Derailer Adjustment

 Adjustment:
 Front
 Indexing
 Rear
 Autoshifting
 B-tension
 Alternate Cable Routing
 Cables
 Cable Replacement
 Chain Length
 Chain Line
 Trimming
 Skipping
 Stiff Links

How Derailers Work

Most modern bicycles use derailer (or dérailleur, if you prefer the French spelling) gearing systems. Gear
shifting is accomplished by leading the chain from one sprocket to another.
Derailers look complicated, but they are actually very simple, brute-force devices.
The front derailer simply consists of a cage made of sheet metal that can move back and forth from side to
side. As it does so, it pushes the chain sideways until it can't run on the chainwheel it has been riding on,
then the chain falls off and lands on the chainwheel closest to its new location.
The rear derailer looks more complicated, but the only additional complication is that the rear derailer also
contains the arm with the spring-loaded pulleys, that takes up the slack as the chain goes to smaller
sprockets.
Both derailers work by pushing the chain sideways, so that it runs at an angle onto the sprocket, instead of
straight. When the angle becomes sharp enough, the chain can no longer mesh with the sprocket. It then
falls off of the sprocket and lands on the next one in line.
When the chain is being shifted from a smaller sprocket to a larger one, it is slightly different. The chain is
forced to rub against the side of the larger sprocket next to the one it is riding on. Eventually, it gets snagged
on the sides of the teeth of the larger sprocket, and yanked up and away.
Newer sprockets usually have specially shaped teeth, and ramps on their sides to make this operation run
more smoothly. This is the major reason that modern derailer gear systems work better than older ones. It
has very little to do with the quality of the derailer.

Rear Derailer Adjustment

Before You Try To Adjust A Rear Derailer, Make Sure It Isn't Bent!
Before you try to adjust your rear derailer, you should really make sure it isn't bent. The rear derailer is the
most fragile and exposed part of a bicycle, and they are always getting bonked.
When a rear derailer gets whacked, it bends inward, toward the spokes. In some cases, it will actually go
into the spokes of the rear wheel while it is turning. This is very bad news when it happens. If you are lucky,
the derailer breaks. If you are less lucky, it takes a few spokes with it, and can easily ruin your rear wheel. If
you are truly unfortunate, the pull of the spokes on the derailer can tug it backwards so forcefully that the
dropout (the frame part that the rear axle and derailer attach to) will be bent very sharply backward, or even
broken. In some cases, this can render a frame a total loss.
When the derailer gets biffed, it is not usually the derailer itself that bends, but rather the hanger, the tab of
the frame dropout that the derailer attaches to. This is because the part of the derailer that usually gets
bumped is the strongest part, the parallelogram linkage that moves the cage back and forth. (Note; on many
older or less expensive bicycles, the hanger is not part of the frame, but is a separate part, which comes
with the derailer.) This "adaptor claw" is held on mainly by the rear axle nut, or the quick-release skewer. On
many newer frames, it is a bolt-on part, so it can be replaced if bent.
You can roughly check alignment by eye, if you look at the derailer from the
rear. The two pulleys should be lined up exactly underneath one another, so
that the chain runs straight up from the tension pulley to the jockey pulley, with
no sideways slant. Compare the line of the pulleys with that of the sprockets
above them.
Well-intentioned folks sometimes grab ahold of the derailer and try to pull it
back outward to its proper position. Unfortunately, they usually wind up yanking
on the derailer by its cage, which is the weakest part. As a result, they fail to
straighten the bent hanger, and, instead, bend the cage as well.
When a derailer hanger is bent, it is generally necessary to remove the derailer
to straighten it. Bike shops have a special tool, a bar with a sliding gauge on it,
that screws into the hole in the hanger in place of the derailer. This tool
provides lots of leverage to straighten the hanger with, and has a gauge to
judge when it is parallel to the rear wheel. A rough, on-road repair is sometimes
possible by removing the derailer and bending the tab with an adjustable
wrench.
Note, wide-range Campagnolo derailers have cages that are not intended to
be vertical; the lower pulley is farther outboard than the jockey pulley.
The Four Rear Derailer Adjustments, In Order of Importance

