We are pretty stumped. My 11 year old outgrew his last bike, and rather than just buying a new one, we went to a local bike operation called the “Sacramento Bike Kitchen” that restores bikes and teaches bike repair. They sell refurbished bikes, but if you are getting a kid bike, it is free, and if you buy an adult bike for a kid, they give you $100 off. We decided to turn this into a learning opportunity and got a mountain bike for $70 (so free) that had a decent frame, but a lot of parts were in pretty rough shape.
We brought it home and went on Amazon and got new treads and inner tubes for the tires. The gear shifters were pretty broken (it is a 3x8). So we went to Amazon and got new gear shifters, handlebar grip shifters, but when we replaced them we could only get the rear derailleur to go the distance of six out of the eight gears, even with adjusting the barrel adjuster ane confirming that the low and high set screws were correct. No matter how far we used the gear shifter, it would stop at 6 gears; it’s like the barrel adjuster would move the range up and down, so the shifter would go from gear 3 to 8, or 1 to 6, but would never reach 1 to 8.
I then started watching more YouTube videos, including everything by park tool, and found some advice that it’s possible the derailleur is incompatible with the gear shifter. We then decided to replace the rear derailleur, but the new one had the same problem. We then got some advice that it’s possible the rear cassette was incompatible, so we went and found a rear cassette that is listed to be compatible on Amazon and replaced that as well. From all the adjusting, we also mangled the cable and thought that a thumb shifter would be better, so we replaced the gear shifters again. As long as we were replacing everything we decided to replace all the cable housings as well.
At this point we have now replaced the rear derailleur, the rear cassette, the chain, all the cable housings, the gear shifters with thumb shifters, and then we have also replaced the seat, the handlebar grips, the kick stand, and the treads and inner tubes. At this point, the bike is in perfect condition except for the stupid rear derailleur. We are totally stumped and before we go back to the bike kitchen (which has limited hours and is kind of far from where we live) I am looking for some advice. Everything I read is pointing to the fact that it should be the barrel adjuster to get me where I need to be, but every time I do it, it shifts the gear shifting range up and down, but doesn’t stretch it. This is with two different gear shifters we have tried.
Below are the links to the parts that we currently have.
First shifter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0DG38PK1F?psc=1
Derailleur: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09B9JY6K6?psc=1
Rear Casette: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09B95PT1B?psc=1
Second Shifter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C5CNRXP4?psc=1
Any advice here is really appreciated.
There was some people mentioning the derailleur hanger, but I don’t think that’s the reason, though it’s a good idea to swap anyways as it can be bent and will cause inconsistent shifting
The reason I believe the shifting doesn’t work on full cassette here is because both of the shifters you’ve purchased are meant for 8speed Shimano MTB derailleurs with pull ratio of 1.7, which Shimano calls 2:1
This is not compatible with Microshift acolyte! Instead you’d want this one https://www.amazon.com/microSHIFT-Acolyte-Trigger-Shifter-Compatible/dp/B0B2XVQRQ5/143-5556289-5363252?psc=1
Also another thing to note, is that the Acolyte derailleur is meant for 1x8 systems (1 gear in front, 8 in the back). With a 46t cassette I don’t think you have long enough cage on the derailleur to keep the chain tight when going smaller chainrings, so you may need to swap to a single chainring in the front… Which probably means a new crank set as well
It seems the better option is to swap the derailleur, or would that mean I need to swap the casette too?
I definitely thought a lot of this was more universal, but that is ok as it is a learning journey. Is this what you mean with a Shimano mountain bike derailleur? I don’t see a pull ratio listed but google said 1.7 is their standard https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ACERA-DERAIL-8-SPEED-Black/dp/B0BGFBSYQ3?sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D
You’ll then also need to swap the cassette to something like 12-32, but I highly recommend the 1x8 instead, especially for kids, since it’s so much easier to deal with. Also that Acolyte derailleur is so much better than similarly priced Shimano asera stuff
Hmm ok, the idea here is this is a “forever” project so I’m less worried about its utility for a kid and more want it to be something he is proud of as he grows up, and we own 10 acres up in the mountains where a mountain bike that can go the full range will get used. If we keep the casette and derailleur, how big of an issue do you think it will be if we don’t swap the front gear? It seems the we are potentially talking a new derailleur and casette if we want it to stay 3x8.
I only can think of the possibility that the derailleur hanger can be bent.
I have not replaced that part yet. I will have one here in two days. Thank you for the recommendation.
You can also try to bend it back straight if it’s only slightly dented (but better replace it!)
What I’m wondering is how are you connecting the cable.
When you go to tighten the cable retention bolt on the derailleur. Make sure that the derailleur is aligned with the smallest cog. Make sure that the shifter is already shifted to the highest gear and the cable is at its fully extended position. Make sure that you pull all of the slack out of the cable before to tighten the bolt.
This sounds to me like you have slack in the cable when you tighten the bolt, or the shifter is already shifted to a lower gear when you tighten the bolt. Both of those conditions will not allow the derailleur to shift into every gear.
