10 Ways To Fix Your Bike Gears - The Most Common Issues & How To Fix Them, by road.cc on YouTube. 8 min 52 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 52 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Check the chain for wear with a chain wear checker. If it drops in past the wear mark, fit a new chain before touching the gears.
Clean the cassette, chainrings, chain and rear derailleur with degreaser and a rag. Grit and old lube cause slow, sticky shifting.
Set the rear indexing. Shift to a middle cog, then turn the barrel adjuster a quarter turn at a time until the chain runs quietly on each cog.
Inspect the gear cable and outer for fraying, kinks or rust. Replace the inner cable and outer if shifting feels stiff or the cable catches.
Look along the mech hanger from behind the bike. If it is bent, straighten it with a hanger tool or fit a new hanger.
Adjust the B-limit screw so the top jockey wheel sits close to the largest cassette cog without touching it.
Find stiff or broken chain links by turning the cranks and watching the chain. Free a stiff link or fit a new chain.
Check the derailleur moves freely. If it is seized, clean and lube the pivots, or replace the mech if it stays stiff.
Loosen the quick release or thru axle, reseat the wheel fully in the dropouts, then tighten it again.
Check the cassette for play. If it rocks, tighten the lockring to the maker's torque with a cassette tool.
Tips and common mistakes
Work through the checks in order, since a worn chain or bent hanger will make indexing impossible.
Turn the barrel adjuster only a quarter turn at a time and test the shift after each change.
Clean and lube the chain after wet or gritty rides to keep shifting smooth.
Do not overtighten the cassette lockring; use a torque wrench and the maker's figure.
Questions
Why do my gears skip only on some cogs?
A worn chain, a slightly bent hanger or a dirty cassette often causes skipping on a few cogs. Check chain wear and hanger alignment first.
Do I need special tools to fix my gears?
Most checks need only hex keys and a screwdriver. Chain wear, cassette and hanger jobs need a chain checker, cassette tool and hanger tool.
How often should I replace a bike chain?
Check it every few hundred miles with a wear checker and replace it once it passes the wear mark. A worn chain wears out the cassette too.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
