Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On 8/12/2019 7:33 PM, AK wrote:
I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy


If two shops gave it any attention I'll assume the chain is
not too worn, nor the changer, and that it has reasonably
straight chainline and that the gear tab (or adapter in your
case) is straight.

Which leads me to think that, absent gross problems above,
your Huffy, as so many inexpensive indexed bicycles,may have
spiral casing and coarse gear wires. If that's so, a sub-$20
gear cable/casing set will be an improvement. Get 5mm if at
all possible rather than 4mm although either will work.

Your LBS is not your enemy, usually. They're maybe busy
and/or distracted but not evil. If you return to the most
recent shop which serviced it, ask the guy what he
recommends to improve shift reliability and particularly if
a cable set would be helpful. Print this and bring it with you.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:33:50 -0700 (PDT), AK
wrote:

I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy

In my experience (for whatever that is worth :-) if the shifting
changes dramatically it is usually something like a misaligned shift
cable housing which allows the housing to move after the adjustments
are made, or even a poorly tightened cable clamp.

I've also noticed that after the shifter is adjusted that in a day or
so it sometimes requires a bit of added adjustment - maybe a part of a
turn of the adjuster (if there is one) - and once that adjustment is
made satisfactorily than things remain the same for months.
--
cheers,

John B.

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 7:47:34 PM UTC-5, AMuzi wrote:
On 8/12/2019 7:33 PM, AK wrote:
I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy


If two shops gave it any attention I'll assume the chain is
not too worn, nor the changer, and that it has reasonably
straight chainline and that the gear tab (or adapter in your
case) is straight.

Which leads me to think that, absent gross problems above,
your Huffy, as so many inexpensive indexed bicycles,may have
spiral casing and coarse gear wires. If that's so, a sub-$20
gear cable/casing set will be an improvement. Get 5mm if at
all possible rather than 4mm although either will work.

Your LBS is not your enemy, usually. They're maybe busy
and/or distracted but not evil. If you return to the most
recent shop which serviced it, ask the guy what he
recommends to improve shift reliability and particularly if
a cable set would be helpful. Print this and bring it with you.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

You reach some strange conclusions.

My local bike shops have always been helpful and I have never seen any as "evil".

A link to the

"sub-$20 gear cable/casing set" would be appreciated.

Andy

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 5:47:34 PM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
On 8/12/2019 7:33 PM, AK wrote:
I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy


If two shops gave it any attention I'll assume the chain is
not too worn, nor the changer, and that it has reasonably
straight chainline and that the gear tab (or adapter in your
case) is straight.

Which leads me to think that, absent gross problems above,
your Huffy, as so many inexpensive indexed bicycles,may have
spiral casing and coarse gear wires. If that's so, a sub-$20
gear cable/casing set will be an improvement. Get 5mm if at
all possible rather than 4mm although either will work.

Your LBS is not your enemy, usually. They're maybe busy
and/or distracted but not evil. If you return to the most
recent shop which serviced it, ask the guy what he
recommends to improve shift reliability and particularly if
a cable set would be helpful. Print this and bring it with you.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

I have seen the same thing happen when no cable ends were used. The outer slowly pulls through the eyelet shortening the outer and causing bad shifting. That is why these plastic end caps that anyone can press on manually are such a boon for the home mechanic. Though the latest Park cable cutter has a much higher grade cable end crimper.

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 11:48:26 AM UTC-4, Tom Kunich wrote:
On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 5:47:34 PM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
On 8/12/2019 7:33 PM, AK wrote:
I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy


If two shops gave it any attention I'll assume the chain is
not too worn, nor the changer, and that it has reasonably
straight chainline and that the gear tab (or adapter in your
case) is straight.

Which leads me to think that, absent gross problems above,
your Huffy, as so many inexpensive indexed bicycles,may have
spiral casing and coarse gear wires. If that's so, a sub-$20
gear cable/casing set will be an improvement. Get 5mm if at
all possible rather than 4mm although either will work.