The limit-stop screws

The limit stops are two screws that set the limits of how far the derailer can move from left to right. They are
usually located on the back of the parallelogram; sometimes they face outward to the bicycle's right. The
ends of a screw bumps into an internal part of the parallelogram when the derailer has moved all the way in
the direction controlled by that screw.
The limit screws are not intended to move the derailer; they tell it where to stop when it is moved by the
shifter control. Loosening a limit stop allows the derailer to be moved farther in a particular direction by the
shifter. Tightening it restricts the motion of the derailer in that direction.
Normally, the limit stops need to be set when a new derailer is installed, and should not require any further
attention. If they seem to need adjustment on a bicycle that used to work properly, it is usually an indication
that the derailer is bent. Trying to correct a bent derailer with the adjusting screws is OK as a temporary field
repair, but is not a correct long-term repair.
On newer derailers, the limit stop screws are labeled: "H" (high) and "L" (low). On some older derailers,
there is no such label, because the working ends of the screws are visible. If you shift such a derailer into
high gear, note which screw is bumping into an internal part of the derailer...that screw is the high-gear stop;
the other is the low-gear stop.
These are not particularly fussy adjustments. Don't be afraid to give half a turn or a turn at a time. The only
place where there's any danger is the rear derailer's low gear stop, which can allow the derailer to go into
the spokes if if it is set very loose. The other three limit stop screws will cause overshifting if set too loose,
but this is relatively harmless and easily corrected.

Low-gear limit stop.

The low gear limit stop (usually marked by the letter "L") stops the derailer from shifting past the
largest sprocket and throwing the chain into the spokes. If it is too loose, the derailer can overshift into
the spokes, with disastrous results. If it is too tight, it will be difficult or impossible to shift down to the
largest rear sprocket.
 High-gear limit stop
The high gear limit stop (usually marked by the letter "H") stops the derailer from shifting past the
smallest sprocket and wedging the chain between the smallest sprocket and the dropout. If it is too
loose, it really doesn't make much difference on a bike with indexed shifting, because the cable will
not let the derailer overshift past the smallest sprocket. If the screw is too tight, it will be difficult or
impossible to shift up to the smallest rear sprocket.
Difficulty in upshifting to the smallest rear sprocket is rarely caused by misadjustment of the high-gear
limit screw. More often, it results from the derailer's being bent, or from excess friction in the cable.

Indexing adjustment
The indexing adjustment is the most frequently needed derailer adjustment. The detents (click-stops)
that provide indexing are in the shifters, and the index adjustment sets the length of the cable so that
the derailer is in the correct place to correspond with each click stop.
If a derailer is correctly adjusted when it is installed, this is the only adjustment that should have to be
tweaked later on, to accommodate cable stretch, or when cables are replaced.
The indexing adjustment is an adjusting barrel located at one end of a length of cable housing. Many
rear derailers have more than one index adjuster. All indexed derailers have an adjuster where the
final loop of cable housing ends at the derailer itself. Many bicycles also have another adjusting barrel
located so that it can be adjusted while you are riding. On mountain-bike-type shifters, this will be
located at the shifter itself, just where the cable exits. On road bikes with handlebar-mounted shifters,
there will usually be an adjusting barrel at the cable stop where the upper length of housing ends on
the upper end of the down tube.
It doesn't matter which of these adjustments you use: use whichever is more convenient.
Before you try adjusting the indexing, shift to the highest gear (smallest sprocket.) Make sure that the
shifter is in the position that allows the cable to be as loose as it can get. (Exception: Shimano Rapid
Rise derailers work the opposite way, so you are shifting to the largest sprocket).
Click the shifter to the first click after the fully loose position, then turn the pedals forward. The chain
should shift to the second smallest sprocket. If it doesn't, it means the cable is too loose. Turn an
adjusting barrel counter-clockwise to tighten the cable. Start with half a turn, then check again. It is
very common for beginners to over-correct by turning the adjuster too far. Sometimes this will result in
moving the indexing so far off that it sort-of works, except that the clicks are one notch off, so one of
the extreme gears doesn't work properly, but the others appear to be OK. This is why it is important to
check that the shift from the smallest to the second-smallest sprocket occurs in the right place on the
shifter.
Fine adjustments are accomplished according to the following principles (opposite for Shimano Rapid
rise derailers)::

