I’ve been biking my whole life, but I’ve never had a bike that shifted properly. Like I’ve literally bought a bike, and right from the shop, the shifter’s clicks don’t line up with the gears properly. And then it’s a game of going up two clicks and then back down one to get the chain lined up properly.
So how do I get it just right? The bike I have has Shimano twist shifters all the clicks numbered, but the numbers don’t line up with the actual gears.
The closest I’ve gotten it is where it works perfectly when the bike is on the lift, but as soon as there’s weight on it, it goes out of sync again.
First, the shifters need to align with the cassette/crank/chain as they are designed as a cohesive system. Second, it takes a bit of fiddling with the adjustment screws on the derailleurs. Your shifter cable might also be too tight. A random blog that describes the process of adjustment pretty well: https://www.parktool.com/en-int/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment
Part of the problem is bike quality.
If the bike has flex in the frame, that will continually alter the length of a cable.
I’ve never been able to keep a generic bike well tuned, but the higher-end bikes I can adjust and that adjustment will hold (both for shifters and spoke tensioning).
So frame flex, wheel flex influence the shift consistency.
The derailleurs also play a part - lower end models also aren’t as precise. Some I’ve been able to make shift perfectly in one direction, but the other direction would be lazy because the pivot points have a tiny amount of play that makes positioning less precise.
Here’s visual aid on the difference between high-end derailleurs and low-end ones. One can get pretty decent shifting out of the cheap one but not the 99.9% reliable shifting that stays reliable for years without adjustment that you get from a better made drivetrain.
With that said, some parts have more effect than others. With any level of Shimano, running decent quality (Shimano, Jagwire) uninterrupted housing from the shifter to the derailleur eliminates problems on the frame. That along with an aligned derailleur hanger would produce pretty good shifting.
Get a better shifter. I’ve also dealing with this my whole life, local bike shop usually sell those cheap chinese shifter so i have no other option, there’s also full of fake stuff online. Recently i saw someone here demonstrated a good derailleur where it did not have any movement at all when you move it left and right. That movement is the one that make sure you’re unable to adjust it perfectly, as a bit of movement can throw the chain off-center and shift badly.
What i end up doing is to first adjust the derailleur to the best position possible and have it shift nicely on bench, then ride it, slowly adjust it so it shift nicely, which still isn’t shifting 100% reliable every click but that’s okay. You might need to do it frequently though.
There should be some lines that line up when its in 4th gear iirc.
Hey all the comments are talking about the derailleur, but does your bike even have one?
Maybe you could post a picture?I solved this problem by getting a single-speed.
I’ll thrown in another perspective, because I dont think they solution is that you just need a more expensive bike. Obviously, you can work on adjusting it better like others have noted, but also keep in mind that you are probably likely to have trouble any time you are cross-chaining. People tend to like to just change gears on 1 shifter, but you do need to be using both to keep the chain as parallel as possible to the bike. Also, while it’s sometimes unavoidable, avoid shifting under large loads. If I’m pedaling hard, and I need to shift, I might up my cadence for a few strokes, and then shift while pedaling slower so there’s not any load on the chain.
Personally, I think indexed shifters shouldn’t be seen as the “default” as much as they are. I have a bike with a modern friction shifter with 1x10 gearing, and I can shift from 1 to 10 with a single motion. Even on my 40+ year old bike with friction shifters and 2x6, it’s pretty easy cause all you do is move the shifter till the bike shifts and noise stops. It’s slower, but that only matters if you are racing or doing fairly dynamic mountain biking. For the average Joe, it’s fine. With my modern bike, I can shift faster than anyone.
Have you indexed your gears? It’s a whole process but afterwards they should shift properly. I’ve never had issues after indexing and i ride hundreds of kilometers a week.
Here is a site with step by step instructions but i would use a video for your first time.
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/workshop/how-to-adjust-the-gears-on-your-bike
Some bikes need derailleur hanger adjustment straight from the factory. On my bike it changes depending on how tight the rear tire quick release is. I need to calibrate it with the wheel on and then try and tighten it equally much every time after I’v removed it. You can mess with the derailleur settings for ever without getting it to shift smoothy if the hanger is not aligned.
I don’t even have the hanger calibration tool btw. I do it with a meter long steel ruler and pliers. Every time I catch a rock with the derailleur and shifting goes to shit I simply just re-calibrate it. I never touch the adjustment screws again after the first setup.
Shimano twist shifters
as soon as there’s weight on it, it goes out of syncUnfortunately, the answer is just to buy better bikes. Used, if necessary.
You’re riding a budget bike with flexy aluminium frame and cheap shifters, and precise shifting depends on tiny cable movements.
No amount of fiddling with it will fix that.
