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XT Rear Der

665 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  Lucky 
#1 ·
Finally got my new HP Expert out on the trail tonight after work. What a great ride! The suspension operated surperbly. I was able to race down trails that before would have been absolutely impossible. At least at the speed I was able to take them today.
The one issue I was having was with the rear der. I'm sure it is just an adjustment that I need to make since the chain kept wanting to skip into another gear, but not actually making the change, while under way. Back in the garage, if I made a one click adjustment at the lever, from one of the small cogs to the next larger one, the chain does nothing. So with that said, does someone have the best procedure for dialing in the rear der.? Thanks!
 
#2 · (Edited)
COMMITTED said:
The one issue I was having was with the rear der. I'm sure it is just an adjustment that I need to make since the chain kept wanting to skip into another gear, but not actually making the change, while under way. Back in the garage, if I made a one click adjustment at the lever, from one of the small cogs to the next larger one, the chain does nothing. So with that said, does someone have the best procedure for dialing in the rear der.? Thanks!
Shift to the middle cog. Make sure the gear indicator and the der. are in the same gear, even if you have to help it. Look at the top pulley again from the back of the bike. From your description, it sounds like you don't have enough cable tension, which is not unusual on a newly assembled bike. It gets put all together fine, but when you start to use it, the cable housing settles into the stops a little and leaves the cable a wee bit too slack. If this is the case, you should see that the der pulley isn't directly under the cog - it'll probably be a little outboard, toward the dropout. There is a barrel adjuster on the rear der where the cable housing stops. As you look at it from the back of the bike, turn the barrel about a 1/4 turn or so CCW until the pulley and cog are aligned.

If by chance it's far enough out of adjustment that it should be in the t lower of the two cogs, but is trying to crawl to the next larger one, you've got too much tension. So, turn that barrel adjuster a 1/4 turn or so CW until it lines up with the cog it should be in. That's why I said make sure the cog you're on and the gear the shifter is in are the same. I saw someone adjust the cable so they were one gear off and lost the use of one gear until they figured it out.

One caveat: these instructions are for a normal derailleur. I can't remember if XT has gone to the Rapid Rise or not. If it is, cable tension contracts the derailleur instead of extending it, so my instructions would be backwards.

Good luck and enjoy the new bike!
Kathy :^)
 
#3 ·
Lucky said:
Shift to the middle cog. Make sure the gear indicator and the der. are in the same gear, even if you have to help it. Look at the top pulley again from the back of the bike. From your description, it sounds like you don't have enough cable tension, which is not unusual on a newly assembled bike. It gets put all together fine, but when you start to use it, the cable housing settles into the stops a little and leaves the cable a wee bit too slack. If this is the case, you should see that the der pulley isn't directly under the cog - it'll probably be a little outboard, toward the dropout. There is a barrel adjuster on the rear der where the cable housing stops. As you look at it from the back of the bike, turn the barrel about a 1/4 turn or so CCW until the pulley and cog are aligned.

If by chance it's far enough out of adjustment that it should be in the t lower of the two cogs, but is trying to crawl to the next larger one, you've got too much tension. So, turn that barrel adjuster a 1/4 turn or so CW until it lines up with the cog it should be in. That's why I said make sure the cog you're on and the gear the shifter is in are the same. I saw someone adjust the cable so they were one gear off and lost the use of one gear until they figured it out.

One caveat: these instructions are for a normal derailleur. I can't remember if XT has gone to the Rapid Rise or not. If it is, cable tension contracts the derailleur instead of extending it, so my instructions would be backwards.

Good luck and enjoy the new bike!
Kathy :^)
Thank you. I checked out the Shimano site and the instructions there were not near as clear as yours. I appreciate. As for the ride, it is really great. Coming from a hardtail, the FS allowed me for the first time to really enjoy with total confidence at speed a boulder embeded descent. This bike is awesome!
By the way, have you tried your HP in the 4.75" mode? Thanks again.
 
#4 ·
COMMITTED said:
By the way, have you tried your HP in the 4.75" mode? Thanks again.
You're welcome.

I've got an early '03, and it only has one mode, and that's 5" or close to it. When I inquired about it, Iron Horse sent me the two-position link plates, but I haven't installed them. I like the way it rides as is and haven't felt compelled to experiment yet. I've also been spending more time on the road bike than on the mtbike, though that's about to change with the seasons.

Kathy :^)
 
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