Shifting to larger sprockets is accomplished by tightening the cable;

if such shifts are slow, the cable is not tight enough--
turn the barrel counterclockwise to tighten it.

Shifting to smaller sprockets is accomplished by loosening the cable;

if such shifts are too slow, the cable is not loose enough--
turn the barrel clockwise to loosen it.
If the rear indexing works properly when using the large chainwheel but not on the small chainwheel,
or vice-versa, this is often a sign that the rear derailer hanger is bent.

Angle adjustment ("B-tension")

Modern derailers have two spring-loaded pivots. The lower pivot, sometimes called the "a pivot" winds
 the cage up to take up slack as you go to smaller sprockets. The upper "b pivot" adds additional slack
take-up ability by pushing the derailer's parallelogram backwards.
The tension of the two springs needs to be balanced for best shifting.
Most derailers have an angle adjustment screw (Shimano calls it "B-tension adjustment"). This
adjusts the tension of the upper ("b") spring of the parallelogram, and thus the height of the jockey
pulley. The looser this screw is, the closer the jockey pulley will be to the cluster.
The angle adjustment will need to be set according to the size of the largest rear sprocket. If you
change to a cluster with a larger or smaller low-gear sprocket, you will need to re-adjust this setting.
You will also need to adjust this if you change the length of your chain.
If the angle adjuster is set too loose, the jockey pulley will bump into the largest sprocket when the
bicycle is in the lowest gear (large rear, small front). This is the gear you should check the adjustment
in. A larger low-gear sprocket may require a different rear derailer, with enough angle adjustment to
clear the sprocket.
Since a derailer shift is caused by forcing the chain to run at an angle, the greater the angle, the
sooner it will shift. The closer the jockey pulley is to the cluster, the sharper the angle will be for a
given amount of sideways motion of the derailer. Thus, the looser the angle adjuster screw is, the
better the shifting will be.

Campagnolo Rear Derailers

2001 and later Campagnolo rear derailers don't use a "b tension" adjustment. Instead, they have an
"a tension" adjustment. Spring balancing is done with this adjustment, but in the opposite direction.
That is, loosening the "a tension" has the same effect as tightening the "b tension."

Chain Length
If you replace your chain or sprockets, you should check your chain length. New chains come longer than
they need to be for the vast majority of bicycles. You will almost certainly need to shorten a new chain before
installing it on your bicycle. If your large sprocket sizes are anywhere near the maximum your rear derailer
can handle, the chain length can be quite critical.
If the chain is too short, it will be at risk for jamming and possibly ruining the rear derailer if you accidentally
shift into the large-large combination. Never run with a chain that is too short, except in an emergency.
If the chain is too long, it will hang slack in the small-small combinations. You should never use those
combinations anyway, so this is not a serious problem. If you exceed the recommended gear range for a
particular rear derailer, you may have to accept droop in these gears.
The best technique for setting chain length is to thread the chain onto the large/large combination, without
running it through the rear derailer. Mesh the two ends on to the large chainwheel so that one complete link
(one inch, -- one inner and one outer half-link) overlaps. In almost all cases, this will give the optimum
length.
Inner and Outer half-links must alternate:

