Troubleshooting › Shifting & chain

Shifts slowly or won't go into some gears: causes and fixes

Most shifting problems are cable tension, dirty cables or a bent hanger, all fixable at home.

Check it on your own bike

1. Cable tension off · Most likely

   Slow to bigger cogs: turn the barrel adjuster counter-clockwise a quarter turn. Slow to smaller cogs: clockwise.

   Fix: Adjust rear derailleur (limits + indexing)

2. Dirty, rusty or frayed cable · Most likely

   If the shifter feels gritty or the cable is frayed at the anchor, replace cable and housing.

   Fix: Replace shift cable and housing · Replace cable in STI levers

3. Limit screw too tight · Sometimes

   Won't reach the biggest or smallest cog at all: back out the L or H limit screw a little.

   Fix: Adjust rear derailleur (limits + indexing)

4. Bent derailleur hanger · Sometimes

   If adjusting never gets every gear clean, the hanger is probably bent.

   Fix: Check and straighten derailleur hanger

5. Front derailleur out of adjustment · Sometimes

   2x and 3x bikes: if only the front shifts badly, adjust the front derailleur.

   Fix: Adjust front derailleur · Replace front derailleur cable