorrow.

 

[summerdays]

@summerdays it seems your mechanicals, like mine, take days rather than hours to solve. Nothing is ever straightforward for me either.
Having problems at the moment with a rear derailleur hanger that won't come off the derailleur
Hope all is well with your gears tomorrow.

Well my quick test in the dark felt so much nicer and made me realise they had probably been not right for a while....

And I managed to pull the cable through enough with my 4th hand tool though I found it fiddly, it was nice being able to do that bit of the job myself whereas previously I've never had enough strength to pull it through enough myself!

It's all a learning process, but I don't think I will be changing jobs to become a mechanic in the near future

 

[summerdays]

Right so I did think that I only had 7 out of 9 working gears last night (but it was cold, and I'd gone out for the test ride without enough layers), but as the ones I had were working well I decided that I had had enough of the bike and it would do until today.

So it got me to work (so much easier than yesterday) ... but I need to re-index the gears. Am I right in thinking that if I can't get into the two highest gears that I have made the cable too short? (I know basic indexing I'm sure says get the highest one right first but last night I was at the end and just wanting to sit down - and our kitchen is incredibly small so not brilliant to work in, and the conservatory is unlit so useless at night).

So I just need to slacken off the cable a little at the clamp bolt (I've brought the 4th hand tool with me so I should be able to pull the cable tight ... just not as tight as last night when I was obviously so impressed with the fact I could pull the cable through!)

 

[Ajax Bay]

May need to unscrew the higher limit screw a few turns first to let the RD jockey wheel get to the smallest sprocket; just (with chain on large chainwheel). Then get cable tight on that (with fine adjustment as necessary) and go from there.

 

[Tim Hall]

May need to unscrew the higher limit screw a few turns first to let the RD jockey wheel get to the smallest sprocket; just (with chain on large chainwheel). Then get cable tight on that (with fine adjustment as necessary) and go from there.

But assuming the mech could reach the smallest and largest sprockets before the cable broke and the limit screws weren't twiddled as part of the get-you-home bodge or during the fitting of the new cable, there should be no reason to fiddle with the limit screws now.

@summerdays , you might have enough scope in the cable adjuster(s) on the gear lever and on the mech. If you have, loosen them to see if that does the trick. Then go for loosening the cable at the clamp bolt. Indexing, as you say, should be done with the chain on the smallest sprocket, then work from there.

 

[Illaveago]

I sympathise with you summer days! I think I will stick with my old friction shifters they are less fiddly.

 

[potsy]

Have you got a workstand summerdays?
I'd be tempted to get home as it is if you can and have a fiddle when you have more time later.

I think Tim is right, depending on how much play you left in the adjusters when you fitted the new cable, may just need a tweak of them to get it adjusted enough.

 

[Ajax Bay]

You won't get two sprocket widths of adjustment without screwing both adjusters up leaving you nowhere to go if you subsequently need to make a further minor adjustment ie at some later date. I said 'may need to' in the same way @Tin Pot said 'assuming' and 'might have enough' and @potsy said 'may'. Release (undo) the cable clamp bolt - cable is loose; middle (both) adjusters may only be the one at the RD; align the RD jockey wheel/chain with the small sprocket, unscrewing the H limit screw as necessary, tension/tighten (but no more) the cable and clamp it; check it drops back onto the small sprocket; and adjust.