How to adjust the rear derailleur on your bicycle. Mountain or road bike

[MysticKJ]

does the load still change everything if adjusting for a hardtail?

[Johnnysshop]

@MysticKJ It will still change. Keep testing it with a load after you adjust.

[thanksimdeadnow]

Awesome video, I am fully rebuilding my bike for the first time ever, and I just started on the gears. After watching this I'm sure i can finish the bike without bringing it in to a shop. I love these "how to" video's! Whats the "B" spring though?

[Johnnysshop]

@thanksimdeadnow Thanks! The "B" screw/spring is for tension on the assembly itself. Kinda hard to explain.

[gunderen]

Great videos, just seen a few of your videos (but now I have subscribed) I see many that things that I fix/adjust on our bikes at home I kind of know 90% and now I got some good tips about the latest 10% I miss

[Johnnysshop]

@gunderen Thanks, I appreciate the feedback!

[TheFightaz]

this looks beautiful, i am going to try this

[Johnnysshop]

@TheFightaz Thanks, good luck!

[rowanlewisuk]

I have the same wheels, are ritchey a good make then?

[Johnnysshop]

@rowanlewisuk Ritchey makes some very nice stuff.

[rurojerk]

Great video! I was wondering if you could suggest a reason for why my rear dérailleur is having difficulty going from sprockets 4 to 5? No problems other than that, could it be that I need to adjust the tension slightly?

[Johnnysshop]

@rurojerk Thanks! Yes, you may need to adjust is slightly. If that doesn't work start from the beginning. It could be a off a little through the other gears and just works it way down making 4 and 5 worse.

[ducados17]

Yes you are right, i am using a long cage, and i have use a pad at the lower triangle too... i heard ppl telling me to adjust the tension but i don't know where is it, but i will try to look go for the tension screw and adjust, thank bro..

[Johnnysshop]

@ducados17 The tension screw is the "B" screw. Depending on the model it should be a phillips head and it kinda rests against the frame. It's on the lower backside of the derailleur.

[pnknoel]

Excellent the mystery of the rear derailleur solved.Thank you

[Johnnysshop]

@pnknoel Thanks for watching!

[ducados17]

hi my chain slap like crazy when i go to trail.. it look like to me that the chain is too long or i dunno why.. is there a way to adjust it ? i heard that the rear de have a tension-er to adjust it .

[Johnnysshop]

@ducados17 There should be a tension screw on the very back of it. You may have a long cage which seem to always have slap (they have med, small and large). You could also throw a pad on the lower triangle to help soften it up.

[Jethro84]

I'm from Chile

Excelent video and explanation.

Thanks.

[Johnnysshop]

@Jethro84 Thanks for watching!

[Stooeybear13]

1.54 - Turbulance.

[wackyoneone]

Hey my derailleur hanger snapped so i got a new one and installed it, and now my chain is super lose and i cant realign the derailleur properly. Have you got any advice? Thanks

[Johnnysshop]

@wackyoneone Make sure it's the same style deraileur and also the same size. They have a long, medium and short cage model.

[chahula10]

Hi I'm working on my mountain bike and I keep trying to adjust it, and changes gears fine when going from gear 6 up to 1 but when I try to change from 1 down to 6 it has trouble (rattles and clanks) in between gears for ex I'm trying to change from 3 to 4 and it rattles and clanks what do I need to do?? Release cable tension or increase? My limit screws are fine it's just the in between I'm struggling with

[Johnnysshop]

@chahula10 I would tighten at first. Sounds like there's not enough tension to pump to the next gear.

[fithare]

The disadvantage is chain can not jump from gear to gear and the bike is stopping.

[iyourfatherla]

Hi, do you know the tension is different with your bike upside down? Thus, after all the hardwork, its still out of tune..

[Johnnysshop]

@iyourfatherla As mentioned you will have to ride it to fine tune.

[ITsupportian]

I have a question....Why I am not capable using my other gears for my TT - Road bike?

