Cable adjustment is occasionally necessary because cables develop slack, especially when new. When slack happens, the clicks in the shift lever get out of sync with the cog spacing. This causes hesitation as the chain moves from cog to cog and you could hear chain noise from the rear after shifts.

Note:  If your bike falls over on the drivetrain side, the derailleur or hanger (the part the derailleur screws into) could be bent. Check for this by getting behind the bike and sighting from derailleur level. An imaginary vertical line should bisect both derailleur pulleys and the cassette cog they’re under. If the line angles to the right, something is bent and must be straightened before you tune the shifting.

 Cable corrections are made by turning the derailleur’s adjustment barrel. You’ll find it at the rear where the cable enters. (Many bikes also have adjusters elsewhere along the cable run. These let you tune the shifting while riding.)
 
Have a friend hold up the rear of the bike so you can pedal with one hand and shift with the other. Some rear-mount car racks and indoor trainers work for this too. Or maybe it’s not too late to ask for the ultimate home shop holiday gift, a sweet repair stand like Park’s PCS-10.
 
Start by shifting to the smallest cassette cog (chainring doesn’t matter). Now you can make the easy, no-tools adjustment.
 
—If the derailleur has been hesitating when moving toward the spokes (onto larger cogs, the most common problem due to cable stretch), turn the adjustment barrel toward the spokes. This takes up cable slack.
 
—If the derailleur has been hesitating when moving away from the spokes (onto smaller cogs), turn the barrel adjuster away from the spokes. This makes the cable less tight.
 
Make these turns in 1/2-turn increments. After each, check to see the shifting response and repeat until hesitation is gone. By doing 1/2 turns at a time you’re less likely to over-adjust. It also lets you keep track of how far you’ve turned the barrel if you want to go back and start over.
 
How easy is that? Turn the barrel toward the spokes until each shift to larger cogs is snappy and the chain runs quietly after the shift. If the chain rattles slightly after shifts because it’s touching the next larger cog, turn the barrel away from the spokes to make it line up directly under the cog it’s on.
 
Note:  After new cables have stretched and you’ve made the barrel adjustment once or twice, rear shifting should work great for a long time. If you notice that you’re beginning to make frequent barrel adjustments, look inside the shift lever or under the bottom bracket to see if the cable is fraying and about to fail. It is? Replace it.

— from Jim’s Tech Talk – www.RoadBikeRider.com

(Jim Langley has been a pro mechanic and cycling writer for 37 years.  Check his personal website at http://www.jimlangley.net.  Jim’s streak of consecutive cycling days has reached 5,817.)

Welcome to the “had the wrong foot clipped in” club!

More than 3,200 RBR roadies have purchased Coach Fred Matheny’s “Power to the Pedals” training program.
 
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—from www.RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter

 http://www.Livestrong.com, has a new feature called MyPlate D for type 2 diabetics. It’s an extension of the site’s tools that let users track food intake and exercise, helping diabetics (or anyone) break food down to its nutritional components, track insulin use and monitor glucose. The site is free and claims to provide the largest food and fitness database online.

— from www.RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter

 – a ride, event or tour that requires a level of commitment you’ve never attempted — have we got an eBook for you!
 
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Please click http://www.roadbikerider.com/royl_page.htm to read lots more about this unique cycling program, including 8 reviews, 2 excerpts and a link to 34 actual pages from The Ride of Your Life.

—from RBR’s 12/17/09 Newsletter:  www.RoadBikeRider.com