Found my old Raleigh racer in Dads Garage

I'll have to have a play with it. I am pretty sure that i have tried all kinds of combinations with these screws. I cant remember for sure but i think i managed to get it working so that it went on the 4 smaller cogs but could not get it to get onto the largest cog.
 
Anyone know how to tension the gear cable on these things, what i have noticed is that when the selector is in the forward position which i think is the smallest cog, the cable is quite taught but is MUCH less taught in as i move it backwards to the larger cogs.
 
I am going to have one last attempt to get this working. To be honest i am not holding out too much hope and i am considering buying a new rear mech to replace the one that is there. REALLY not sure if this is a good thing or not but i am looking at the Shimano Tourney TX35 Rear Derailleur as its quite cheap. As i say though i will give it another attempt as see what happens. My bike is a 10 speed with 5 cogs on the rear but that rear derailleur is for a 6/7 speed, not too sure if this matters at all.
 
Take it to the LBS before you buy a new rear mech.

It sounds like you don't have enough tension in the cable. The mech should be positioned on the smallest cog, at which point you can pull the cable taut (you can pull it taut with a pair of pliers and then tighten the bolt which is usually a 5mm allen). You put it on the smallest cog because the cable is at its longest or loosest in this position.
When a larger cog is selected the cable will tighten (shorten) so if you can't reach those upper gears I would think it's because of not enough tension.

Once you have enough tension to reach the large cog (1st gear) then you can play about with the adjusting screws to set it's position on 1st gear. Then do the same for your smallest cog. The adjusting screws only affect the mech positioning on your largest and smallest cog they don't have an impact on the gears in between.

Fine tuning of the mech can then be done using the adjuster barrel on the mech itself. Unscrewing the barrel counterclockwise will increase cable tension and this will bring the mech towards the frame. So if the chain was slipping from 3rd to 4th gear, increase the tension. If it keeps trying to jump from 4th to 3rd, turn the adjuster clockwise and release some cable tension.

Hope that makes sense.

N
 
as above, local bike shop will sort it easily, for peanuts.

however, i have noticed that "trendy" bike shops tend to be quite expensive for servicing and repairs, compared to traditional bike shops. also the modern/trendy bike shops can be slightly "anti-retro" in their customer service attitude, and in their expertise!

another point about brakes, although it is nice to keep the original calipers, lets face it the raleigh base model weinmann single-pivot calipers are awful in practice (even with modern cables and pads). modern shimano dual pivot calipers do make the bike much safer and make spirited riding much better
 
Awesome guys, bike now in local (traditional) bike shop for them to take a look at it. I think that the problem is that the original wheel was knackered and bought another one (strangely from the same shop) but it was slightly wider at the axle and i had to do a bit of a hulk hogan to get the new wheel in there. The derailleur seems to travel the right distance however where it starts is incorrect and thats why i dont think it will get onto the largest cog. I think i need one (derailleur) with more travel as i guess there are limits to how far they will go.
Anyway, i will wait and see what the LBS says :)
Noted about the calipers, will most likely change these and the brake levers because the hoods on mine have gone a bit nasty and just as cheap to replace the whole thing.
 
Hi Leevis,

if the dérailleur and cassette are both original then there should be enough travel to reach all the cogs. As mentioned by others above, if you have the high adjustment screw maxed out then this might prevent the dérailleur from reaching 1st.

Anyway if you have a good LBS it's worth building a good relationship with them. If they think they will get repeat business from you then they should do you a good deal on parts, labour etc.

My LBS was crap and has now gone out of business. I learned most of what I know on Youtube years ago. Just search for setting up a rear derailleur and you will see what I mean!

The bike looks great anyway I'm sure you are chuffed giving it a new lease of life.

N
 
OK got it back from LBS, they fixed it. Really not too sure what they did but it appears to have done the trick. Cost me £9 odd.
Bought some Blue handlebar tape while i was there so thats the next job, did notice that the front brake was a bit lame when i rode it for about 10 meters.

Can someone spec me some (cheap) callipers and maybe levers for this one? Dont really want to put the tape on with these ones if i am just going to change them (the levers), does it make much difference changing the levers? I am not too sure.

I was looking on the internet and noticed that you can buy spacers which go near the cassette on the rear wheel. I am wondering whether such a thing exists so i can put it on my rear wheel behind the cassette making the cassette closer to the actual derailleur. I know i shouldnt mess with something thats not broken but it does look like its about 10cm too far out.

Lee
 
OK, had to get some Shimano Aero levers, the hoods disintegrated when i attempted to retape the bars. These levers look really good but i now have a problem with the calipers sticking on one side (front and back) and was thinking of replacing these but really not sure what ones to get at a reasonable price, the ones that are on at the moment are Wienmann Type 500 i think but not too sure what is a straight swap out and need some help.
Can someone spec me some cheap ones from a shop please :)
 

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