Posted this on r/bikewrench but didn’t get any help
I’m pretty new to derailleurs, but I’m getting older, and having a couple more gears seems like a good idea. However, I just can’t seem to get them all to work well.
My 18t gear is acceptable (not smooth like a singlespeed, but good enough), but all the other gears feel crunchy. I can use them for a bit, but it’s unpleasant and I can’t help thinking they are about to slip (I certainly don’t have the confidence to get out of the saddle in any gear but the 18t).
I cannot figure out why this is. They are setup friction, so it’s not like the indexing is only optimized for that one gear.
I have made sure the wheel is aligned, tightened the lock ring so there is no play in the cassette, sized the chain correctly (I think), set the limit screws, messed with the b-screw (though I didn’t really notice much of a difference), tried the wheel at the front, back and middle of the dropouts.
The chain is pretty new, the cassette is brand new (Microshift, though I swapped the two smallest cogs for spacers), the chainring is not, but doesn’t seem too worn.
I have cleaned and lubed the chain (whether it looks like it or not). Bonus question for those of you who are disgusted by my chain: how do you keep yours cleaner than this (genuinely asking)? Do you ride outside?
I’m kind of at a loss and tempted to just return to the singlespeed life. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Drivetrain specs:
Cranks/chainring: Origin8
Chain: KMC Z8.1 8 speed
Cassette: Microshift 15-18-21-24-28 (12 & 13 replaced with spacers)
1 Comment
Posted this on r/bikewrench but didn’t get any help
I’m pretty new to derailleurs, but I’m getting older, and having a couple more gears seems like a good idea. However, I just can’t seem to get them all to work well.
My 18t gear is acceptable (not smooth like a singlespeed, but good enough), but all the other gears feel crunchy. I can use them for a bit, but it’s unpleasant and I can’t help thinking they are about to slip (I certainly don’t have the confidence to get out of the saddle in any gear but the 18t).
I cannot figure out why this is. They are setup friction, so it’s not like the indexing is only optimized for that one gear.
I have made sure the wheel is aligned, tightened the lock ring so there is no play in the cassette, sized the chain correctly (I think), set the limit screws, messed with the b-screw (though I didn’t really notice much of a difference), tried the wheel at the front, back and middle of the dropouts.
The chain is pretty new, the cassette is brand new (Microshift, though I swapped the two smallest cogs for spacers), the chainring is not, but doesn’t seem too worn.
I have cleaned and lubed the chain (whether it looks like it or not). Bonus question for those of you who are disgusted by my chain: how do you keep yours cleaner than this (genuinely asking)? Do you ride outside?
I’m kind of at a loss and tempted to just return to the singlespeed life. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Drivetrain specs:
Cranks/chainring: Origin8
Chain: KMC Z8.1 8 speed
Cassette: Microshift 15-18-21-24-28 (12 & 13 replaced with spacers)
Derailleur: Shimano Acera RD M360 7/8 speed