Suddenly gears not changing down

[Amac]

Hi Guys,

Before I make things worse I thought I would as a quick question here first.

Out on a ride yesterday with my wife, her Ridge Back hybrid suddenly would not change down below 5th.
If you change up to 6 & 7 it will change down, but not below 5th.

I was thinking it cant just be a small adjustment thing, as that would not suddenly just happen.
I tried turning the cable adjustment at the rear, 5 turns clockwise, then back to the start, then 5 anti clockwise.
That has not made any difference.

Do you think it might be the gear adjuster changer mechanism its self?
Any tips or thoughts would be great.

Thanks Alex

 

[DCLane]

I'd suggest checking the gear cable first; it may be frayed inside the shifter or elsewhere.

 

[Cycleops]

Could be a frayed or sticking inner cable as DC says. I would put in a new cable and start from scratch. Plenty of videos on YouTube to help you. Don't forget to put a bit of grease on it. You'll just need some Allen keys.

 

[Amac]

cheers guys,
I guess I can but the correct cable from the LBS?

 

[Cycleops]

Just ask for a gear cable, they're all the same.
You might just flush out the shifter with WD40, if it's had a few years of service they can get gummed up causing problems.
There's a plate to remove and the cable is extracted from there.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Besides the excellent advice above, it'd be worth considering replacing the short section of outer going between the rear derailleur and the chainstay stop. Your friendly LBS will sell you a cable and a section of outer (measure current bit or take it with you, and they will cut it for you) plus 2 ferrules (or use current ones) for not much.

 

[Amac]

cheers guys,
The bike is fairly old and been used a fair bit, so all of that sounds good advice, given me a good starting point

 

[I like Skol]

How cold was it?

If you were riding in freezing temperatures then water inside the cable casing can freeze which will cause sticking cables and the symptoms you describe. However, this should sort itself once the bike is home and warmed up.

 

[Nibor]

also check the cable tension as if it is too slack it won't change down

 

[Ajax Bay]

The bike is fairly old and been used a fair bit,

In which case I recommend changing all the bike's cables and all the outers (not just the section at the rear). These can be done one at a time, to avoid the job being 'too big'. Edit: Start with the rear gear cable and outer; then the front one.

 

[Amac]

Cheers, good idea about the weather, it was cold.
Just popped out and tried it, just in case but its the same, thanks thou.

 

[Nibor]

Put it into top gear on the rear and check the cable tension. it there is any slack that is your problem. It is the first thing i would check before starting to swap out cables.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Robin - Might the OP be using 'down' to mean down the cassette to the smallest sprocket, rather than 'down' meaning a lower gear (larger sprocket). I can't see how the symptom as described would work with inadequate cable tension.

would not change down below 5th.
If you change up to 6 & 7 it will change down, but not below 5th.

 

[Amac]

Hi Nibor & Ajax,

Sorry I should have been a bit clearer
Its is not changing down to the lower gears (large sprocket)
I was going to try and have another fiddle about this afternoon whilst its still light, so I will check it on the top gear.
Cheers guys

 

[Ajax Bay]

Maybe the cable clamp has slipped. It's possible that a ferrule in the wrong position has finally 'settled', but 11.6mm is a lot of settling (losing sprockets 1-4).
Click down/up as far as the shifter will go, pulling on the cable with your hand (ie on the downtube section). Get the chain on the smallest sprocket. Unclamp the cable. Re-index the gears. @Cycleops has a favourite video to help.