Shifting problem - could use some advice

EhBenDisDonc

My bike (bought at Christmas) has had shifting problems since new. It has a 105 rear mech & Tiagra shifters, I clean & lube the chain & derailleur regularly and though my LBS has serviced her a couple of times, replaced cables etc, the problem persists.
Presently, with the cable tensioned to give nice crisp shifting up through the gears (ie. towards the smaller sprockets) it over-shifts on the way back down, two and sometimes three gears at a time.
If anyone recognises the symptoms, I'd be very apreciative of their advice. Also, if you know of any good tuning guides (other than http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html) or threads.
I plan to try and debug it this weekend and drop the bike back to the shop if I don't succeed.

Howitzer

Hey,

I looked up your derrailleur. I guess this is it here.
From my bit of experience it looks like an ok bit of kit. I'm not familiar with that one - but nothing out of the ordinary compared to any others I've seen. And doesn't look cheapy. Make sure it is straight and in line with your gears on the cassette.

I was having shifting problems recently and found this youtube video here useful.
He plays around with the barrel adjuster and make it clear what is going on. Don't be afraid to mess around with it in the same way - you start to get a feel for it. You also have to adjust your hi and low adjusters so you dont shift off the bottom and top of the cassette when shifting.

Here's another youtube vid that might help - here

Look up a few more and then tackle the job.

You really need a stand to work on this fix. I don't have one - but improvise by suspending the bike between 2 wheelie bins using a strong piece of wood...

Hope some of the above helps.

copacetic

I have Tiagra shifters on my second bike and don't have this issue. Straight off can I double check that this isn't a 10 speed 105 rear mech with 9 speed Tiagra shifters?
105 has been 10 speed a couple of years but Tiagra 10 speed shifters aren't available afaik.

EhBenDisDonc

Thanks Howitzer. I keep forgetting to look on YouTube; I'll poke around there some more. I don't have a stand, but I do have a Tacx trainer which is handy for this job.

Copacetic,the cassette and shifters are 9-speed and the derailleur is a 10-speed 105 (9/10 speed compatible). This was stock spec for the 2007 Felt Z80: http://www.feltracing.com/products/product.asp?catid=18,19,27&pid=13.

EhBenDisDonc

No idea how he did it, but my bike is shifting sweetly now after a stint at my LBS, Nigel's Cycles Galway. Every now and then, some poster points out the benefits of supporting your local bike shop when purchasing, and I have to agree. Nigel spent a good few hours on this, swapping a good few components in the process, and didn't let up until I was 100% happy.
Anyway, it's finally stopped raining and I've no more excuses, so it's time to hit the road!

niceonetom

for next time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ

bwardrop

^^^ Great video, Thanks! ^^^^

Sorted out a problem I was having in a few minutes!!

quietobserver

excellent videos, ive always been able to fix these but never been able to explain it to people now i dont have to, ill just send them here,.
fair play

EhBenDisDonc

Thanks for the vid NiceOneTom - good one. Still not sure what was up with the shifting, but it's totally transformed now.

cunnins4

Cracking video there Tom. Wish I had a stand like that-would make things a lot easier!

trek climber

Would be interested in getting a stand for my bike - can they be bought online ?

zzzzzzzz

Yeah - you can get them from wiggle/crc