I have this new bike. I am really loving it. However, I do have concern about the gears.

The highest gear was jumping to the next lower gear at the rear wheel.

I went ahead and adjusted this and it works fine.

But, I have noticed my right shifter which controls the rear gear only shift five gears up or down.

[ITsupportian]

@ITsupportian - continuation.....

So.. my bike shifts to the highest gear up to five consecutive low gears but not the remaining five.

Is this normal? Please help I am new at this.

if this is normal what is the purpose of the last four gears? is it to adjust a bike for hills competition?

Please explain in detail since I am really new at this biking.

My bike is D6 fuji TT.

[ijkelo]

i have slx 

[erichumprey]

very helpful! thanks sir!

[Johnnysshop]

@erichumprey You're welcome!

[rcalvo23]

exactly what i needed to know about the b screw. nice vid, helped me alot! thanks

[Johnnysshop]

@rcalvo23 Thanks for watching!

[0x1392]

Very helpful, thanks!

[Johnnysshop]

@0x1392 Glad I could help!

[bgsjust]

Excelent dude! :) ty

[Johnnysshop]

@bgsjust Thanks!

[SoFlaNative]

Informative , Thx !

[Johnnysshop]

@SoFlaNative Thanks!

[Littlewolf34]

Thank you so much, I think I'm actuallt starting to get it.My bike is driving me crazy by not shifting right. Now I think I can tackle it this way.

[Johnnysshop]

@Littlewolf34 Thanks for watching! Let me know how it turns out.

[bloodsurf69]

That was great video. I actually learned alot. TY

[Johnnysshop]

@bloodsurf69 Thanks, I appreciate it!

[arumdevil]

this was one of the best explanations on here. Not perfect (I didn't quite understand your explanation of the B srew, which I forgot to check/adust but it's all away now so I'm sure it will make sense once I have it in front of me). Other than that, this was the clearest video I've found so far and it really helped me to swap my rear mechs from one bike to the other, so thanks.

[Johnnysshop]

@arumdevil Thanks a bunch for the feedback!

[KCRUE69]

@arumdevil dido

[arumdevil]

@KCRUE69 you mean ditto? ;)

[Lumberr44]

ty help me find out what wuz mest up on my bike

[Johnnysshop]

@Lumberr44 Thanks for watching!

[Damo14772]

Ace post descriptive and easy to understand

[Johnnysshop]

@Damo14772 Thanks!

[Judoca08]

Thanks for the help, man =D Helped me alot, really. First video about rear derailleur adjustment that was really effective to me.

[Johnnysshop]

@Judoca08 Thanks, I appreciate it!

[ppclicpl]

Good Video..Nice and simple..

[Johnnysshop]

@ppclicpl Thanks!

[lstruggy]

good video sir i wanted to know how i fix my chain doesnt shift all the way to the highest gear 1 it shifts from 2-9 only i adjusted it myself using tension knob which is located by the handle bar shifter and i used the h and l screws......my only problem is it shifts 2-9 only? what do i do? :-)

[Johnnysshop]

@lstruggy Might have to loosen up the cable a bit and re-adjust following the vid.

[leon1985ism]

a very good video i got a jeep mountain bicycle and the gears wont work they seam to bee ceased up tried all the settings dosent work please help

[Johnnysshop]

@leon1985ism So they won't move? I'd have to see a movie or something. Just need more info.

[TheSpongesa]

Reallt good video. Thanks, explains well.

[Johnnysshop]

@TheSpongesa Thanks for waching!

[maximon72]

whats the difference in performance or specific utility between long cage, medium and short cage. I kinda think i know but i am not totally sure. I've been told that short cage is more suitable for Down Hill riding?...  whats more suitable for X country or All mountain?

[Johnnysshop]

@maximon72 I would stick with long cage for an all around bike. Short cage for downhill makes sense. Shorter, you need less gears, etc.. A long cage is typical of a 3 ring chain ring. A short cage normally only has 1 to 2 chain rings or smaller gears on a 3 ring.