Full-link overlap, correct

Overlaps by a half link. Will connect, but
with chain on the large chain-
Already too short too short except on
wheel and sprocket but not
unless it could overlap a bicycle with a
yet
by a full link as at left. non-derailer drivetrain.
run through the rear derailer.
Start with the shortest chain that would permit connection, allowing one extra complete link as shown in the
photo at the left above, so the bottom of the chain droops if you align it as in the picture at the right. Then
thread the chain through the rear derailer and connect it. Turning the crank by hand, check that the chain will
shift to the large-large combination using the front derailer or rear derailer, or both at once, without binding.
Work by shortening the chain, rather than lengthening it. Making the chain too short, then lengthening it is a
time-waster. The narrowest chains, used with cassettes that have 10 sprockets -- sometimes 9 -- must be
joined using special one-time-use replacement pins or master links. You probably only get one of these with
a new chain, so it is important to get the length right on the first try.

Alex Ramon has a video that shows:

How To Calculate Chain Length

Chain Condition
Chain condition will have an effect on how well your system shifts; in particular, if you chain is dry and rusty,
it will not shift well, because the links will be stiff.
Chains wear out, typically after only a few thousand miles. As they wear, they elongate slightly. They should
be checked regularly for signs of this sort of wear. This issue is addressed in detail in my article on Chain
Wear and Maintenance.
A worn chain will usually not be the cause of shifting problems, but usually is the cause of skipping under
load.

Stiff links
If you have a regular, repeating skip or hitch every 3 or 4 turns of the pedals, you may have a stiff chain link.
This is commonly the link where the chain was joined when it was installed. When the chain tool presses the
pin through the chain, the head of the pin tends to pull the uppermost chain plate along with it, so that the
two outer plates are squeezing together against the inner plates.
The easiest way to fix this is to bend the problem area of the chain into a "Z" shape, with the bad joint on the
diagonal part, then flex the chain back and forth from side to side. This will slightly spread the tight plates,
and free up the link.
A link that has been bent in a chain-jamming incident can cause similar symptoms. Generally, the bent link
(or the whole chain) will need to be replaced.
The easiest way to spot stiff/damaged links is to shift the bike into the small/small gear (the gear you should
never actually ride in.) This gear has the chain at its slackest, and flexes it farther than any other gear, as it
goes around the small rear sprocket and the derailer pulleys. Slowly backpedal while watching the chain as
it feeds through the rear derailer, and you will usually be able to see the bad link jump.

Front Derailer Adjustment

There are different front derailers for different seat-tube angles, different-sized chainwheels, two or three
chainwheels, and in some cases, different shifters. See my article on front derailers for details.
The front derailer should not be adjusted unless the rear derailer is already working properly, because front
derailer adjustments are affected by the position of the rear derailer, and you will need to access all of the
rear sprockets to adjust the front derailer correctly.
Front derailer adjustment is not an exact science. It requires a good eye and a bit of patience to get right.
When you apply power to the pedals, the power is transmitted to the rear sprockets by the upper run of the
chain. The lower run of the chain is just the return path, and the only tension on the lower run is applied by
the spring in the rear derailer. Since the front derailer does its shifting with the upper, power-transmitting,
section of chain, it has a harder task. In general, you should not expect a front derailer to shift well while you
are pedaling hard, even if the rear derailer does.

Front Derailer Adjustments

Chain slope and derailer selection
On a bicycle with a small rear wheel, high bottom bracket or steep seat tube, the chain slopes down
more toward the rear wheel, and the chain cage of the front derailer needs to sit farther to the rear.
Instructions for many clamp-on front derailers specify a range of angles. The front derailer of some
bicycles attaches to a special slotted tab, which may be brazed, bolted or glued onto the frame. The
tabe limits the range of chainwheel sizes that can be used, but it can be aligned ideally for the
particular bicycle. Another solution is a Shimano E-type front derailer, which attaches to the bottom
bracket, so it can be rotated to any needed angle --though it can be used only with the particular
chainwheel sizes for which it is designed.

Clamp Position
The most critical adjustment of a front derailer is its attachment to the bicycle frame. This must be
set correctly before you attempt to adjust the limit stops. All derailers except the E-type derailer
allow two adjustments, for angle (as seen from above) and height.

