All tips
Gears not shifting properly
Gears are slow, rattle or won't shift at all.
1. Problem
Gears don't change cleanly, the chain rattles in gear, shifts late or needs several clicks. Sometimes the largest or smallest gear can't be reached at all – or the chain drops off past the last sprocket.
2. Cause
- The gear cable has stretched (especially on new bikes after the first weeks)
- Dirty, rusty or kinked cables and housing
- Bent derailleur hanger – e.g. after the bike fell on its right side
- Limit screws (H/L) out of adjustment, worn chain or sprockets
3. Solution
- Rattles when shifting to larger sprockets: turn the barrel adjuster on the derailleur out a quarter turn; to smaller ones: turn it in
- Check the cable for kinks and rust – replace sticky cables together with the housing
- Look from behind: if the derailleur hangs crooked, the hanger is bent – only straighten it with a special tool
- Only touch the limit screws if the chain drops off the last sprocket or can't reach it
4. Workshop tip
A bent derailleur hanger is the most common hidden cause. Please don't force it back – it can snap and pull the derailleur into the spokes. We straighten it with an alignment gauge and adjust your gears in a few minutes.
— Bike Haus Freiburg
Matching spare parts
Rather have it repaired?
Come to our workshop at Heckerstraße 27 without an appointment – small repairs are often done right away while you wait.