[MustLovePoop]

just fixed my derailleur, no more skipping

[Johnnysshop]

@MustLovePoop Glad it worked!

[MustLovePoop]

thank you, you have one of the better explanations

[Johnnysshop]

@MustLovePoop Thanks, I try!

[coxcmtnbkr]

Adjusting your rear derailleur made Simple!

[Johnnysshop]

@coxcmtnbkr That's my goal! Thanks for watching.

[bubsyfz]

I wasnt wanting to wait for a bicycle shop to tune my derailer and leave my bike for a week, so i found this and watched it, 10 min after watching your video, i was riding my bike around having it shift perfect. thanks to your video, it saved me time and a little cash!! thank you for making this video!!

[Johnnysshop]

@bubsyfz Glad I could help. Thanks for watching!

[19metall]

nice video thanks,can u make a video in spanish???? lol

[Johnnysshop]

@19metall LOL.. I wish!

[TMTBRider]

JOHNNYSSHOP, do your brakes get very hot compared to the avid brake system because your brakes dont have that many cooling holes I WILL SUBSCRIBE LIKE AND RATE 5 * IF YOU REPLY ALSO CHEK OUT MY VIDS 2 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLSSSS­SSSSSS

[Johnnysshop]

@TMTBRider No, they seem okay.

[oldsgit66]

Very clear instructions. Fixed an old Raleigh bike that was mis-shifting. Also noticed it wasn't even engaging the lowest rear derailleur cog. Took 5 minutes to fix and now I have all 21 gears - many thanks!

[Johnnysshop]

@oldsgit66 Thanks for watching and glad I could help!

[adrianbarratt]

Many thanks for the instruction, I know understand

[Johnnysshop]

@adrianbarratt Thanks for watching!

[valentass88]

when i try to change from 6 to other gears, it doesnt go upper, the shifter drags the cable and the cable drags the derailleur but it only drags vertically, it doesnt drag to the otehr gear, idk why. When i move the derailleur to the first gear by my hand, it moves and it changed to 2,3,4,5 and 6, but i cant go back to the 5,4,3,2,1, because the derailleur only moves vertically, but not to the other gear.

Oh and btw when i tighten the cable a bit more, the gear changes but only to the 1 one :/

[Johnnysshop]

@valentass88 Hmm.. Have you tried tightening the cable more? I may need to see a vid of it to see what exactly is going on.

[valentass88]

@Johnnysshop i did something so it moves now, yeah i tightened the cable but in other way, i mean, i tightened b-tension if i remember good. It moves now, the problem seems solved but it is still complicated to adjust gears perfectly, cuz it moves a bit more than it should so it starts making noise, if i loose it, then i wont go upper how it should..ah ty for answering anyways

[pcblah]

@valentass88 if the cable housing is nowhere to be seen then get a new cable and put it on... problem solved (if thats the case)

or if the casing dosent meet up with the derailuer

[dgcbooth]

Your instructions are very clear. Nice video. My question is, do I need to do this? :) We just got a used 18-speed bike and the right gear shift does not want to move. Is the gear shift the problem, or the rear derailleur? Do you have another video that I should search for? Thanks!!

[Johnnysshop]

@dgcbooth Do you feel any resistance? Sound like it could be the shifter itself but I just don't have enough info.

[dgcbooth]

@Johnnysshop Thx for the reply. Yes, there's lots of resistance.

[Johnnysshop]

@dgcbooth The cable may be too tight. Loosen it up and see what happens.

[dgcbooth]

@Johnnysshop Tried that and it made no difference :( Thoughts? thx!

[Johnnysshop]

@dgcbooth I'd have to see a video or something..

[codzilla1978]

Thanks man. I went and bought a new bike again and had it professional tuned.

[Dashkatt]

Well done, Johnny.

[Johnnysshop]

@Dashkatt Thanks!

[alicmohamad]

thank you for the instructions on how to fine tune the rear derailleur.

[Johnnysshop]

@alicmohamad Thanks, glad I could help!

