Ask the experts

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Originally Posted by GiBo

I have a SRAM GX 12 on my bike. I crashed it and bent the drop out for the RD. I bent it back and it looks straight, but for the life of me, I cannot dial in the shifting with the barrel adjuster. I have the b gap tool, so I'm pretty sure that's correct. I get it dialed in on the stand, but invariably when under load, I get skips. Especially from a dead stop. And when shifting into the harder gears it skips a couple of rings, but does fine going up into the easier gears. I'm wondering if the RD is off just enough from bent drop out that I no amount of adjustment will get a clean shift?

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Go to a shop that has a rear derailer hanger tool. It goes on to the hanger and has a bar that measures the distance from the hanger to the rim. I recently spent two hours thinking I had a hanger straight, and not picking up every gear clean. Guy bent it back with one of these tools in about 45 seconds and it has been perfect since. I now have a back up hanger for each bike. I wasted two hours trying to get that freakin thing right and for the cost of a six pack, they fixed it in an instant.

Attachment 333235

the screw inside my front brake lever gradually works its way forward like this over time, which brings the lever very close to my knuckles. is this just a result of me riding the brakes like a bitch? something wrong? my "fix" so far was to take a pair of needle nose pliars and pinch the end and twist it the other way, but that takes forever, and eventually it works its way forward again.

easy fix? shop? Im gunna die? my shop has a long-ass wait so I'm inclined toward DIY if it's feasible. fwiw I screwed it back in place and the brake works fine (the brake seems to work fine even when the lever is close to the bar, but I feel like if I just let the screw go then eventually I won't have enough range to activate the brake... also it's annoying/uncomfortable). tektro hd m275 brakes fwiw, which are otherwise great.

Try loctite blue first.
Then red.
Then, as a last resort, green. (Not actually recommended)

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

I site down the chain line from low/3 feet behind the bike and have always been able to straighten a bent der hanger

The shop tool is nice but its gona cost to have a shop do it SO just get a new hanger which should fix your problem and then you will have a spare hanger which is a good thing

sometimes it works to take the hanger off and hammer it flat

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Any shop that actually charges you to perform that 2 minute check doesn't deserve your (or anyone's) business.

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Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

What cassette do you have? Can you modify it?

I have a OneUp 44 on my XX1 cassette. Shift step is 32-36-44. Shifts great.
I also have a Wolftooth 44 on a XX1 cassette. Shift step is 32-36-44. It shifts great too. They also make a 46.
My wife’s bike has a OneUp 47 on a Shimano M8000 cassette. The shift steps are 37-42-47.

The 2 XX1s are shifted by XX1 derailures.
The M8000 is shifted by a XTR.

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It’s a standard GX 11 speed so I don’t believe I can modify it or replace any cogs. I may be wrong but don’t think it’s possible. Having an XD driver limits cassette options but e13 and Garbaruk make good, but pricey, wide range options as long as my X1
derailleur can handle the 46t bail out gear. Still cheaper than a new new wide range 12 speed set up.




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e13 also has a 9-42 version if you don't want to risk the derailleur not clearing a 46t gear. Would need to pair with a smaller chainring to gain any more low-end though

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Originally Posted by Roxtar

Any shop that actually charges you to perform that 2 minute check doesn't deserve your (or anyone's) business.

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ya and so what if its not a bent der, what if it still skips cuz the whole drive train is fucked, the bike store missed out on $$/ business and the endloser is unhappy cuz the bike ain't fixed ?

A shop has to make money for the owner and provide great service to the customer, SO the bike should go in a shop stand with the customer watching/inputing to pinpoint what is fucked, fill out a work order, get a phone # maybe attempt to upsell the customer some shit and put the bike in the to-be-fixed rack cuz there are paying customers 2+ weeks ahead of this one

the shop that doesn't do this ^^ all properly won't be in business for very long ... then you got NO bike shop



My buddy told me the shop wants 67$ for a tuneup which will be weeks away so do I want to make 67$ and BTW there is lots of business to be had cuz bike stores are going crazy rihgt now ? So I replaced her cable & housing/ tweeked her der hanger which will probably get me a nice bottle of wine

On the test ride I decided I had over formed that hanger with the vice grips so I threw it on the ground and stepped on the der ... perfect form !

A non-mechanically inclined but cheap as shit buddy asked me to look at his drivetrain yesterday after it developed some random chain slap. The clutch on his Shimano XT M8100 derailleur seems to be fucked, I haven't opened it to check but the switch has very little resistance and feels like it's not connected to anything (unlike on my derailleur where flipping the switch requires some force and I can clearly feel something moving in the clutch assembly). I also don't feel any difference in tension between the on/off position.
I found a number of vids on clutch rebuilds and it seems like the parts are cheap. Worth a rebuild it or should I tell him to just buy a new derailleur and endure the bitching??

The clutch requires frequent service, and Shimano nexus specific grease. If the clutch seized and the derailleur was forced down it would have snapped off the plastic bracket that hold the tensioner bolt. This has been a common problem on the 8100's. They have only been on the market less than a year (actually officially since June 14th 2019) so it should be cover under warranty, problem is there are none in stock for warranty replacement.
There are still some SLX M7100 available. For $75 I'd buy a SLX and have the shop warranty (backorder the XT) the old one.

