How necessary are barrel adjusters?

Asked by: Aimee Hess

Brake and shifter barrel adjusters are necessary to fine tune caliper engagement and shift indexing. I do not recommend removing them as one day you will wish they were there. Backing a barrel adjuster all the way out will not strip the threads as there is no thread engagement therefore no damage to the threads.

Do you need a barrel adjuster on front derailleur?

Barrel adjusters are typically used to tune the position of the rear derailleur more often than the front. To fine tune your front derailleur using your barrel adjuster, start with your chain on the largest chainring and largest rear cog.

What does the barrel adjuster do?

Barrel adjusters are small cups that have a hole in the bottom, and are screwed into different points around your bike. They are usually located by your brake levers, brake calipers, gear levers, and derailleurs. They work by increasing the amount of distance an inner cable will travel.

How tight should barrel adjuster?

Holding the cable tightly so it can’t slip, pull up with the pliers to remove all slack in the cable and hold it like this as you tighten the anchor bolt to secure the cable in place. It should now be tight enough so that when shifted onto the large chainring, there’s no rubbing.

How do I know if my barrel adjuster is broken?

turn the barrel adjuster anti-clockwise if you don’t see it moving out as your turn it, something is broken. if it’s in more than one piece, it’s broken.

Is it normal for chain to rub on front derailleur?

It is possible that the front derailleur will rub the chain slightly even on properly adjusted bikes. This is likely on some bikes when riding in the largest sprocket in front and the smallest cog in back.

Should you adjust the front or rear derailleur first?

In a nutshell, adjust the front derailleur first, then the rear. Show activity on this post. If the derailers just need minor tweaking (they are basically in adjustment but are “not quite right”) then you adjust the one that is obviously wrong, check the overall adjustment again, then again adjust what needs adjusting.

Which way does a barrel adjuster increase tension?

To do this, turn the barrel adjuster (see below) counter clockwise. If the chain is not shifting well from the largest to the smallest chainring, then the inner wire tension needs to be lowered. To do this, turn the barrel adjuster clockwise.

How do you fix a barrel adjuster?

Quote from video: And these have little clicks some of them you can feel you can go click click maybe one or two clicks at a time or just give it a turn maybe do a quarter turn or half turn at a time and then test.

How do you install a barrel adjuster?

Quote from video: You got to figure out where you want to install. The barrel adjuster. You want to install it someplace where there's not a major bend in the cable.

What happens if front derailleur is too high?

Derailleur Alignment & Positioning



Most front derailleurs can be adjusted for height and rotation. If the cage is set too high over the largest ring, it may not perform well. Too high a cage can cause a slow shift, and can allow the chain to shift over the largest ring.

How tight should shifting cable be?

Quote from video: The bolt that crimps your cable tight and pull that slack tight with your hand or with a pair of pliers not too tight you don't really need to wrench.

How do I stop my bike chain from hitting the frame?

Quote from video: So once you have your piece of tape off the backing you can apply it to the chainstay. Make sure you stretch and kind of conform. And apply this tape around the chain say that way it bonds better.

Do road bikes have barrel adjusters?

That’s a barrel adjuster, which is used to tune the derailleur adjustment. Standing behind the bike, the barrel adjuster is turned either counter-clockwise or clockwise in half-turn increments until the shifting hesitation is cured.

How do I adjust the gears on my front derailleur?

Quote from video: You can rotate the derailleur into the proper position by loosening the derailleurs clamp bolt very slightly. And rotating it with your hand.

How do you adjust a front derailleur?

Quote from video: Use a hex wrench as a gauge when the cage is set to high you risk the chance of the chain falling off the largest ring when you shift.

How do I stop my bike chain from rubbing on the front derailleur?

If the chain is rubbing the outer edge of the derailleur cage, try increasing the cable tension using the barrel adjuster by turning it counterclockwise one quarter to one half turn at a time—increasing the tension will pull the cage out and farther away from the bike.

How do I adjust my bike barrel adjuster?

Quote from video: So if you want to adjust your derailleur. To the left you type you turn the barrel adjuster to the left if you want it to go to the right. You turn the barrel adjuster to the right.

How tight should shifting cable be?

Quote from video: The bolt that crimps your cable tight and pull that slack tight with your hand or with a pair of pliers not too tight you don't really need to wrench.