XTR RapidRise '03 Adjustment Questions???

johkar said:

I have a 2003 Santa Cruz Blur with a XTR RapidRise rear der. I cannot keep this thing in
adjustment for more than one ride. When it goes out of adjustment, it is usually at some critical
point...and with no warning. I have ridden warm up laps with no problems only to have it chain
skip on the first hill in a race. It happens mostly when under heavy pressure like going up a
hill, but not always. It happens in any combination of chainring- cassette. I usually just need to
turn the barrel adjuster by the pod to tighten the cable slightly.

Why is this happening? I have had the experienced mechanics at the LBS tune it, but to no avail.
If you tune it to work on the stand, the cable must be immediately tightened on the trail to avoid
the chain skipping. My only thought is that since this is a full suspension bike, the up down
action is causing the cable to loosen. I can't imagine needing more housing, but I don't know.

Why Shimano doesn't keep an adjuster at the rear der. I don't know. Also, the angle from the cable
stop on the der. to the cable clamp is extreme and rubs on the body...not sure about that design.
My LBS put in a little cable guide which allows the angle to be a little less. This helped the
smoothness of shifting, but didn't help with the chain skip.

Help!!!!

John

I suppose with Rapid Rise you mean what Shimano now calls Low Normal on the XTR RD. I have the same
setup and have not experienced your problems at all. Except on occasion when the drivetrain has been
really muddy. As soon as I cleaned it everything was back to normal. This would suggest something
with your wires. I have a Klein Adept Pro FS frame.

The only problems I've experienced is shifting to the largest ring in the front. It can be Extremely
hard if I don't pedal with the shift and help move the FD. If I try to shift without pedaling the
indexing will not click into place and I have to shift again when I start pedaling.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 22:34:47 GMT, "johkar" <[email hidden]> may

have said:

I have a 2003 Santa Cruz Blur with a XTR RapidRise rear der. I cannot keep this thing in adjustment
for more than one ride. When it goes out of adjustment, it is usually at some critical point...and
with no warning. I have ridden warm up laps with no problems only to have it chain skip on the
first hill in a race. It happens mostly when under heavy pressure like going up a hill, but not
always. It happens in any combination of chainring- cassette. I usually just need to turn the
barrel adjuster by the pod to tighten the cable slightly.

Why is this happening?

Not guaranteed to be the right answer, or even close, but...

If the cable is binding somewhere, and the shifter has one of those (to me, abhorrent) all-plastic
adjusting barrels whose threads are subject to skipping over a land when under extra tension, it may
be that the bind combined with some flex somewhere is producing a pull on the shifter that's
notching the barrel down one thread. If the error that needs to be corrected is almost always right
at a full turn of the barrel, this is what I'd immediately suspect. Don't panic; it can often be
overcome by simply replacing the cable and ensuring that there are no binds in the new one.

I've also seen this happen when the cable housing was not of good quality; essentially, the
adjustment was randomized by the wierd ways that the housing would change its effective length with
tension and flexing. Once again, replacing the cable solved the problem in that instance.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"johkar" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have a 2003 Santa Cruz Blur with a XTR RapidRise rear der. I cannot keep this thing in
adjustment for more than one ride. When it goes out of adjustment, it is usually at some critical
point...and with no warning. I have ridden warm up laps with no problems only to have it chain
skip on the first hill in a race. It happens mostly when under heavy pressure like going up a
hill, but not always. It happens in any combination of chainring- cassette. I usually just need to
turn the barrel adjuster by the pod to tighten the cable slightly.

Why is this happening? I have had the experienced mechanics at the LBS tune it, but to no avail.
If you tune it to work on the stand, the cable must be immediately tightened on the trail to avoid
the chain skipping. My only thought is that since this is a full suspension bike, the up down
action is causing the cable to loosen. I can't imagine needing more housing, but I don't know.

Why Shimano doesn't keep an adjuster at the rear der. I don't know. Also, the angle from the cable
stop on the der. to the cable clamp is extreme and rubs on the body...not sure about that design.
My LBS put in a little cable guide which allows the angle to be a little less. This helped the
smoothness of shifting, but didn't help with the chain skip.

Help!!!!

John

Dear John,

Assuming that you're constantly tightening . . .

You might mark this "barrel adjuster by the pod" that you keep turning with red ink or whiteout or a
scratch awl.

If the adjuster itself keeps backing off, then you need to lock it down somehow.

If not, then either your cable (or chain) is mysteriously elongating or your housing is mysteriously
shortening.

Good luck,

Carl Fogel

nose-<< My only thought is that since this is a full suspension bike, the up down action is causing
the cable to loosen. I can't imagine needing more housing, but I don't know. >><BR><BR>

Recomend lengthing the der housing and ensuring it isn't getting to tight with the rear
sus movement.

Altho 'backfire plus' is a wierd rear der, it should stay in adjustment...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"johkar" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a 2003 Santa Cruz Blur with a XTR RapidRise rear der. I cannot

keep

Quoted message said:

this thing in adjustment for more than one ride. When it goes out of adjustment, it is usually at
some critical point...and with no warning. I have ridden warm up laps with no problems only to
have it chain skip on

the

Quoted message said:

first hill in a race. It happens mostly when under heavy pressure like going up a hill, but not
always. It happens in any combination of chainring- cassette. I usually just need to turn the
barrel adjuster by

the

Quoted message said:

pod to tighten the cable slightly.

Why is this happening? I have had the experienced mechanics at the LBS

tune

Quoted message said:

it, but to no avail. If you tune it to work on the stand, the cable must

be

Quoted message said:

immediately tightened on the trail to avoid the chain skipping. My only thought is that since this
is a full suspension bike, the up down action

is

Quoted message said:

causing the cable to loosen. I can't imagine needing more housing, but I don't know.

Why Shimano doesn't keep an adjuster at the rear der. I don't know. Also, the angle from the cable
stop on the der. to the cable clamp is extreme

and

Quoted message said:

rubs on the body...not sure about that design. My LBS put in a little

cable

Quoted message said:

guide which allows the angle to be a little less. This helped the smoothness of shifting, but
didn't help with the chain skip.

Help!!!!

John

My friend also has a similar problem with his Blur but doesn't have Rapidrise so it's not that. One
thing you can try is one contiuous length of housing from the shifter to the derailleur. I think
there may be some flex at the dropouts when the drivetrain is under pressure. The one piece housing
will rule out suspension induced error.

Mike

Thank you all for your responses and ideas. I definately have a few things to try now.

John