Getting annoyed with my rear gears

[Moose.]

What can I do to get them working efficiently and not jamming every time I go for a ride?

The last straw was 3am on Sunday morning during a 24 hour event. I ended up only being able to select the three cogs on the front and had to make do with second on the rear. The derailleur was movable, but I think the cable and front selector must have got clogged up with mud. No-one else on my team had such issues, so I think something's not right.

I'd already taken the whole system apart and cleaned it up, and replaced the inner cable a couple of weekends ago because it was causing my problems then, and it seems to be fine before this weekend. I'm thinking I need to replace some/all of the system. It's a Shimano Deore setup which came with the bike when I bought it last year. Any advice much appreciated

[pdV6]

If the mech and shifter are both working ok, get some sealed cables:

www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5300006168&N=Transfil%20MudLovers%20Gear%20Cable%20Set
www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000809&N=Shimano%20XTR%20Gear%20Cable%20Set
www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=-1539395066

[mat205125]

Maybe your Deore set up is a little economical for entering 24hr events. If the weather was anything like as pants where you were, as where I was on my ride Sunday, I can understand how your setup might struggle.

My 3 hour ride around the woods turned into a right muddy / sandy grind fest, yet my XT derailiers and Deore shifts coped just fine (if a little noisy by the end)

[Moose.]

That's probably a bit of an understatement. The conditions were terrible; so much mud Those Shimano XTR cables look just the ticket. Just need to measure up the current lengths to make sure they'll fit ok

[rico]

Deore is a fine groupset. No problems there.

TBH, in muddy conditions, no setup bar singlespeeds and internal hubs will be perfect

[matthew_h]

Rico is entirely correct

[Moose.]

True, but out of 8 of us doing the event, I was the only one having problems selecting gears Some of the guys were getting through brake pads like there's no tomorrow though!

[matthew_h]

All that means is that, on that day, your gears were slightly less well adjusted or slightly more susceptible to the mud.

Next time it might be one of your XTR owning friends, you never know.

[snotrag]

Deore kit will not disintegrate in muddy weather.

Have you checked your mech hanger? With a tool, not just by eye.

Have you checked your cable routing? If it is a FS frame it may be too short.

[Moose.]

snotrag said:

Deore kit will not disintegrate in muddy weather.

The shifter and derailleur are Deore, not sure about the cables though.

snotrag said:

Have you checked your mech hanger? With a tool, not just by eye.

By eye yes, but I had no idea there was a special tool for this.

snotrag said:

Have you checked your cable routing? If it is a FS frame it may be too short.

Not a full susser, but I do suspect the cable from the frame to the rear mech is a bit too short. It has to turn through 180 degrees and seems to have a little resistance in which can't be helping.

[matthew_h]

Sounds to me that replacing your cables, both inner and outer, and getting the routing nice and neat should be the first step.

After that, I am sure they will work, but report back and if they are still crap then we can continue to suggest stuff

[Trooper2]

Here is a product that can help out in muddy conditions and will complement the sealed cables.

www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13706


Here is the tool for checking the rear dérailleur hanger.

www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=48&item=DAG%2D1

They are expensive but any shop worth it's salt should have one and be willing to check it for you. Several other companies make a similar tool but the Park is the most common.



P.S. I have had great success with the "Flak-Jacket" cable sets when I lived and rode in the rainy Pacific Northwestern U.S.

Edited by Trooper2 on Monday 14th May 14:32

[Moose.]

Silly question, but if I do order the XTR cables, can I cut them to suit or does that ruin them? To the rear the three sleeved sections are 300mm, 170mm and 300mm (although I'll make sure the rear one is larger than 300mm as to me it seems to be going through too tight an angle for that length)

[Stuart]

Moose. said:

Silly question, but if I do order the XTR cables, can I cut them to suit or does that ruin them?

Yes, you can cut the XTR outer and inner to suit. Just make sure that you use a good quality pair of cable snips to do the job - underneath the outer rubber lining is a strip of coiled metal that can be a bugger if you don't cut it cleanly.

Moose. said:

To the rear the three sleeved sections are 300mm, 170mm and 300mm (although I'll make sure the rear one is larger than 300mm as to me it seems to be going through too tight an angle for that length)

Do you mean that the sleeve from the rear drop out to the mech itself is 300mm? If so then this sounds far too long to me.

[Trooper2]

Here you go moose...

www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=116

Use the instructions that come with which ever cable set you end up buying as well.

Edited by Trooper2 on Monday 14th May 23:12

[Moose.]

stuart_forrest said:

Do you mean that the sleeve from the rear drop out to the mech itself is 300mm? If so then this sounds far too long to me.

The left pics of these two is how mine currently looks, although the kink as it enters the barrel adjuster is even worse on mine; hence why I want it too be longer.

I'll order them up today and let you guys know how I get on

Edit: And cheers for the link Trooper2

Edited by Moose. on Tuesday 15th May 09:15

[snotrag]

Ask for a 'Rollamajig' from your local shop. They will know what is it, about a tenner. Solves all the problems with outer cable loops into the rear mech.

[pdV6]

snotrag said:

Ask for a 'Rollamajig' from your local shop. They will know what is it, about a tenner. Solves all the problems with outer cable loops into the rear mech.

If you can find one. The importers no longer import them, so its a case of finding old stock hiding on a dusty shelf.

The other option is to go for the SRAM X-series rear mechs that have a straight cable path. '07 XTR copies this IIRC.

{edited to add:} Thinking about it, my guess is that as SRAM now owns Avid (who make the Rollamajig) and have their own mechs that don't need the part, they may have made a political decision to discontinue it in the hope of persuading folk to shell out for their mechs rather than sticking with Shimano and fitting a £10 upgrade.

Edited by pdV6 on Tuesday 15th May 10:05

[Stuart]

Moose. said:

stuart_forrest said:

Do you mean that the sleeve from the rear drop out to the mech itself is 300mm? If so then this sounds far too long to me.

The left pics of these two is how mine currently looks, although the kink as it enters the barrel adjuster is even worse on mine; hence why I want it too be longer.

I'll order them up today and let you guys know how I get on

Edit: And cheers for the link Trooper2

Edited by Moose. on Tuesday 15th May 09:15

With respect, I think that picture on the right is b*llocks! I've always set my bikes up as they are on the left, road and off-road, and never have any problems with shifting. Really, I don't think that putting such a long sleeve on the back will solve your problems any more than just decent quality well lubed cables. Plus, on an MTB, you are just creating more things to get snagged on undergrowth, roots, other bikes in storage etc. etc. It also looks a bit rubbish, imho...

[mr clive]

I have just bought an XTR gearcable too. Is it best to cut it with snips or would a fine toothed hacksaw be best?