Angle
of the front derailer is judged by looking down on the cage from above. Modern front derailers
have very subtly shaped cages, so it is not always easy to tell when the ideal adjustment has
been made. In general, the centerline of the cage should be parallel to the centerline of the
frame. Rotating the derailer so that the back of the cage is farther out will sometimes improve
shifting to the small ring of a triple by preventing overshifting, but may cause increased need
for trimming on the larger rings. It may also cause the crank to strike the cage.
 Rotating the derailer so that the back of the cage is farther in will help reduce the need for
trimming on the large chainwheel, and will provide crisper downshifting, but with a greater
tendency to overshift on the inside. This may be appropriate on bicycles equipped with an anti-
derailment device.

Height
of the front derailer is a principal factor in how well it will shift. Manufacturers commonly
recommend 2 mm clearance between the bottom of the outer cage plate and the teeth of the
large chainwheel. This is a bit of an oversimplification. Best performance will result from the
very lowest position that still just barely keeps the cage from hitting the chainwheel teeth. The
lower you can get it, the better it will shift, and the less you will need to trim the front derailer.

Derailer/Chainwheel Mismatch
To get the front derailer as low as possible, the curvature of the outer cage plate has to match the
curvature of the largest chainwheel.
If you use a larger chainring than the derailer was designed for, the rear of the cage will hit the teeth
of the big chainring before the front of the cage gets low enough to provide crisp shifting without the
need for trimming.
If you use a smaller chainring than the derailer was designed for, it will shift OK, but you'll have to do
a fair amount of trimming, due to the rear of the cage being higher than it should be, so that the chain
crosses through it farther back.
Lately I've started modifying front derailers for improved shifting with larger rings. I have a Shimano
RSX front derailer on a bike with 50/38/28 Biopace (the sweep of a 50 Biopace is comparable to that
of a 52 round.) The RSX front derailer works great on its intended 46/36/26 setup, but the cage
doesn't match the curve of the larger chainring. In a couple of minutes with a grinding wheel, I
removed a good bit of metal from the bottom rear of the outer cage plate, and a bit from the bridge
section where the inner and outer cage plates connect at the back. This made the derailer match the
curvature of the larger chainwheel, and allowed me to set it low enough to provide good chain control.
This setup now works fine with an STI indexed shifter that doesn't permit "trimming" the front derailer.

Low-gear limit stop.

The low-gear limit stop stops the derailer from shifting past the smallest chainwheel and throwing the
chain onto the bottom bracket shell. If the stop is too loose, the chain will fall off when you try to
downshift to the small chainwheel. If too tight, you will find it difficult or impossible to shift down to the
small chainwheel.
On older front derailers, the low-gear stop is the one closer to the frame. Many newer designs reverse
this position for reasons relating to the mechanism used.
The basic adjustment for the low-gear stop is to set it so that the chain just barely clears the inner
plate of the cage when the lowest gear (small front, large rear) is selected. This will usually be the
best position for double-chainwheel setups, and will permit the use of most or all of the rear sprockets
with a minimum of trimming.
For triple chainwheels, it will sometimes be necessary to adjust the low-gear stop a bit looser, so that
the outer plate of the derailer can travel far enough to knock the chain off of the middle ring.

Anti-derailment devices
In some instances, you may find that one adjustment of the low-gear stop causes the chain to derail
past the small chainring, but a tighter setting results in slow downshifting to the small ring.
In such cases, a good, if inelegant, solution is sometimes to install an anti-derailment device that
 clamps to the seat tube. These products, such as the 3rd Eye Chain Watcher ® and the N-Gear Jump
Stop ® set up a barrier preventing the chain from overshooting the small ring, no matter how loose
the low-gear stop is set. This allows the low-gear stop to be set to allow the derailer to move farther
inboard for faster, more precise shifting, even under some load. These devices can often save the
day when extra-wide range gearing is used on a mountain bike or tandem.