[codzilla1978]

I bought a denali road bike. Its brand new. The gears shift bad. The chain came off today on a 10mi ride. Do i need to do this.

[Johnnysshop]

@codzilla1978 Yes, this will help a ton with that issue.

[unb0xed]

This is one of the best derailleur tutorials I have found thanks for posting.

[Johnnysshop]

@unb0xed Thanks, I appreciate it!

[ProgramMonk3y]

OH god please help me. I tried to do what you've done in the video, but I unscrewed the cable tension bit on the derailer and now the gears are completly screwed. Even if I go up or down, it stays in the same gear :S. Please help!

[ForceOfWizardry]

@ProgramMonk3y If its that bad go get it fixed at your local bikeshop. Cheap

[Johnnysshop]

@ProgramMonk3y It sounds like you have your cable itself too loose. I would tighten and go from there.

[misterfunnybones]

Let's just say derailer, s’il te plaît - derailer is English, derailleur is Frenglish, dérailleur is French and unless you speak French, it ain't gonna sound right.

Merci & au revoir.

[Johnnysshop]

@misterfunnybones :)

[jpsuly]

very helpful,but when i adjust the derailler to shift from high down to low works great but then can't shift from low up to high without adjusting the barrel adjustment again,should i adjust the cable length.

[Johnnysshop]

@jpsuly I would start there.

[Nogert]

How do you calibrate main larger gears? I have problems with those.

[Johnnysshop]

@Nogert I'll try to get a video posted up of that.

[samNsid]

thank you very much for your video i am new to mountain biking but your instruction are so simple and after following what you had shown in this video my mountain bike is running like rabbit and without any noise

[Johnnysshop]

@samNsid Sweet, glad I could help!

[WarriorXonE]

Thanks to this video my bike is running like a champ :)

[Johnnysshop]

@WarriorXonE Good to hear!

[djkross123]

you do know that it's pronounced "derailer" right? otherwise great vid.

[Johnnysshop]

@djkross123 Yeah. A buddy and I started saying that as a joke about 10 years ago and unfortunately it has stuck with me.

[leonardokibbs]

Awesome,, Thanks for the vid Def now have a better understanding of the rear derailure...... still not sure what the B screw is for though??

[Johnnysshop]

@leonardokibbs Well, I never really use it much it kinda moves the lower unit in and out. It's more of a tension adjustment.

[bdambo21]

Tried for an hour with a different video, watched 3 mins and was able to adjust mine!!'

Thanks!!

[Johnnysshop]

@bdambo21 Sweet, glad I could help!

[lnter1908]

very well explained mate. Thx !!!

[Johnnysshop]

@lnter1908 Thanks!

[brandon5436]

i want this biike

[Johnnysshop]

@brandon5436 Wish I would have kept it. I now find myself looking for another.

[bennehbennehbenneh]

Cheers chap, it's been a few years since I've replaced a derailleur, this was just the refresher I needed. :).

[Johnnysshop]

@bennehbennehbenneh Thanks for the feedback!

[c9726306]

Hey man. Great vid. Very well explained. One question - does it make any difference if you do the fine tuning with the barrel adjuster at the shifter or at the derailleur? i.e. do they do the same thing?

[Johnnysshop]

@c9726306 You can do some adjustment at the barrell but it's pretty limited. I personally never mess with the barrel unless I'm on the trail and run into problems.

[fxgt8800]

10x man great vid

[Johnnysshop]

@fxgt8800 Thanks!

[VIBE3214]

Of course you will do what you think best, because of that it worked out for others, such as myself :) Thank you for the informative video.

[Johnnysshop]

@VIBE3214 Thanks for the feedback!

[jvicklu]

complete mtb noob here, you explained this perfectly for me. most other videos seemed to assume I knew what I was doing to begin with. thanks!

[Johnnysshop]

@jvicklu Thanks, glad I could help!

