Trouble with gears not shifting smoothly...Need help?

[das028]

Basically, when im shifting my rear gears to the smaller cogs they hesitate for short moment and then kinda shift hard. Its not very smooth. Any help would be appreciated? Thanks in advance fellas.

[Slash5]

Tighten the adjuster one or two clicks.

[Pisgah]

If that doesn't work, try new cables and housing.

[Saul Lumikko]

^^ If cable tension is your problem, then this is a quick and easy fix. Try it and you'll know immediately. "Tighten" in this case means rotating the adjuster clockwise, which effectively makes the cable routing shorter -> more cable for the RD -> easier shifting to smaller cogs.

^ That's the usual second step.

If you replace cables and housings you'll need more info on the subject and it never hurts to learn more. A good place to start is here: Articles about Gears and Drivetrains

Park Tool have excellent derailleur adjustment guides:
Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Front Derailleur Adjustments
Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Rear Derailler Adjustments (derailleur)

[customfab]

There are a lot of things it could be, and the above suggestions are high on the list. It could also be a bent hanger or worn components.

[das028]

Well tightening the cable,seemed to work very little. It helped a very little bit, but still kinda drops in hard. i'll be taking it to the LBS this weekend and hopefully they can fix it, without having to change a bunch of parts. Unfortunatley, with christmas approaching, i wont be able to replace anything untill after the holidays. I guess I'll just have to deal with it untill then. I guess the good news is its not preventing me from riding all together. Thanks for the suggestiong guys. If you have anymore, please chim in

[Saul Lumikko]

You should slacken the cable to improve shifting to a smaller cog. "Tightening" the adjuster means turning it clockwise, which makes the housing effectively shorter -> slacker cable.

Try turning the bike upside down, turning the cranks and operating the rear derailleur by pulling an exposed section of the cable. You'll quickly see if things are moving smoothly or not. Take a look at the Park Tool instructions to make things clearer.

Chances are you might not need new parts. Just 5 minutes of your time to take a look at it and give you a better idea of what's going on.

[das028]

Just a little update: My rear reailur ended up bent somewhat and after a trip to the local shop and a littl tweaked of the cable tension it seem to be shifted much more somoothly, or at least as smooth as it can be...thanks again fellas