Gears are Grinding My Gears – Pls help

Hi all

Have just bought a CX bike from Ebay.
It’s in pretty good nick but the only thing is the chainset was set up as a 1×10 as the front shifter isn’t shifting.
He told me this so I’ve no qualms.

So it has a shortened chain and is just running on the smaller front chainring.

The setup:

Chainset –

BB – FSA BB30
Chainset – SRAM Rival 22 2x
Cassette – Shiamno 1-25 cassette
Shifter – Shimano 105 5700
Rear Mech – 9spd Deore Rear Mech – long cage
(The seller said it was working perfectly with the 10 speed mechanical as same cable pull ratio – I never tried it as dismantled it before I rode it but it probably was).

I was intending to change it back to 2×10 as he thre in a sram rival yaw front mech, although he did say the front shifter doesn’t work, hence it was 1×10 set up. I tried it and it doesn’t work.
While I was waiting to get a new front shifter I thought Id set it up 1×10 but on the big front ring instead of the small one.

I have tried.
1) New cables and housing
2) Aligned the derailleur hanger
3) adjusted the tension about a squillion times.
(As there is no barrel adjuster on the shifter or RM, it has an in line cable one that is as fiddly as Jimmy, and seems to do bugger all, like Jimmy.

I have literally spent 10 hrs trying to make this work. I nearly wrapped the bike around my own head in a bid to end the pain.

With the cable unbolted the RM returns to the small cog with no hangups.
I’ve aligned the limit screws (although the b tension wont get any closer to the large cog than about 8 mm if not further).

When attached and tighted as best I can, the chain won’t shift from the smallest ring to the next one unless I overtighten, yet it still won’t come back down again.
It also will not shift in the middle of the cassette to a higher gear, taking two clicks to move one cog, then it’ll go all mental and jump back down two.

Someone please make my life bearable again 🙂
Thanks :)))))
LR

Obvious things first;

is the mech hanger straight (or indeed the frame)?
Fit a new cable – inner and outer.

Thanks for quick reply

I’ve straightened the hanger already.
Not sure about frame – I hope it is!

Have fitted new inner and outer cables too.

THe fact you’ve said the inline barrel adjuster doesn’t work suggests to me you’ve made a mess of installing new cables.

My first thought also mech hanger or bent drop out.

Very reminiscent of my Bianchi after an accident.

With a correct tool, or just by eye?

Doh beaten to it.

Thanks guys
Yep with a proper aligner tool.

David
Sorry when I say it doesn’t work it does work but it doesn’t have the range of cable tension the usual OEM ones have on shifters or RMs.
So I have to get right in the zone with the bolt. It’s all installed properly (I think) – it’s just not got much tension range.
It’s a clarkes one, and slippy to grip.

how do I tell if the frames bent by the way?

Rear mech should be parallel with the cassette. Best viewed without the chain. If it looks inline by eye, it’s usually good enough IMO (even if the mech hanger might not be exactly straight)

I reckon you’ve cut one section of outer cable too short though, or not seated it properly

Thanks David

I’ll check it all but I did just cut to the same length as the previous installation.

One thin I did notice is sitting on the saddle and looking down the line of the 2 jockey wheels didn’t look parallel to the bike frame if that makes sense.

Probably a stupid question, but is it definitely a 10 speed cassette, i’ve seen similar symptoms with the wrong one before.

You sure the shimano and SRAM mix actually work together other than the guys word?

Would of thought they’d be different pull ratios.

Pull the stupid o rings out of any cable ends.

thanks again

Yep its a 10 sp cassette

The cable ends I have are the ones with no rubber in them so they’re running free.

The RM is shimano deore and shifter 105 – I have looked online and others have said they do work together.

Maybe I should just take it to a bike shop and admit defeat 🙁

could my chain be too long – would that cause such problems?

I read the shifter as SRAM. My bad.

Check your cable routing into the mech

If I’m reading your OP correctly you have a 105 10 speed shifter, a 105 10 speed cassette and a Deore 9 speed mech?

They are not compatible. The shifter pulls the cable to move a 10 speed mech 3.95mm. The mech is designed to move 4.46mm one one click of a 9 speed shifter. The ratios are different and are not compatible. They may “kind of” work but it’s not right.

Road mechs come with a barrel adjuster on the mech not the shifter, MTB shifters come with the adjuster, the mechs without. You can get inline adjusters that bolt to the cable stops on the down tube to aid in mixing road and MTB components, but you need to get components that will work together first.

10sp road shifters pull a different amount of cable to 10sp mtb shifters, pretty much the same amount as 9sp mtb shifters, if not exactly the same. Next stupid question, it is definitely a 9sp mech, and not a 10sp? I get to see a lot of incompatible kit that “was working when I sold it.”

As above seen 10 speed mech mistaken for 9 speed a few times. Seems a bit pointless though to have a long cage mtb mech for an 11-25 cassette. If you’re going to use 11-30 or below a 10 speed road mech might be better?

thanks again

how would I tell if its 9 or 10 speed. cant see a model number on it.

Good point re cage length. If it won’t work I’ll get a 10sp road one!

Cheers all

9sp mech will have the cable entry close to the mech body, 10sp is out on an extended arm, probably about 15-20mm away from the main body.

The model number will be stamped on the back of the mech.

Thanks.
I’ll check the number, but I think it’s this one
http://chainreactioncycles.scene7.com/is/image/ChainReactionCycles/prod40542_IMGSET?wid=500&hei=505

As jonnyboi asked earlier, is your cable clamped under the correct side of the clamp bolt?

Are all the mech hanger bolts on firm?

Is it an SRAM inner? They are slightly slimmer than shimano so could be pulling oddly

Jockey wheels in good nick, spinning freely?

Guys thanks so much for your kind help.

Well I’ve got it running almost correctly.

As Jonny said I shortened the cable housing a bit at both ends to get a straighter line.

It is now shifting into all gears in both directions, but it’s very clunky.
Especially on the way down to the smaller cogs. It sort of clunks a lot.

Coastesy I think it’s in properly..in a straight line under the plate.