High-gear limit stop

The high-gear limit stop is pretty straightforward. It should be set so that the chain almost rubs on the
outside plate of the front derailer cage when the bicycle is in its highest gear (large front/small rear).
This will reduce the need for trimming as you shift the rear derailer.
If the shift to the large chainwheel is slow, make sure that you aren't pedaling too hard: front
upshifting requires being ready to have the cranks slow down when the shift takes place. If the shift is
unreliable even when you are pedaling lightly, you may be able to improve it by loosening the high-
gear stop a bit. If you do so, check to make sure that the derailer cage is not moving so far out that it
can be struck by the crank as it goes by.
Sometimes front upshifting may be improved by rebending the front edge of the inner cage plate
outward a bit. This may be done with an adjustable wrench. This is rarely necessary on modern front
derailers, but used to be a very common trick on older, cruder designs.

Front Derailer Trimming

As you shift the rear derailer one way or another, the direction from which the chain runs from back to front
changes a bit. As a result, sometimes it is necessary to "trim" the adjustment of the front shifter after
changing gears with the rear, even if you are staying on the same front chainring. Trimming means using the
shifter to move the front derailer cage sideways just a little bit, enough to stop the chain from rubbing, but
not enough to make it shift to a different chainring.
Older front derailers designed for friction shifters used to require trimming as a matter of course, but newer
indexed systems can often be set up so that no trimming is necessary.
For a "trimless" front indexing, you will usually need to be using the particular chainwheel sizes for which the
front derailer was designed, and the chainwheels must not be bent even a little bit. The lower down the cage
is mounted, the less trimming will be needed.
[The SunTour Symmetric shifter -- from around 1982, non-indexed -- was designed to trim the front derailer
when the rear derailer was shifted. Notice how the front shift lever moves forward and backward as therear
shift lever is rotated on the video clip below. Remarkably, no other shifter system since has incorporated this
feature. I thank N. Keith Duncan for this video clip. -- John Allen]

If your system requires trimming, it is essential that you do it. If you ride with the chain rubbing against the
front derailer cage, you will wear a groove in the side of the cage and it will never shift properly.

See also my Front Derailer Selection Article

Chainline
"Chainline" refers to the sideways distance of the chain/sprockets from the centerline of the bike.
Front shifting problems are frequently related to incorrect chainline, that is, the chainrings are either too
close in, or, more commonly, too far away from the bike's centerline.
This generally is the result of having the wrong bottom bracket for the particular crankset model in use.
This site has a separate major article on Chainline
Cables
More often than not, shifting problems are due not to any problem with the derailers, but to excessive friction
in the cables that control them. The usual effect of cable friction is to make the derailer move sluggishly
when the return spring is pulling it toward a smaller sprocket.
The most common area for this problem is the short loop of cable housing that leads from the rear stay to
the derailer. The front end of this housing is exposed to road spray from the front tire, and the resulting rust
can seriously degrade shifting. This cable loop should be fairly long, so that it makes a very gradual curve.
Many bikes have too short a housing loop here.
Another problem area is the cable guide where the cables run under the bottom bracket. In addition to
sluggish upshifting, friction in this area can cause spontaneous upshifting under load.
Cable housing for indexed shift applications uses multiple straight wires sandwiched between plastic,
instead of the spiral-wound wire used in brake cable housing. This requires a fairly special tool to cut
properly. When you buy such housing, you would do well to have exact length information so that the shop
that sells it to you can cut it for you, if you don't have a suitable cable cutter.
When you cut housing, the plastic liner gets squished a bit. It is helpful to clean and round out the opening
with an awl or scriber.
The final loop at the rear derailer is short and has a nearly 180 degree bend. "Compressionless" housing is
normally used for this. I've taken to bending the piece of housing to the approximate shape it will be used in
before cutting it.
If you cut the housing straight, all of the longitudinal wires come out the same length, so when you bend it,
the end of the housing acquires a slanted face, since the wires on the inside of the bend have a longer way
to go around the curve. It is my belief that cutting the housing while it is bent makes a smoother, more
reliable connection at the end of the housing. You must have a ferrule at each end of each piece of housing.
This helps keep the hole in the housing aligned with the cable stop, and also keeps the housing from falling
apart.
With modern, lined housing, greasing the cables is no longer necessary. In fact, it makes things worse, due
to the stickiness of the grease. A bit of medium oil on the section of cable that runs through the rear loop to
the rear derailer will help retard rust, though.
Cables and housing come in a wide range of quality. I recommend buying only premium-grade cable and
housing.
For problem installations, super-premium cables, such as Gore Tex ® will help. There are also some
situations where the spring tension of the rear derailer is just insufficient to overcome the cable friction.
SRAM (Grip Shift ®) used to make a product called a "Bassworm ®" which seals the rear housing loop and
supplies spring assistance to the cable at this point.