[cazaoubon]

dizzy shifting hehe

[Johnnysshop]

@cazaoubon lol

[RE5niggajoedickballs]

Awesome video man! And you have the same Lizard Skin as I do on my Norco Atomik

[Johnnysshop]

@RE5niggajoedickballs I love em!

[cpzd83]

do i need the derailleur cable on for the high and low end screw adjusments?

[Johnnysshop]

@cpzd83 Technically you could do it without

[ravineg5]

Hey, whenever I put my gear to 1 on my rear derailleur, it goes to 4th, and the chain moves from the biggest to smallest, so when I put it to one it's at 4th and when I put it to 4th it's at the first one, can you please help me how to fix this?

[Johnnysshop]

@ravineg5 If you follow the video here you should be able to fix it.

[ravineg5]

@Johnnysshop

It worked! Thank you so much! :)

[Johnnysshop]

@ravineg5 Cool!



[DrewNutts]

probably one of the best biking tune up video!

[Johnnysshop]

@DrewNutts Thanks!

[BlueBowlGraveyard]

@Johnnysshop Ya your probally right, and lucky enough for me, it was only the deraillleur hanger that snapped.

Lesson learned for me...dont touch my derailleur ;)

[Johnnysshop]

@BlueBowlGraveyard lol

[RitterGamma]

ooh man you safed me al lot of monay thank you :D

[Johnnysshop]

@RitterGamma Glad I could help!

[sKwiD]

Very informative DIY and filmed nicely. Thanks! I'll try these steps before bringing my bike in for a tune up.

[Johnnysshop]

@sKwiD Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

[BlueBowlGraveyard]

I DID SOMETHING WRONG ALONG THE WAY...THEREFORE I ENDED UP WITH A DERAILLEUR THAT SNAPPED OFF OF MY FRAME...OOPS

[Johnnysshop]

@BlueBowlGraveyard Yikes, you must have really cranked on that thing hard.

[barquedust]

Thanks for the FREE info!! I appreciate you taking your time to make my life a little easier!!

[Johnnysshop]

@barquedust Thanks, I appreciate the feedback!

[gizmo17]

The shifter feels like it has reached it's limit.

[Johnnysshop]

@gizmo17 Loosen up the pinch bolt for the cable, see if the shifter moves up then. If it does, put it in the highest gear and pull the cable to where it needs to go and tighten the pinch bolt back up while doing so.

[gizmo17]

Hi, great video, thank you. My issue is that the shifter goes through about half the gears only and after that, it doesn't click to the other bigger gears. Is there an adjustment for that? I tried the barrel and while it gets the chain to shift to the next gear, it doesn't increase it's reach.

[Johnnysshop]

@gizmo17 Does it feel like it wants to shift or does the shifter feel like it reached it's limit? Could be a couple of things...

[jhcutlass350]

Great video, your bike is so too clean do you even ride it...lol.

[xevildragon5]

on my bike i just got.. on my handle bars it says im on 1 but im really in 2 or 3 and i adjust the low screw and it doesnt do anything to it.. and the screws are on oppisite sides of the dreailler and.. i dont know if im turning on the right screws but one has a L on it and ther has a R on it so i assume that means high and low? can you help?

[Johnnysshop]

@xevildragon5 You need to loosen up the nut that holds the cable wire down and either let slack out of the cable or tighten it up.

[charlotterossmeep]

Great video. Just a quick question - how tight should the gear cable be?

[0712705027]

9 REAR GEARS DAMN where do you get that i ohnly have 6

[Johnnysshop]

@0712705027 Most of them have 9...

[MrPriestr12]

verry good video, got my bike gears sorted thanx to this vid, thx

[Johnnysshop]

@MrPriestr12 Glad I could help. Thanks for watching!

[flipwiggins]

I didn't quite follow the final adjustment of the "b" screw...how it's done and what to look for. Thanks though for all the info. That's a great looking bike, too!

[Johnnysshop]

@flipwiggins Yeah, the "B" screw isn't touch too much. Basically it move the pulley closer to the rear sprocket. Less space between the guide wheel and the sprocket. Thanks!