Questions tagged [barrel-adjuster]

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9 votes
4 answers
1k views

What actually causes the barrel adjuster to change tension in a cable?

See the image below for my mental model of a barrel adjuster. It's essentially just a metal tube that gets longer or shorter as you twist. I also understand that making it shorter will remove ...
  • 192
18 votes
11 answers
5k views

What are the counter-intuitive surprises an amateur bike mechanic encounters, after pedals and cables?

Pedals It's pretty obvious that one of the two pedals needs be tightened counterclockwise, but which one? A brief reflection on the right pedal's sense of rotation (while pedaling forward) with ...
1 vote
2 answers
761 views

Is there a convention for installing inline barrel adjusters?

A barrel adjuster consists of two parts, an inner core and an outer part. The outer part has ribs to facilitate grabbing and rotating. If the inner part can also be grabbed, turning the barrel ...
  • 7,616
-3 votes
1 answer
146 views

How to adjust rear derailleur indexing in a mix-and-match drivetrain in the easiest manner?

I have a touring bike where the drivetrain has been built not according to Shimano's instructions. For example, the shift lever is SL-BS64-8 Ultegra 8-speed bar end shifter that according to Shimano's ...
  • 15.7k
0 votes
0 answers
53 views

Why does my Shimano Nexus 8i need readjustment after every gear shift?

Since a month or two, almost every time I change gear my Shimano Nexus 8i becomes "unadjusted". I have readjusted it dozens of time but the problem persists. The gear is really easy to ...
  • 341
2 votes
4 answers
2k views

Rear derailleur doesn't go to smallest cog

I'm sure it is a simple fix to this, but please bear with me. I have recently swapped my rear wheel on my bike (with an identical one, keeping the same cassette). Upon putting it back in, I noticed ...
  • 461
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

Barrel Adjuster Strategy - What's the best way to use barrel adjusters?

I was taught that barrel adjusters are to be used as an on-the-road way to adjust brakes or derailleurs. I think the exact quote was "Leave the barrel adjuster for the customer to use on the road&...
  • 19.1k
4 votes
1 answer
284 views

What is the plastic inside this barrel adjuster, and is it okay to be worn?

I'm replacing the brake cables (inner / outer) on my ~2 year old bike, and noticed that there is a piece of hard plastic tubing (2–3mm diameter) inside the metal part of the barrel adjuster that feeds ...
  • 143
2 votes
1 answer
407 views

Barrel adjuster cable housing sticking out, why?

I've been trying to adjust my front brakes and when I released the brake lever arm (on the disc brake) and moved the arm to the furthest back position, I noticed that the cable housing at the brake ...
5 votes
2 answers
422 views

Does greasing the threads of an inline barrel adjuster cause slippage?

I am considering adding a hint of grease to an inline barrel adjuster. When the barrel adjuster (C) fully gobbles up the metal threads (B), it can be hard to determine whether turning the barrel ...
  • 7,616
0 votes
1 answer
155 views

Front derailleur will not sit properly on large cog without chain rub

I bought a Vilano Commuter bike ( 3x7 speed ) a while back and recently upgraded the front derailleur, crankset, brifters, pedals and rear derailleur to tourney A070 components. However, I can't seem ...
  • 101
1 vote
0 answers
724 views

What is the thread size/measurement of the derailleur barrel adjuster?

The barrel adjuster threads on my commuter bike's RD have been marred when the barrel adjuster got bludgeoned on a side crash and I want to chase the threads before screwing in the replacement barrel ...
  • 1,153
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Inline Barrel Adjusters with Shimano 105 R7020?

I'm upgrading my Shimano 105 5800 shifters to newer 7020 shifters in order to equip my bike with hydraulic brakes. I'm not changing any other components as part of this upgrade. The kit shipped with ...
  • 165
6 votes
3 answers
685 views

How can I lock a gear barrel adjuster that keeps moving?

My inline front mech barrel adjuster unscrews itself while riding. It's on the down tube so I can tweak it on the move, but when I realise it's moved isn't always an ideal time. For example I shift ...
  • 51k
2 votes
1 answer
587 views

Why are barrel adjusters different for brakes and gears?

In my experience, the ones for brakes will look something like this while ones for gears will look like this Is it even true that this is the case or did I just randomly see all the bikes having ...