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Returner to cycling after a long time, long story short I lost the use of one leg for a bit and this was part of my rehab plan, used to cycle a lot etc.
So I buy a second hand Stumpy 2004 in spanky condition but..chain is a bit stretched, I replace the chain and get everything lubed and adjusted and..it's rough, the cassette looks fine to my eye, everything straight and in line, hanger looks intact, but it's strangely finicky to adjust, I get rubbing on the front derailleur at extremes, bit more than I'd expect, and a bit of vibration from the two bottom gears, again a bit more than I'd expect.
I'm pretty familiar with this age of drive train, 2004 Shimano XT, but I don't know when things have been changed out previously to be sure of anything, replaced the jockey wheels and the same, I don't have another back wheel to try.
I seem to have two things going on here, rough and a strangely finite cable adjustment, could one be cables needing replaced?(he said hoping for a cheap and easy fix) or can a cassette be goosed and look perfect? or is there something I'm missing?
Welcome to the forum!
The cassette could well be too worn to take a new chain. A temporary refit of old chain may well confirm this. Don't forget chain rings might be a little worn too.
That said, given pricing and availability of parts at the moment I'd do the cables first anyway as they are likely not in tip top condition given what you describe. A clean and lube might do it, or change them all out if it all looks really unloved when you go to relube them.
Mech alignment won't be quite so picky as it's not 12 speed but checking/ getting a lbs to check the mech hanger will do no harm either. It simply can't be judged by eye in my experience.
Far more experienced spannerers on here than me so hopefully they can give you further pointers too.
Be worth checking for play in the wheel bearings, BB and pivot bearings too, imo btw. That's if you haven't already, just to save inconvenience/problems down the line really.
Good luck matey, all the best with the recovery and welcome back to the hobby. Have a great Summer on the Stumpy!👍
Cheers for the really thoughtful advice, cables it is, gives me an excuse to set it all up afresh anyway, I forgot to mention I replaced the BB, and binned the perfectly good one I took out before trying it and finding it...the same, boo, you have taught me a couple of things, I'll get the hanger checked and since it's there...they can have a look at the rest if my cable switch out falls below my rapidly lowering expectations.
Hey I made a post and someone answered! if only there were likes and smilies, I'm old enough to remember when forums looked just like this..in 1986! feel strangely comfortable with that!
Forums in 1986?!
Were even newsgroups running then?
Has the bike been used all through since 2004 or has it been sat going all creaky? I'm sorry, I don't know if spanky is good or not?
While cables are off and rear mech unattached I'd be tempted to take it off and give it a real good clean, get the pivots working as smoothly as you can and operate it by hand to stretch the return spring and ensure that hasn't stuck. If my bikes been sat for a while even if clean I find the spring driven shift can get a bit 'sticky' until it's been moved a bit, couple that to a possibly rusty cable and closes that off as being a reason why the shifts don't all work nicely.
And def +1 to chains and cassettes often needing doing together, but that wouldn't necessarily screw up shifting, more likely to show itself as slipping or jumping under load (is that what you mean by rough running?)
I might have exaggerated that beyond the beginning of digital time...bout 2000 I'd say, I had a hotmail account with just my name.
Sorry 'spanky' as in new looking but then on closer inspection it turns out to be looked after only cosmetically, the chain was so stretched it bent sideways nearly as much as longways(would this indicate new cassette time?) the catch is the cassette looks newer than the old chain.
And...yes, I was getting a bit of chain slipping under load, I don't now after a bit of finite cable adjustment, then couple of days later slipping, more tuning and fine again.
The roughness is quite separate in symptom terms, I get a vibration through the pedals in the two lowest gears, I believe this is caused by the chain links not being able to perfectly engage round too tight a radius? felt it before on previous bikes but it's more on this one.
Been working so not had a chance to do anything yet.
If you’re getting some slipping and the chain was in that much of a state I’d change the cassette as well (if you can find one in stock). If the chainrings all look hooked then it’s time for those to be changed too - but if it’s a triple hopefully the wear has been spread over all 3 rings and they’ll be ok.
If you can’t find a new cassette try just sticking the old chain back on and ride until it slips.
I would definitely fit new cable inners and outers to refresh the bike a bit.
Also +1 to check the mech hanger alignment.
Cheers joebristol, I think it's a Shimano XT M770 9 speed so readily available, seems expensive £60/70 but I have been out of this a long time and some of the prices of things has been a shock.
Sram PG970 or PG980 is generally a cheaper alternative to the M770, which I find just as good.
As others have said, the clue would be whether the vibration was there with the old chain or not. If it's just annoying with the new chain then the answer has to be replace the cassette.
Vibration in the two small gears was there with the old chain, the old chain was stretched inches longer compared next to the new chain but it didn't slip or climb to next gears.
Didn't know about the Sram, am I right in thinking any 9 speed cassette(that fits) will work with the old XT drivetrain?
Yeah. Shifters need to be the same manufacturer as their derailleur, otherwise you can mix.
I did wonder if you actually meant "lowest gears" - the smallest cogs on the cassette are in fact your highest gears, as in fastest. New cassette time it sounds like. I'd be looking at the chainrings as well if the chain was that far gone.
Sorry wordnumb I think I did, high not low, I guess it's cassette time for me, I feel thorough and suitably tight fending that off for an extra week, cheers.