Hey, I ordered bike from abroad and I just got it.
It comes from Bike-discount.com which is well known and trusted shop in europe.
First short ride and I noticed clicky sound when I pedal at almost all gears, the 10T at the rear is where I hear it least but as I go up in teeths it gets more prominent, at 5th gear from the bottom My chain struggles to hop into bigger sprocket and makes loud noise.
It came with a asembly check list. And they have checked drivetrain and adjusted gears.
Does this derailleur look normal?
Just want to check before I go to any local bike shop and pay for check.
Im green at bike technical stuff
by zwireqq
15 Comments
Its normal. Watch a Parktool video on how to adjust a derailleur. A brand new bike has a wear-in period when cables stretch out and stuff like that
It’s not possible to tell from a photo whether a derailleur is straight.
If it’s clicking in *all* gears then something else is wrong (of course, it doesn’t exclude the derailleur being bent as well). A bent derailleur would manifest as some gears working fine and others not. I would try increasing the cable tension a little bit, it sounds like it is too low.
It’s straight as an arrow, but it needs adjustment. Do you see how the upper pulley is not aligned with the smallest cog in your first picture? That’s the reason it clicks and doesn’t shift well.
Can be fixed by turning the barrel adjuster. As someone else mentioned, a Park Tool video or two will show you how to do it
It’s hard to tell visually, but the derailleur hanger might be bent. A good derailleur alignment gauge in your toolbox can save a lot of time trying to adjust shifting problems that start and ultimately end with the hanger itself.
To me, it looks like the cage is a bit bent I noticed on my bike few days ago something similar. I straightened by hand a bit. But I have a cheap Shimano Turney installed. You can do it carefully, then adjust again the derailleur.
That derailleur cage is supposed to be bent like that. Most new drivetrains do this to keep them quiet.
second the comment about the park tools video on derailleur tuning
the procedure is great, complete and well explained.
Reading your post, it may be only a tuning of the barell adjuster, but if I were you, I would do the whole park-tool procedure: clean base, and you’ll learn a lot.
It’s a pinch out of index. Very easy to fix. Just watch videos on YT & use a stand (if poss)
If you’re referring to how it looks a little bent outwards at the lower jockey wheel that’s normal for most 2x setups, its to better assist the chainline. Shimano stuff is that way.
The cage looks twisted. I have warrantied several Shimano derailleurs for this exactly. Their cages are very soft aluminum.
Not 100% sure it looks ok to me ,the mech hanger could be bent but it looks pretty straight from those pictures ,it might just be your high and low might need a tiny adjustment as if it’s slightly off it could throw the chain out a bit ,does it shift through all the gears ok ?
Assembly check lists means the items were tested to be functional before shipping. They can still need adjustment when you get it. There is no way to guarantee that the items are in the exact state they were when the box was ticked on the checklist, when you have the bike in your hands.
Some derailleur models are designed to be a little offset and that’s likely the case here too if the bike is new
Shimano cages have a slight bend at the lower part!!! Do not try to make it straight. It was made like that with a purpose.