At A Glance
Learning how to adjust your Shimano gears can make your mountain biking experience a breeze. Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to shift Shimano gears, adjust the derailleurs, and fix gear problems.
Introduction
When it comes to bicycle components, few match the craftsmanship and expertise of Shimano products.
But what’s the use of having the best components if you don’t know how to adjust Shimano gears on a mountain bike?
After all, a well-adjusted derailleur is key to shifting gears easily when riding your bike.
In this guide, we’ll answer all your questions such as, ‘How do I adjust the gears on my mountain bike?’
Ready to learn? Let’s get started.
Adjust Shimano Gears on a Mountain Bike
How to adjust mountain bike shifter with the Shimano STI (S) Levers?
Right Levers
The right shifter has two levers: the main lever, and the inset lever. Both can be pulled inward to control the rear derailleur and shift the chain onto different cogs.
- Push the main lever to shift the chain onto the bigger rear cog (to make pedaling easier).
- Push the inset lever to shift the chain onto the smaller rear cog (to make pedaling harder).
Left Levers
The left levers control the front derailleur and help shift the chain onto different chainrings.
There are two levers on the left shifter, the main one and the inset one, that you can use to shift cogs.
- Push the main lever to shift the chain onto the larger cog (to make pedaling harder)
- Push the inset lever to shift the chain onto the smaller chainring (to make it easier to pedal)
If you’ve got a Shimano Tourney series on hand, you might be wondering how to adjust Shimano tourney gears.
It’s easy. All you need to do is follow the above-mentioned steps for adjusting the gears.
The next step to adjust your Shimano gears is learning how to adjust Shimano front and rear derailleur.
Rear Derailleur
- Start loosening the barrel adjuster by turning it in a clockwise direction.
- Shift the derailleur to the smallest cogs on the chainring.
- Adjust the upper limit by turning the higher screw (it should be placed above the barrel adjuster).
Turning the higher screw clockwise brings the derailleur inwards; turning it anticlockwise pushes the derailleur outwards.
- Unscrew the cable anchor bolt (located at the base of the derailleur).
- Pull the cable to tighten it and then screw the anchor bolt.
- Try to turn the pedal to see if the derailleur shifts with ease.
- If it doesn’t, tighten the lower screw and the barrel adjuster.
- Move the barrel adjuster in a clockwise direction to check the derailleur movement.
- Move the derailleur just below the biggest cog and turn the lower limit screw in a clockwise direction until it tightens enough.
Front Derailleur
Want to move the derailleur?
- Turn the B tension screw, placed under the cable, clockwise to move it down
- Turn the B tension screw anticlockwise to move the derailleur upwards
Note that moving the derailleur comes with limits based on the model being used. For a Shimano gear, the limit is between 1-3 millimeters above the large chainring.
If the next question on your mind is, ‘How to fix a mountain bike gears?’
Then here’s a solution.
Try following the steps given above to make sure your front and rear derailleur are well-adjusted. If there still seems to be a problem, then you’re probably dealing with a damaged part and might need to replace it to fix the issue.
In Conclusion
We hope our guide helped you learn how to adjust Shimano bicycle gears.
Fixing or adjusting Shimano gears on your mountain bike is not a difficult task once you know its mechanical details. Go ahead and try adjusting the gears of your bike and let us know how it goes!
