How To Adjust Mountain Bike Gear Shifter
Cycle through the gears again making sure the chain moves smoothly through the gears.
How to adjust mountain bike gear shifter. It is furthest away from the centre line of the bike or closest to the frame fork. To adjust bike gears start by turning your bike upside down and resting it on the seat and handlebars. Then click through your gear selection to the top gear. If the problem with your bike is that the chain won t shift down when you lower your gears turn the cable adjuster clockwise to loosen it.
To put the bike into the top gear run the chain through and check it s not touching the side of the derailleur. Find the cross head screw towards the back of the derailleur marked h. The lower limit screw is needed to adjust the lower cogs. Shift the bike through all gears to check for noise and ease of shifting.
Remove the cover on the grip handle to expose the end of the shifter cable. Paul schmidt owner of bikes and more in gainesville fla shows you how to adjust your bike s cables to keep your shifters running smoothly. On the shifter where the cable goes into the body you will find a barrel adjuster. Adjust the barrel adjuster.
Shift the bike to the highest possible gear. As you do that make sure you hear the chain catching on the lower end. On the rear axle the lowest gear 1 st is the largest sprocket and the highest gear 5 th 6 th 7 th depending on how many sprockets are on the cassette is the smallest sprocket. Adjust the low l marking until the gear is centered.
The bike i use for the demonstration is a trek madone equipped with a shimano ultegra derailleur. Use your shifter and turn the pedals to move the chain onto the smallest cog. Screw the limiter in so you don t hear that noise. Next shift the rear shifter into the lowest gear 1 and place the chain into the largest gear.
You can see how having a bike repair stand makes this so much easier. With the gear cable disconnected gently pedal forwards until the chain drops onto the smallest sprocket. This is a screw that can be tightened or loosened to adjust cable tension. If it won t move that far then leave it as far as it will go.
Repeat the process of loosening the barrel adjuster and tightening or loosening the cable as necessary to achieve the level of tension desired.