We watched a bunch of youtube videos, and that’s pretty much what we did. We took the chain off and with the cable disconnected, it’s aligned with the smallest cog, and I can push it to the biggest cog but no further. Then we put the chain on and confirmed that. Then we cabled it, and we run into the 1-6 or 3-8 issue.
confirming that the low and high set screws were correct. No matter how far we used the gear shifter, it would stop at 6 gears; it’s like the barrel adjuster would move the range up and down, so the shifter would go from gear 3 to 8, or 1 to 6, but would never reach 1 to 8.
How did you set the limit screws correctly if it won’t go into the lowest and highest gears? Like, that’s part of the process of setting the screws.
With the cable disconnected it reached the high and low gear, but with the cable connected it only pulled far enough to go 6, we could physically pull the cable further to hit 7 and 8
even with adjusting the barrel adjuster ane confirming that the low and high set screws were correct. No matter how far we used the gear shifter, it would stop at 6 gears; it’s like the barrel adjuster would move the range up and down, so the shifter would go from gear 3 to 8, or 1 to 6, but would never reach 1 to 8
For future reference and for all the people suggesting bent derailleur hanger: a bent derailleur hanger WILL NOT cause the exhibited symptoms.
- Check the derailleur limit screws: these prevent the derailleur from excessive lateral movement
- There is a high and low limit adjuster
- Is that shifter explicitly compatible with the derailleur and cassette? Nothing in the Amazon listing indicated compatibility with that Microshift line
- Start here: https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help/rear-derailleur-adjustment
We watched the whole video from Park Tool on the rear adjustment, and I know the set screws are set correctly. I did not see an explicit compatibility except that they are both microshift acolyte andy came up and his frequently bought together ad.
Don’t. Trust. Amazon. This is the entry point into troubleshooting your current set of problems. The second shifters you posted have a 2:1 pull ratio. Microshift doesn’t say what their pull ratio is for Acolyte, but I’m quite sure it’s not 2:1. The first shifters are not explicitly Acolyte, and compatibility is not guaranteed even for same brand + cog count.
If the derailleur can physically sweep the width of the cassette when the shift cable is disconnected, the shifter is incompatible with the derailleur. Mixing and matching shifters + derailleurs tends to be pro-level wrenching especially when indexing is used; friction shifting less so. You really need to understand compatibility when mixing up component lines, e.g. Acolyte, Sword, CUES.
That makes sense, and we definitely jumped in headfirst with not enough research. Given what we’re learning, I am going to have to replace the shifters, or the casette + derailleun, and the latter is probably better as a different derailleur will be more compatible with 3 gears in the front.
This is where my research is failing, is there a reasonably priced recommended casette/derailleur I should look for? I don’t know brands at all.
If you want a 3x8 drivetrain, you can maybe stay with your current derailleur and cassette. That’s gonna be cobbling some different bits together. But Acolyte is only compatible with Acolyte; this component line has a proprietary pull ratio and is explicitly designed to be 1x8. Depending on where you live, the 12-46T cassette might have enough gear range for your 11 year old. Gear range in this instance is “set” by crankset and chainring selection.
In your case, and depending on how much patience you have left, I suggest you get the correct shifter (and a new rear derailleur cable + cable crimp). This is the shifter compatible with your derailleur and cassette: https://www.modernbike.com/microshift-acolyte-right-trigger-shifter---1x8-speed-acolyte-compatible-only
From here, you could get a triple crank and front shifter. However, if you want 3x8, I strongly suggest that you don’t mix and match. The Microshift rear derailleur you have has a capacity of 37T. That 37T capacity is all in the cassette. Even a modest range triple crank might add another 20T to required capacity. Without overloading you on details, inexperienced riders tend have bad shifting habits that very potentially can destroy the derailleur and damage the bike if you add a triple crankset to this drivetrain. Triple cranksets tend to require long cage derailleurs or careful shifting.
In general, for these contexts, I usually suggest Shimano CUES (https://bike.shimano.com/products/series/cues.html). It’s a component line designed to circumvent the compatibility morass that we see within a lot of component lines. You can also get a complete component group for something like $275.
FWIW You probably wont need the lowest gears very often if you’re choosing to limit one side of the range. Plus with the 3x up the front, that granny gear will make anything easy enough.
I’m with the other poster suspecting a bent hanger.
You mentioned thumb shifters? You bought 8 speed ones yeah? They’ve got enough range for the derailleur? Can you manually pull on the cable to get the last few gears? Good luck.
Yes, we can manually pull on the cable and get to last gears. I was thinking that the shifter maybe wasn’t compatible, but nothing in the Amazon listings made me think it would be a problem. When we bought the second set, I was even looking for things like a distance in mm.
I’m no expert but I needed a 9 speed shifter, derailleur, casette and chain for my bike.
Check the hanger and make sure it isn’t bent.
I also would check the derailleur hanger and maybe chain length? How did you shorten the chain? Furthermore, does the limited range on the rear change depending on which front chainring is used? A general advice is to never trust what you read on Amazon listings but do product research on the manufacturers websites.
