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What causes a shifter to be loose?
When a shifter bushing is worn, the shifter feels loose. It’s because the worn bushing left a gap between the handle and the shift rail. Shift rails have detent notches machined into their sides. A spring-loaded ball fits into the detent notch to keep the transmission in gear.
Why is my shifter not working bike?
This is usually caused by an overly tight gear cable or the low limiting screw that needs adjusting. You can test this by shifting to the lowest gear and seeing if your front derailleur is in line with the smallest chainring. If not, try adjusting the limiting screw. Alternatively, your gear cable may be too tight.
Why is my bike shifter stuck?
If you find you’re skipping a gear or that your shifting is getting stuck, then there’s a good chance you need to adjust your indexing. Indexing problems can be caused by cable stretch, which is a normal part of the bedding-in process for new bikes or cables.
Why does my bike shifter feel loose?
The most common reason this happens is because the shift cable stretched. That creates slack in the cable. This slack changes how far the derailleur moves with each click of the shift lever. And, when the cable can’t move the derailleur far enough, the derailleur won’t be able to shift the chain onto the next cog.
How do I know if my shifter bushings are bad?
Bad Shift Linkage Bushing Symptoms
- Grinding noise. If you notice a grinding sound from the transmission, it may be due to clashing gears.
- Odd sounds like thumping, bumping, squealing, and whirring. The odd noises coming from the shift linkage may be due to insufficient oil.
- Transmission oil leaks.
Do bike shifters wear out?
Shifters can wear out too (if you ride enough), and most cannot be serviced back to health. But before you go sinking money into these more expensive components, best try a new cable/housing or get a second opinion.
Why is my derailleur loose?
Likely the issue is either a bent derailleur hanger or the low limit screw needs to be adjusted. First, try to wiggle the cassette, then the derailleur and hanger to make sure everything is tight.
What happens when shifter bushings go bad?
The bushings can make it hard to move the transmission from one gear to the next, even though you eventually do get there. Unusual sounds can indicate bushing problems as well. With bushings, thumping, bumping, squealing, and whirring sounds are most common.