Bicycle Gear Not Changing

Most geared bikes have one two or three chainrings in the front the rings attached to the pedal crank arm and anywhere from seven to 12 gears or cogs in the back or the cassette attached.

Bicycle gear not changing. I am often asked how to fix a bike that won t shift gears or will only shift to some gears. The highest gear is the little one near the bike s seat stay and chain stay junction. Shift the bike to the highest possible gear. The front gears makes a large shift in your gear ratio.

If not turn the cable adjuster anti clockwise a further quarter of a turn at a time until the change is clean. With the bike held off the ground and the chain now on the largest cog at the back test the front derailleur by moving the chain between the smallest and next chainring using the gear lever. The problem will be the shifters derailleurs or cables. Just like the lowest gear the ideal limit adjustment places the derailleur s upper pulley directly in line with the highest gear preventing the chain from shifting off of the cassette and into the frame.

Bikes with gears almost always have hand controls on the handlebars to use for shifting. On the rear axle the lowest gear 1 st is the largest sprocket and the highest gear 5 th 6 th 7 th depending on how many sprockets are on the cassette is the smallest sprocket. When you use the left hand controls a metal loop called a derailleur de railer shifts the chain from side to side to make it catch on a new front gear. Check that the upward shifts to smaller sprockets are still okay.

As you do that make sure you hear the chain catching on the lower end. To put the bike into the top gear run the chain through and check it s not touching the side of the derailleur. With the bike in the highest gear the upper jockey wheel should run just clear of the cassette. Use your left hand to shift the front gears.

Turning clockwise will increase the gap anti clockwise will close it. Adjust until there is about. Screw the limiter in so you don t hear that noise. The lower limit screw is needed to adjust the lower cogs.

A bike with 30 or more gears is not an indication of a machine designed to break the land speed record any more than a bike with only a single gear assuming similar ratios.