How to Adjust Bike Gears
Raise the bike of the ground on a bike stand., Locate your derailleurs., Diagnose your shifting problems by testing each gear., Find the cable adjusters., Shift to your "problem gear.", Loosen your cable adjuster if the chain won't shift down...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Raise the bike of the ground on a bike stand.
You need to be able to spin the wheels freely without the bike moving.
The best way to to this is with a bike stand.
If you don't have one, check if your local bike shop or outdoor store has a "maintenance night," where you pay a small fee to access to all of their tools for the night.
You can also turn the bike upside down, resting it on the seat and handlebars.
If you do, however, know that you will have to reverse the direction you spin things in the following instructions. -
Step 2: Locate your derailleurs.
Derailleurs are the machines that physically shift your gears and keep your chain in place.
There is one on the back wheel attached to the cassette (the collection of gears) and another smaller derailleur near the pedals.
Check that there is nothing in the derailleurs or gears like leafs, sticks, or mud, and clean them with a damp cloth.
The rear derailleur is the more complex machine, consisting of the derailleur, an arm, and 1-2 smaller gears that the chain is threaded through.
A cable pulls this arm back and forth, allowing the the chain to switch gears.
The front derailleur is clamped onto your bike's frame, and consists of a spring and two "derailleur plates," or small metal walls that force the chain to stay on only one gear at a time. , Using one hand to lightly pedal the bike, shift through each gear slowly, starting with every gear on the back derailleur.
Go up every gear once and down every gear once.
Note places where the gears have trouble shifting, where the chain slips off the gear, or where you need to shift twice to make the bike shift.
While testing one derailleur, put the other one in the middle gear.
For example, if I am testing the back derailleur and I have 3 gears in the front, leave the front derailleur in the middle ring the entire time.
This prevents the chain from stretching. , Follow the cables leading to the derailleurs to find the adjusters, which look like little nuts or barrels surrounding the cables.
There may be two for each cable
-- one at the derailleur end and another by the handlebars.
These make small adjustments to the derailleur cables, allowing you to make subtle changes to your shifting. , While pedaling the bike with one hand, shift your gears up until your get to a problem, such as if the chain won't shift, has trouble staying on the gear, or skips a gear.
Stop shifting when you find an issue, but keep your bike in that gear. , If you have trouble shifting as you lower your gears (lower gears are closer to the wheel), then loosen the cable adjuster by turning it counterclockwise.
Turn the adjuster slowly, turning until the chain falls into the correct gear.
Always work slowly, adjusting by a quarter-turn at a time at most.
Think of it as of turning the adjuster the way you want the chain to move.
Rotate towards the bike to make the chain move towards the bike. , If your bike struggles to work it's way up the gears (away from your bike), you should tighten the cable adjuster by turning it clockwise.
When it is correct, the chain will naturally switch to the correct gear on it's own.
Think of this as turning the adjuster the way you want the chain to move.
Rotate away from the bike to make the chain move away the bike. , Once you've successfully adjusted the problems, cycle through every gear again to make sure that the derailleur can successfully shift through every gear.
You want the chain to flow smoothly from gear to gear every time you shift. , Sometimes the bike will behave differently under your weight.
In a parking lot or driveway, ride the bike around and cycle through any gears.
Note any problems and adjust your cables accordingly. -
Step 3: Diagnose your shifting problems by testing each gear.
-
Step 4: Find the cable adjusters.
-
Step 5: Shift to your "problem gear."
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Step 6: Loosen your cable adjuster if the chain won't shift down.
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Step 7: Tighten your cable adjuster if your chain won't shift "up."
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Step 8: Return to your low gear and shift back all the way up and down.
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Step 9: Take short practice ride to spot any other problems.
Detailed Guide
You need to be able to spin the wheels freely without the bike moving.
The best way to to this is with a bike stand.
If you don't have one, check if your local bike shop or outdoor store has a "maintenance night," where you pay a small fee to access to all of their tools for the night.
You can also turn the bike upside down, resting it on the seat and handlebars.
If you do, however, know that you will have to reverse the direction you spin things in the following instructions.
Derailleurs are the machines that physically shift your gears and keep your chain in place.
There is one on the back wheel attached to the cassette (the collection of gears) and another smaller derailleur near the pedals.
Check that there is nothing in the derailleurs or gears like leafs, sticks, or mud, and clean them with a damp cloth.
The rear derailleur is the more complex machine, consisting of the derailleur, an arm, and 1-2 smaller gears that the chain is threaded through.
A cable pulls this arm back and forth, allowing the the chain to switch gears.
The front derailleur is clamped onto your bike's frame, and consists of a spring and two "derailleur plates," or small metal walls that force the chain to stay on only one gear at a time. , Using one hand to lightly pedal the bike, shift through each gear slowly, starting with every gear on the back derailleur.
Go up every gear once and down every gear once.
Note places where the gears have trouble shifting, where the chain slips off the gear, or where you need to shift twice to make the bike shift.
While testing one derailleur, put the other one in the middle gear.
For example, if I am testing the back derailleur and I have 3 gears in the front, leave the front derailleur in the middle ring the entire time.
This prevents the chain from stretching. , Follow the cables leading to the derailleurs to find the adjusters, which look like little nuts or barrels surrounding the cables.
There may be two for each cable
-- one at the derailleur end and another by the handlebars.
These make small adjustments to the derailleur cables, allowing you to make subtle changes to your shifting. , While pedaling the bike with one hand, shift your gears up until your get to a problem, such as if the chain won't shift, has trouble staying on the gear, or skips a gear.
Stop shifting when you find an issue, but keep your bike in that gear. , If you have trouble shifting as you lower your gears (lower gears are closer to the wheel), then loosen the cable adjuster by turning it counterclockwise.
Turn the adjuster slowly, turning until the chain falls into the correct gear.
Always work slowly, adjusting by a quarter-turn at a time at most.
Think of it as of turning the adjuster the way you want the chain to move.
Rotate towards the bike to make the chain move towards the bike. , If your bike struggles to work it's way up the gears (away from your bike), you should tighten the cable adjuster by turning it clockwise.
When it is correct, the chain will naturally switch to the correct gear on it's own.
Think of this as turning the adjuster the way you want the chain to move.
Rotate away from the bike to make the chain move away the bike. , Once you've successfully adjusted the problems, cycle through every gear again to make sure that the derailleur can successfully shift through every gear.
You want the chain to flow smoothly from gear to gear every time you shift. , Sometimes the bike will behave differently under your weight.
In a parking lot or driveway, ride the bike around and cycle through any gears.
Note any problems and adjust your cables accordingly.
About the Author
Eric Torres
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow pet care tutorials.
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