I have another major article on cables at this site, covering these issues in more detail.

Cable Replacement
To replace a derailer cable, you want to start out with both the derailer and the shifter in whichever position
has the cable slack. This will usually be the position corresponding to the smallest chainring/rear sprocket.
If you disconnect the cable (or if it broke) and pedal the bike a couple of times the derailer will automatically
go to the correct position.
For the shifter, you may need to pull on the end of the cable while operating the shifter to get it to shift to the
loosest position. If the shifter indexes, it will stay in that position. If it is a friction shifter with a return spring,
like most handlebar-end shifters, you may have to tighten the friction adjustment to get the shifter to stay in
the loosest position.
Once the derailer is disconnected from the derailer's anchor bolt, pull the housing (if any) away from the
shifter, and then push the exposed inner cable into the shifter. The moulded end of the inner cable should
then pop out of the shifter. If it's a simple lever shifter, such as a down-tube or bar-end shifter, the cable end
is readily visible.
If it's a more complicated ratcheting type shifter, there will usually be an access hole where the cable end
can pop out...but his access hole may only line up correctly if you remembered to shift to the loosest gear
position first.
Twist-grip shifters such as SRAM GripShift are typically the most difficult for cable changing, and these
commonly require disassembly.
Generally, the derailer limit stops should not require any adjustment when you replace a cable, but you will
need to adjust the indexing.
Before connecting the cable, screw the adjusting barrel all the way in, then back it out maybe a turn or a turn
and a half. This will give you the opportunity to loosen the cable a little or to tighten it a little or a lot.

Front Cable Replacement

Thread the cable through the shifter and any housing. Check the condition of the housing and particularly
the open ends. Replace or trim if needed. See also my Cables Article. Pull on the cable and operate the
shifter until you have the slackest position. The chain will normally be on the smallest chainring.
Run the cable under the anchor bolt hardware and secure it. If it's an indexing system, and particularly with
triple chainrings, you will need to fine-tune the indexing to get it to shift well and run smoothly on the middle
chainring.

Rear Cable Replacement

Thread the cable through the shifter and any housing. Check the condition of the housing and particularly
the open ends. Replace or trim if needed. See also my Cables Article. Pull on the cable and operate the
shifter until you have the slackest position. The chain will normally be on the smallest rear sprocket.

Method A:
Use a pair of pliers to pull the cable really tight and secure the anchor bolt. Use the adjusting barrel to
correct the indexing adjustment.

Method B:
(This is how I do it. Only works if you have the bike in a work stand of some sort, unless you have three
hands.)
Hand pedal forward with your right hand while manually pushing the rear derailer inward until the chain
engages the 3rd smallest sprocket. Stop pedaling, then let go of the derailer. The derailer spring will try to
move the derailer outward toward the smallest sprocket, but the stopped chain won't let it go all the way.
Pull fairly firmly on the end of the cable to take up the slack and secure it with the anchor bolt. Then you can
pedal and check the indexing adjustment. I find that this usually gets me quite close, with only a minimal
amount of fine tuning needed to the indexing adjustment.