Your LBS is not your enemy, usually. They're maybe busy
and/or distracted but not evil. If you return to the most
recent shop which serviced it, ask the guy what he
recommends to improve shift reliability and particularly if
a cable set would be helpful. Print this and bring it with you.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

I have seen the same thing happen when no cable ends were used. The outer slowly pulls through the eyelet shortening the outer and causing bad shifting. That is why these plastic end caps that anyone can press on manually are such a boon for the home mechanic. Though the latest Park cable cutter has a much higher grade cable end crimper.

I used a plastic end cap on a REAR derailleur cable housing ONCE. Never again! It didn't take to long for the cable housing strands to start pulling through that plastic end cap. I ONLY use METAL end caps now.

Cheers

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On 8/12/2019 8:55 PM, John B. wrote:
On Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:33:50 -0700 (PDT), AK
wrote:

I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy

In my experience (for whatever that is worth :-) if the shifting
changes dramatically it is usually something like a misaligned shift
cable housing which allows the housing to move after the adjustments
are made, or even a poorly tightened cable clamp.

I've also noticed that after the shifter is adjusted that in a day or
so it sometimes requires a bit of added adjustment - maybe a part of a
turn of the adjuster (if there is one) - and once that adjustment is
made satisfactorily than things remain the same for months.

I think it's very common for new cables to somehow "settle in," making
the inner wire effectively (not actually) longer. The cure is to
lengthen the path of the housing to match.

On a hilly club ride this year, a new rider on a new bike was having
lots of shifting problems, lots of missed and grinding shifts. "The bike
shop just adjusted it!" etc.

At a stop, without even dismounting from my bike, I turned her cable
housing length adjuster out half a turn and said "Try that." It shifted
perfectly the rest of the ride.


--
- Frank Krygowski

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On 8/13/2019 10:48 AM, Tom Kunich wrote:
On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 5:47:34 PM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
On 8/12/2019 7:33 PM, AK wrote:
I have taken my bike to 2 different shops to have my gears adjusted.

They do not shift properly and end up "clicking" instead of shifting into the correct gear.

I have had 2 shops adjust the bike and the adjustment never lasts more than 3 or 4 days.

My chain and all components are very clean.

What's is going on?

Andy


If two shops gave it any attention I'll assume the chain is
not too worn, nor the changer, and that it has reasonably
straight chainline and that the gear tab (or adapter in your
case) is straight.

Which leads me to think that, absent gross problems above,
your Huffy, as so many inexpensive indexed bicycles,may have
spiral casing and coarse gear wires. If that's so, a sub-$20
gear cable/casing set will be an improvement. Get 5mm if at
all possible rather than 4mm although either will work.

Your LBS is not your enemy, usually. They're maybe busy
and/or distracted but not evil. If you return to the most
recent shop which serviced it, ask the guy what he
recommends to improve shift reliability and particularly if
a cable set would be helpful. Print this and bring it with you.


I have seen the same thing happen when no cable ends were used. The outer slowly pulls through the eyelet shortening the outer and causing bad shifting. That is why these plastic end caps that anyone can press on manually are such a boon for the home mechanic. Though the latest Park cable cutter has a much higher grade cable end crimper.


Plastic casing caps? Never!
Damned things cause more trouble than they cure.
We like plated brass casing caps.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 10:24:21 AM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:

Plastic casing caps? Never!
Damned things cause more trouble than they cure.
We like plated brass casing caps.

I have never had a problem with the plastic end caps. It isn't as if they can saw through or something.

But I'll take your word for it and stay with crimp on brass.

Can not get bike to shift gears properly
 

AMuzi wrote:

Plastic casing caps? Never!
Damned things cause more trouble than they cure.
We like plated brass casing caps.

Agreed. Also, I've almost succeeded in expunging thin "brake" housing ferrules from the shop where I work. They're specified for brakes, because long lay shift cable housing strands can push their way through the thin soft metal. Problem is, Bowden cable coils can also push their way through if the housing stop isn't adequately supportive.

So it's all brass "SIS" type 5mm ferrules and aluminum 4mm ferrules for me.