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I'm not a competent bike fettler but would really like to learn so this is a plea for help. I've this SLX derailleur on a Kona my youngest uses and I'm struggling to index it, in addition the upshifter is really stiff. I appreciate it may need a new cable but is there a simple video/written guide on how to set up this mech as I'm struggling to find one (I have looked!). Thanks.
Upside down pics...
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Try the [url= http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment ]Park Tools[/url] guides.
An SLX mech isn't different in essence to any other. Make sure the cable is smooth and unrestricted in the outer, check the limit screws are adjusted right, everything else should be good after....maybe.
Kayak - cheers but I'm coming to the conclusion it's a combination of b screw and shifter adjustment that I can't get right. I prefer the ones with a barrel adjuster....
That mech has the barrel adjuster where the cable enters the shifter rather than at the mech end.
Check the outer cable isn't kinked/bent.
the upshifter is really stiff. I [s]appreciate it may[/s] need a new cable
Yup.
It is possible to waste a *lot* of time trying to adjust gears if the cable is stiff. Fix that first, IMHO.
+1 for Park Tool
(Isn't there a barrel-type-adjuster on the shifter?)
Thanks all,new cable it is first then.
I know there's an adjuster on the shifter, I meant I prefer the mechs with one on :).
Hello deepreddave.
Take a breath. Wind the B-tension screw back to the position you started in (the B-tension screw adjusts the distance between the top jockey and the cassette – it's usually the last thing you should adjust) . Wind the barrel adjuster on the cable till it's only about a quarter of the way out. Flick the shifter till the derailleur is in the smallest cog. Make 100% sure there are no more downward shifts left. Undo the cable bolt. Remove the chain.
Now go and have a cup of tea.
OK, finished your cuppa? Back to that derailleur. Check the position of the jockey wheel over the small sprocket. It should be a tiny, tiny bit short of lining up directly with the sprocket. If it's directly in line with it, or past it (so, nearer the derailleur body) adjust the 'H' screw. Now manually push the derailleur over in the other direction towards the large sprocket. Hold it there and see if the jockey wheel lines up with the large sprocket. Adjust the 'L' screw till it does. Let the mech drop back to the small sprocket. That's your derailleur limits set.
Pull the cable back through the pinch bolt, pulling it hard, by hand (use a pair of pliers if you like, but don't strain yourself). Fasten the bolt. Push the shifter through the gears, one by one. If it looks like you're getting to the large sprocket, put the chain back on and try again. If you're not reaching that sprocket, let it drop back to the small sprocket. Check the cable. Does it look a bit slack? Undo the bolt and pull it through harder (this won't affect your limit screws, don't worry). Do it back up and try again. If it shifts to the large sprocket, you're golden. If not, use the barrel adjuster till it will.
Now you might need a little tweak of that cable tension in other sprockets (a little less, usually). The B tension can affect how quickly the mech drops down the block (if it's too far away, it will shift more slowly). It doesn't affect how accurate the indexing is. So don't go overboard with it.
If you can't sort it, have you considered checking whether the derailleur hanger is bent? Even a tiny bit off true can result in knackered shifting.
What rhayter said. And if you find that by the time you've unscrewed the barrel adjuster enough to get it to shift cleanly onto a bigger sprocket it won't then drop down cleanly onto a smaller sprocket: replace/reroute the cables.
@Rhayter - thanks for taking the time to post in such detail. Cheers pdw too. I'll give that a go later today 🙂