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I have a Specialized Hard Tail 10' Model. When I ride and am shifting to the bigger gear on my front derailleur it isn't as smooth as it used to be or sometimes doesn't shift to the gear I'm going for. How can I fix this? Do I need to adjust my shifting cables and loosen my barrel adjusters?

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As you ride and shift your shifting cables stretch. You can take up some of the slack by turning your barrel adjusters counter clockwise. Eventually, you will reach the limit of what your barrel adjusters can handle. At this point you will need to loosen the bolt that holds your shifter cable to the the derailleur and pull in the slack, then tighten the bolt back down. Having the right tools for this job makes things much easier. You should move your barrel adjusters almost all of the way back in (turn clockwise) before you do this.

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This Park Manual is super useful if you are trying to learn how to maintain your bike. amazon.com/Park-Tool-BBB-2-Bicycle-Repair/dp/B001B6NAW2/… – Wadelp Oct 27 '12 at 4:14
I usually do the maintenance myself so it will definitely help out. Thanks – Greg Todd Oct 27 '12 at 5:42
It should be noted that if the cables have stretched out this much it may be time to consider replacing them. – Daniel R Hicks Oct 27 '12 at 12:59
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It should also be noted that you usually turn the barrel adjusters usually counter clockwise to tighten the cables. I've seen them, specifically inline barrel adjusters, that were the other way. – jimirings Oct 27 '12 at 14:21

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