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Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

The clutch requires frequent service, and Shimano nexus specific grease. If the clutch seized and the derailleur was forced down it would have snapped off the plastic bracket that hold the tensioner bolt. This has been a common problem on the 8100's. They have only been on the market less than a year (actually officially since June 14th 2019) so it should be cover under warranty, problem is there are none in stock for warranty replacement.
There are still some SLX M7100 available. For $75 I'd buy a SLX and have the shop warranty (backorder the XT) the old one.

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OK thanks, I guess I'll open the clutch and see if anything is obviously broken. If not I'll service/reinstall and see if it's working otherwise I'll have him get a replacement. There are still some for sale online it seems.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

ya and so what if its not a bent der, what if it still skips cuz the whole drive train is fucked, the bike store missed out on $$/ business and the endloser is unhappy cuz the bike ain't fixed ?

A shop has to make money for the owner and provide great service to the customer, SO the bike should go in a shop stand with the customer watching/inputing to pinpoint what is fucked, fill out a work order, get a phone # maybe attempt to upsell the customer some shit and put the bike in the to-be-fixed rack cuz there are paying customers 2+ weeks ahead of this one

the shop that doesn't do this ^^ all properly won't be in business for very long ... then you got NO bike shop



My buddy told me the shop wants 67$ for a tuneup which will be weeks away so do I want to make 67$ and BTW there is lots of business to be had cuz bike stores are going crazy rihgt now ? So I replaced her cable & housing/ tweeked her der hanger which will probably get me a nice bottle of wine

On the test ride I decided I had over formed that hanger with the vice grips so I threw it on the ground and stepped on the der ... perfect form !

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I owned a bike shop. If a customer thought his der hanger was bent I would throw it on the stand, pull the der, and check the hanger. Total time about 4 minutes. Doing easy stuff like that for free gains customers and reputation. Plus, you have the oppotunity to sell a der hanger if bent, or a tune if not.

key word owned

Thats the bike shop spiral. You have to recognize your clientele. Things that dont cost you and hain customers are things like that. A couple minutes goes a long way. Chances are they circle around the shop or block and come back and by a t shirt or something while the hanger is getting checked.
Another good one is to send back ,potential customers, warrantee stuff. Its ez to include it in the bike shops warrantee return shipments when those shipments happen. Costs zero and gains customers.
Shops with new bikes that are 2 and 3 years old stock are a sure sign of failure. Give a deal. Get them off the floor. Gain some degree of customer loyalty. Those same shops that nickle and dime and never give a deal get tighter and tighter as their customer base drops. Its like dominoes. A vicious cycle. Its a taxing and tiring business. I have empathy for shop owners and shop rats but the bottom line is happy customer, happy business.
Another mistake i see shops making is not stocking parts. You have to know your market and stock the right stuff. Especially now as bike sales are going crazy and distributords are low on stock. Invest in your business now with your added income. Buy additional stock on things that are guaranteed to sell. Make that added income work for you and multiply profit and keep the customer flow so they dont have to go online

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For brake bleed kits (for Shimano) what does the black device do - I get what all the other pieces are for.

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Originally Posted by bennymac

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For brake bleed kits (for Shimano) what does the black device do - I get what all the other pieces are for.

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After you slide the hose on the bleeder, slide that over the hose/bleeder. Locks everything in place.

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Originally Posted by Roxtar

After you slide the hose on the bleeder, slide that over the hose/bleeder. Locks everything in place.

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thanks Roxtar but I mean the black device in the upper right side of the photo

The speed clamp? I've never used one but maybe for holding the brake lever depressed?

speed clamp - ok Thanks! that may help. I see this "Shimano professional brake bleed kit" for sale many places but nowhere I could find names the parts included - nor does any youtube or website instructions show this device being used. Even now googling "brake bleed speed clamp" doesn't turn up anything. Guess it's probably not a necessary piece.

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Originally Posted by bennymac

thanks Roxtar but I mean the black device in the upper right side of the photo

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Older shimano brakes where you had to remove the master cyl cover. This clamp formed a seal after you removed the cover and had a port for the funnel.

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Originally Posted by Roxtar

Older shimano brakes where you had to remove the master cyl cover. This clamp formed a seal after you removed the cover and had a port for the funnel.

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thanks Roxtar! Mystery solved. Cheers

Zip tie


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Or any rubber band, you would just have to disasssemble one end of the shock to slip it on. But a zip tie is easier.

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Originally Posted by MCS5280

The travel indicator o-ring on my shock disappeared again. Is there any temporary alternative that I can use for setting sag?

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Measure the bottom bracket height unsagged and then sagged. Use calculus to determine the leverage ratio of your suspension at your desired sagged percentage, then divide the difference in your bottom bracket heights by that leverage ratio to determine the amount your shock has moved. Divide that number by your shock stroke to determine your sag.

Or just use a zip tie like a quitter.

Though it was working fine, I thought I'd "service" my no-name floor pump after 20 years of use, so I dipped the plunger in a bit of STP oil treatment. Mistake! Now the plunger just slides down the bore w/o compressing any air into the hose. I cleaned it off and tried some sticky, stringy wheel bearing grease but same result. So, until I can source a Birzman Fatty stateside, what can I do to get this working again? Soaking it in some power steering fluid with leak-stopping seal swelling additive is my best guess. I'd really rather not have to rely on the old small-bore Silca. FWIW, it's ot the o-ring style plunger, but rather the type that has the concave side facing down to compress.

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Originally Posted by MCS5280

The travel indicator o-ring on my shock disappeared again. Is there any temporary alternative that I can use for setting sag?

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I went to the building supply store, bought a new O-ring, take the lower shoc mount bolt off and put the new O -ring on the shock