Sunday, May 4, 2008

Bike Gear Shifter

bike gear shifter

Steph currently commutes to work on Kate's old Specialized hybrid bike. Since she started riding it, she's been complaining that it does not shift gears. (Apparently Kate always stayed in the same gear when she was riding it.) After months of telling her she just wasn't shifting properly, I tried riding the bike this weekend and found that, even though the shifter knob on the handlebar could be moved around, the rear derailleur was not responding at all! (Sorry, dear.) I assumed the cable was broken, but Steph and I eventually traced the problem all the way up to the shifter — a grip-style shifter that's ability to pull the cable was inhibited by a broken internal component.

Time: 2 hours

Cost: $40 for a new shifter

Witch-gear: Bike Repair Stand, Allen Wrenches, Screwdrivers, Wrenches

Level of Difficulty: (What's with the saws?)

What I Learned: The cable inside a grip-style shifter is routed inside of it in a very complicated manner, thus the cable comes pre-installed in a grip-style shifter. Also, I learned how to adjust the derailleurs from "Bike Tutor" videos about the front and rear systems.

2 comments:

Gerald L. Updyke said...

any chance of taking on an outsider's project? my bottom bracket is hosed and i've been told that the whole gear-works are going to sieze up soon.

i have much more faith in you and your families ability to complete a project like this than i do in my own.

katian said...

indeed; shifting is for the weak. embrace the burn!

no, gears are good.

i did this same thing to my last london bike that sadly got stolen. i had a problem getting the rubber handle grips back on...tips??