Bike maintenance question

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks... I know next to nothing about bicycle maintenance, so this should be a very basic
question... what is wrong with my bike if it is really difficult to shift speeds and when I try to
it keeps making that awful buzzing/clacking sound? I am a pretty quick learner... how can I fix
this myself without having to go to (and thus pay) a mechanic?

What do you mean by "difficult to shift"? Is the handle very stiff and unwilling to move in either
direction? If that's the case, it sounds like either your cables are rusted and sticking. You might
try WD40 or oil, but a better solution would probably be to replace the inner cables. They would
only be a few dollars from your local bike shop (LBS).

The buzzing/clacking noise is just your chain not meshin properly with the teeth on the cogs, due to
the derailleur not being in line with the cogs. Fix the cable stiffness and you should be able to
move the shifters slightly in one direction or the other in order to get the chain properly aligned,
and then your drive train will be nice and quiet.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

Jim Willis said:

Hi folks... I know next to nothing about bicycle maintenance, so this should be a very basic
question... what is wrong with my bike if it is really difficult to shift speeds and when I try to
it keeps making that awful buzzing/clacking sound? I am a pretty quick learner... how can I fix
this myself without having to go to (and thus pay) a mechanic?

Read the following instructions and have a twiddle. Good luck.

sheldonbrown.comderailer adjustment.htmlOpen ↗

parktool.comFAQindex.shtmlOpen ↗

~PB