Whenever the IronTex Triathlon Club gets together for a group ride, I am always peppered with complaints about a chain not shifting into certain gears, or the chain jumps, or clicks or falls off. Any of those issues can turn a bike ride into an unpleasant experience, but cyclists can take preventative measures to avoid chain and gear issues, and all it takes is five minutes a week, a bike stand or indoor trainer (or something to prop up your bike), a clean cloth shop towel and ceramic-based chain lube.

Smooth Shifting

First, put your bike on the workstand or trainer. Check your shifting smoothness by using one hand to pedal slowly and the other hand to shift through each of your gears–both on the large chainwheel and small chainweel (cogs on the front). As you shift, pay attention to the derailleur movement and watch the chain shift from one cog to the next. Go up the cogs and then back down. (I like go through the small gears first and then the large gears, finishing with the chain on the large chainwheel in the front and the smallest cog in the rear so it is in the proper place for cleaning.) If you don’t have a workstand or trainer, you can either have someone hold your bike off the ground while you do this, or you can ride your bike up and down the street while shifting through all your gears. Note any shifting issues and remember them. You will repeat this process at least one more time.

Cleaning the Chain

Most shifting issues are caused by a dirty chain and can be remedied quickly with a simple cleaning. I recommend cleaning your chain at least once per week, and especially after a long ride. With your chain on the smallest cog in the rear and the largest chainwheel in the front, slowly turn the pedal with one hand while applying ceramic-based chain lube to the chain. Make sure to apply the chain lube to each link of the chain. After applying the chain lube, take your shop towel and lightly apply pressure to the chain. Hold the towel so you are lightly pinching the chain with the towel on both the top and underside of the chain. Continue to slowly turn the pedal and moving to a clean position on the towel until no more dirt and grease comes off the towel. Once the chain is clean, use the towel to also wipe the black plastic cogs in the rear derailleur.  This entire process may take a couple of minutes if it’s been a while since your chain has been cleaned. Once you establish a regular cleaning cycle, this process will get faster.

To clean the cassette, remove the rear wheel. Spray the cassette with a degreaser. Take the edge of a towel or cotton swab and rub it between each cog of the cassette to remove the dirt and return the cassette to its original silver color. This is a quick way to keep the dirt and grime from building up on your cassette. If you are a high-mileage rider, it’s also worth removing the cassette from the wheel a few times each year to clean more thoroughly.

After cleaning the chain and cassette, repeat the shift test. Hopefully, any shifting issues have been resolved. If not, then the tension on the derailleur cable may need to be adjusted. This is also an easy fix.

Adjusting the Derailleur Cable Tension

At the point where your gear cable goes into the rear derailleur (see the pic), there is a plastic tension dial. Turn the dial to the right in 1/4-increments only, which will adjust the tension. After each 1/4-turn, perform a shift test on the gears you are still having issues with. Shift up and down into and out of the gear. If the chain cleaning didn’t help, this should fix the issue. If not, then your derailleur may need to be adjusted. I don’t recommend anyone adjusting their derailleur on their own the first time. Ask someone familiar with derailleur adjustments to show you how to make the adjustment.

If you have any questions or want a hands-on demonstration, feel free to contact me.