Cable Attachment (rear)

One area that commonly causes problems is the attachment of the inner cable end to the derailer's anchor
bolt. If this comes in at the wrong angle, it can change the geometry of the parallelogram and make it
impossible to get the derailer to index properly across its range.
There is usually a groove in the derailer body or a washer with a bent corner to determine that the cable is
running correctly.
Alternate Cable Routings
Two alternate cable routings for Shimano derailers adapt them for use with nonstandard shifters or
cassettes.
Shimano originally publicized an alternate cable routing which placed the cable slightly closer to the pivot,
making the derailer move slightly farther for each click. This adaptation makes newer Shimano derailers
work with older Dura-Ace shifters, but it is also useful when you want to use a 9-speed cassette with 10
speed shifters, or 8-speed cassette with 9-speed shifters, or a 7-speed cluster with 8-speed shifters.

The other alternate cable routing, suggested by Brian Jenks, proprietor of Hubbub Cycles, increases the
derailer travel for each click. This makes some Shimano derailers and shifters compatible with Campagnolo
cassettes. It is also useful when you want to use a 10-speed cassette with 9-speed shifters, or 9-speed
cassette with 10-speed shifters, or an 8-speed cluster with 7-speed shifters. You will lose the use of one
sprocket, unless you are using a shortened cassette such as an 8 of 9 on 7, or 9 or 10 on 7. Note the two
tabbed washers in the drawing below -- one to change the cable routing, and the other to secure the cable.

Unlike the Dura-Ace modification, the Hubbub modification is nonstandard, and not all of the ratio changes
are accurate. Chris Juden of the Cyclist Touring Club (U.K.) has posted a Web page listing usable
combinations. Pulley-type adapters from JTek Engineering offer a more precise alternative.

Cable Attachment (front)

Some newer front derailers are designed with a choice of two cable attachment options. If the cable is run
on the outside of the anchor bolt, away from the parallelogram pivots, the cage moves less far for a given
cable movement, providing a lighter action, and easier fine trimming.
If the cable is run on the inside of the anchor bolt, toward the parallelogram pivots, the cage moves farther
for a given cable movement. This is often necessary to provide correct functioning with indexed shifters.
Skipping/Autoshifting
Do your pedals sometimes jump forward when you pedal extra hard? This is a common complaint,
especially when a rider stands up to pedal. Indeed, this dangerous condition is one very good reason for
remaining in the saddle and spinning in your lower gears, rather than standing up and pumping in a higher
gear.
Although jumping/skipping/autoshifting is often blamed on the derailer, it is only very rarely the result of a
derailer malfunction.
This jumping may be one of two totally unrelated problems: skipping or autoshifting. The first step in
troubleshooting this problem is to determine whether the problem is simple skipping or autoshifting.
 Skipping involves the chain jumping over the tops of the sprocket teeth under load. After the chain
jumps, it remains on the same sprocket. This is usually caused by wear to the chain and/or the
sprockets, and is most likely to happen on the smaller rear sprockets, especially if they are used in
conjunction with the small chainwheel in front. This issue is addressed in considerable detail in my
article on Chain Wear.
A form of skipping, not necessarily under load, sometimes also results from stiff links.
 Autoshifting feels just like skipping, except that after the jump you find that the rear derailer has
shifted up to the next smaller sprocket. Autoshifting is commonly caused by a combination of frame
flex and cable friction. The mechanism of this is explained in detail in a separate article on
Autoshifting.
As you can see, there is a lot to be done to get the most out of your derailers. Buying a more expensive
derailer is usually not the solution to shifting problems. The actual performance of your system will depend
much more on how well the system is set up and adjusted.
There has been more improvement in front derailers than in rears. If you have an older front derailer, and it
is not giving satisfactory performance, you may benefit from a replacement. Beware, however, because
older front derailers were designed to work with a wide range of chainwheel sizes, while new models are
optimized for particular ratios, and may not work well with your crankset.