The rear wheel in my FS is a pain to get in and out. It has normal 135 spacing but it doesn’t matter which wheel in my collection I use , the cassette seems to hang up on the top jockey wheel even adjusted to smallest sprocket. The mech is an oldish Deore and doesn’t llook bent – gears shift alright. What am I missing?

Some bikes are just awkward. Road bikes tend to have forward angled dropouts, which allows for the wheel to simply fall out and forward, but my Spesh FS was the same; a most undignified wrestle with the derailleur.

Just bikes innit.
shift to the smallest cog on the cassette, then push the knuckle (where the top jockey wheel is) down, away from the frame while you take the wheel out.

26″ Anthem X here. Same.

I’m guessing your bike has a pivot on the chain stay, like a Horst link. Caused me a right headache too, short of running an excessive amount of b-limit adjustment or upgrading to a saint mech there isn’t a lot you can do.
Some gears will be easier than others though, so have an experiment, and try not to take the paint off with your brake disc.

Too right Karl33to, I am always worried about bending the disc when trying to whack it back in. I am sure it wasn’t as much trouble when it had a SRAM mech.

Not sure how a Horst link affect this.

Pushing the mech back/down usually does it though.

My Spesh FSR has the same issue. Shifting to smallest cog makes it a load easier to put back wheel in. Don’t think there’s much else you can do TBH.

Cynic-al, the Horst links in the chain stay are (sometimes?) below the line of the axles which if you set your mech up with the recommended amount of b limit adjustment means that the frame / link is either in the way or very close to being in the way of the mech when it’s in the smallest cogs. Which means that pulling the mech back to take the wheel out doesn’t leave you much room at all.

Like I said the only ways around are running loads of b limit adjustment, which I wouldn’t recommend on a SRAM mechs as their b limit design is bloody awful, or to use a Saint mech as you can apparently adjust them to run slightly further back than normal. I personally went for a slx mech with the b limit adjusted all the way out and it’s been fine.

Smallest cog and lift the mech out of the way is my usual technique, but some chunky wheels do get caught and need some wiggling.

However, since I got a Type 2 clutch mech, forward and lock, and makes it so much easier. Also makes splitting the chain a lot easier.

My boardman team fs is a pain too.

Didnt know back wheels could be gay ?

26″ Anthem X here. Same.

Thank **** it’s not just me….. was starting to think I was a cack handed fool