If you’re having a hard time with shifting your bike’s gear, then chances are it requires adjustment. In some cases, the chain begins to fall off and in both scenarios, you need to spend some time and adjust the gears.
But don’t worry, you will not have to take your bike to a mechanic. It can be easily done within just a few minutes. just read through our step by step guide and you can adjust the gears efficiently all by yourself.
Before you begin, the entire process may look a bit daunting but don’t worry. You just need to have patience and a few tricks and you’re good to go!
Simple Steps to Adjust Bike Gears:
1: Raise the bike off-ground on the stand
What you need is to be able to spin the wheels without moving the bike. The adequate way to do it is by raising your bike on a stand. If you don’t have one, you can easily acquire it from your local store.
Also, if you don’t feel like going anywhere except your garage, you can turn your bike upside down. Just keep in mind if you use this technique, you will have to spin the wheels in opposite direction.
2: Find the derailleurs
Derailleurs are the most important component where gear shifting is concerned. They physically shift the gears while keeping the chain in place. There are two derailleurs on a bike. One is attached to the rear cassette while there is another one attached to the smaller cassette in the front. You need to make the derailleurs are free of any dirt, debris, mud and if there is some, you need to clean it.
3: Assess the shifting problem
You can diagnose the shifting problem by assessing each gear individually. All you have to do is spin the wheel by pedaling slowly and assess where the click gets stuck. Every time you spin, go up one gear and down one gear.
Now you need to make mental notes of where the gear shifting has a problems or where the chain slips off.
4: Look for cable adjusters
You will have to follow the cables leading to the derailleurs. Adjuster will look like small nuts that will allow you to make subtle changes to the shifting system.
Now spin your wheels again and analyze where do you find a problem with the shifter. If your shifter gets stuck, loosing up the adjuster or tighten it according to the way your shifter behaves. It completely depends on what kind of problem you’re facing with the shifter.
Conclusion
So, once you have made necessary changes to the adjusters, spin your wheels once again and figure out if there are any issues with the shifting system now. If the problem persists, maybe you would like to take it to a mechanic. That will be the best option.
