Tuning X.9age

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SCOTTDMR

Likes Dirt
Hey ive had X.9 deralier and shifter fitted on my bike it's all working good apart from in the fourth gear were it skips in and out. It was fitted by a really good mechanic and when i came to pick it up he said it's working good but could be better with smaller ratio cassette. I have tried playing around with the little tuning bit on the shifter but cant get it to work good in fourth.
Im not to good with this sort of thing so any help would be good.
Cheers scott.
 
RaID

RaID

Likes Bikes and Dirt
is skipping up or down gear?

adjust the barrel on the derailleur end of the gear cable
to fine tune the gear tension

increase the tension if its jumping up gear (ie to the smaller cog)
or decrease the tension if its jumping down gear (ie to the larger cog)
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
RaID said:
is skipping up or down gear?

adjust the barrel on the derailleur end of the gear cable
to fine tune the gear tension

increase the tension if its jumping up gear (ie to the smaller cog)
or decrease the tension if its jumping down gear (ie to the larger cog)
Click to expand...
X9 has no barrel adjuster at the derailleur end, only at the shifter end.
 
rell6103

rell6103

Likes Dirt
Maybe the cassette is worn. If you spend a lot of time in the 4th cog (as i do), it wears faster. And so, the chain would skip if the teeth are worn.

I somehow doubt that it is the mech. I've put my X9 through hell. I might post up a pic of it to show you, i can't use it anymore because its worn enough that it keeps eating spokes and hangers, but it still changes the gears perfectly.
 
S

SCOTTDMR

Likes Dirt
Hey Well the chain is not jumping down or up just seems to be jumping in the same spot as if the cassette is really worn cause it only happens when there is a bit of pressure on it.
maybe thats it but i didn't think it was that worn cause the old x.7 and chain was workin fine.

Also the chain is brand new (Shimano XT) like the deralier and have done like 500 meters all up.

Here is a pic of the cassette look at the fourth gear (chains in second) do you think its worn enough to just skip when there is a bit of pressure put on it.
 
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Alec McJo

Alec McJo

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Yeah, new chain + old cassette = skippage.

Also, the new derailuer cable will stretch with the system being new. This means even if you get it fitted and its good, it will get unadjusted in a short time. Ride it for a while, and let it get a bit unadjusted. Then adjust it yourself before it gets to bad, then when it gets really bad again, take it to the shop and get it adjusted 100% perfect.

Itel be good for ages then, thats what I did with my 07 X.9 and whoa, shifts so nice :eek:
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
SRAM Rear Mech Setup and Tuning

As far as tuning a SRAM rear mech goes, I use the following method:

Set shifter to gear number 9 (cable all the way out)

Wind barrel adjuster to about 30% of travel (slightly further in than the midpoint)

Make sure derailleur mounting bolt is tight.

Release the allen bolt on the derailleur body and it should move all the way outwards towards the smallest gear wheels.

Using screwdriver, adjust the H (high, hard or whatever) screw so that the jockey wheel is lined up perfectly with the smallest cog on the cassette.

Manually push the derailleur inwards using the parallelogram body to push against, not the end of the jockey wheel cage and set the L screw (low, lazy, whatever) so that the jockey wheel lines up with the largest cog on the cassette.

Make sure that when setting your L screw the derailleur cannot go further inwards than being aligned perfectly with the biggest cog. If it can, then sooner or later your rear mech will get sucked into your spokes which is messy. If there's that much flex in the system then your derailleur pivots are ovalised or worn and you should think about getting a new one.

Let the derailleur return to the outermost position, get the cable as tight as you can by hand and do up the hex bolt on the derailleur that holds the cable.

Wind the barrel adjuster on the shifter outwards to take the last bit of slack out of the cable.

You should find that the mech is tuned pretty much right straight off the bat. Use the barrel adjuster on the bars to fine tune the position in the middle gears by slighly loosening or tightening the cable.

Go riding and enjoy.
 
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M

miko

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The teeth look reasonably worn, but really, there are so many factors here, there is no way we could tell.

Seriously, if you whacked on a new chain with an old cluster, and it started skipping, it's time for a new cluster!
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
A nine speed ultegra would be fine, except of course that your easier gears would be harder than they currently are.

I've dropped the 11-34 mtb cassette of my MTB and put on an Ultegra 12-23 heaps of times with no hassles at all.

In fact, I was just talking ot a bloke at work not 5 minutes ago about doing it again...
 
S

SCOTTDMR

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yeah im probably getting an ultergra cassette today but was thinking about the b ajust. wouldn't it be really far away from the jockey wheel even with the b ajust as close as it goes? Also would you have to ajust the low and high ajusters?
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
Distance away with the B adjust shouldn't be too much of a problem. I wouldn't sweat it, I've never had hassles with my SRAM mech running a 12-23 road cassette.

yes, you may need to tweak the high and low adjust points and do a full setup from scratch, there may be a slight horizontal shift in position when you change from your current cassette to the Ultegra.

change out the cassette first, then see if there are any issues with gear shifting before you go undoing all the cables and tweaking the end stops and barrel adjuster.
 
S

SCOTTDMR

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ok so im going to get just a 105 cassete there a bit cheaper and still half decent (i think) and Could anyone give me a price for them im not to sure at the moment.

With an X.9 wich ratio would be best 12-23, 12-25 or 12-28 shifting wise i mean cause i dont care to much how it pedals.
Cheers scott.
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
105 is 90 bucks from Phantom cycles. looks like they have then in 12-25 or 12-23, Ultegra is 120 bucks, Tiagra is 70 bucks. Ultegra also gettable in 11-21

There will be no difference in how they shift.

Basically it comes down to two things:

How steep are the hills near you? (do you need a 25 tooth to be able to get up them)

How often do you find that you're spinning out because you can't pedal quick enough? (do you need 11 down low or can you put up with 12)

If you're spinning out then you'll need to pony up for the ultegra unless you cna find a 105 or Tiagra that is 11 tooth

In weight weenie land I guess an 11-21 would be the lightest but I'd be suprised if you cared that much about so few grams.

Your LBS may price match Phantom. They may even beat them as most roadie drivetrains nowdays are 10 speed so the demand for any old cassettes they have in stock might be fairly limited. You could also get a discount if you're a member of a local mtb club.
 
S

SCOTTDMR

Likes Dirt
Cheers for all ur help drew it has been good

im getting a 105 12-23. Cause the hills aren't that big so dont get much sppeed most of the time.

Cheers scott
 
hallsyhoods

hallsyhoods

Likes Dirt
dude, you always, always replace a cassette and a chain at the same time (unless its just a snapped chain, and not because of wear). and the front chain ring set if on a distance bike. they all wear away at the same rate.
 
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