Gear cable barrel adjuster

[Fraz101]

So my front derailleur cable snapped on my commuter bike at the weekend. I took the cable off as it was dragging,until I got time to go get a replacement.

I got the replacement tonight and noticed the barrel adjuster has unthreaded whilst cycling and has came out!!!!!

Dammmit!!! So a quick trip to halfords at 6pm to grab one, gets home and it’s too big! It was a M7 barrel adjuster.

They didn’t have a smaller one so I’m going to have to go to another bike shop tomorrow.

I’m assuming it’s an m5 adjuster I neeed? It’s a shimano ez fire shifter on my Giant mtb

[reohn2]

Is it the one on the STI pod?
If so it's a standard item,take a photo of it with your phone and show it to the bike shop owner/mechanic,I'm betting if it's a half decent shop they'll have one kicking about in a box of bits somewhere.

[Fraz101]

Not sure what sti pod is?

It was screwed into the shifter on the handle bars and it’s unwound itself whilst cycling and fell out.

I’ll take a pic and go to my local recyc a bike tomorrow

[Brucey]

some shifters only have a barrel adjuster for the left one, relying on the RH adjustment being done on the RD. Once you have lost the one on the LH shifter you don't have a pattern to work from.

99% likely with a shimano shifter to be an M5 threaded adjuster, BTW.

e.g.https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-spares/shimano-altus-slm370-cable-adjusting-bolt-unit-y67s98050/

cheers

[Fraz101]

Thanks Brucey

As always you have the correct answer!

It’s the front derailleur cable adjuster.

The link you attached is the same one

Cheers!

[reohn2]

Not sure what sti pod is?

It was screwed into the shifter on the handle bars and it’s unwound itself whilst cycling and fell out.

I’ll take a pic and go to my local recyc a bike tomorrow

The handlebars shifter is regard in the MTB world as a pod

[Fraz101]

Got one at my local recyc a bike, I used to help out there about 4 years ago so I know the guy,had loads lying around.

All fixed now, incidentally can anyone shed any light as to why I’m going through about 2 cables/year?

Everyone snaps at the ball end of the cable inside the shifter?

[reohn2]

Got one at my local recyc a bike, I used to help out there about 4 years ago so I know the guy,had loads lying around.

All fixed now, incidentally can anyone shed any light as to why I’m going through about 2 cables/year?

Everyone snaps at the ball end of the cable inside the shifter?

Glad you got sorted.
To make your cables last longer,squirt semi aerosol grease:- https://www.carlube.co.uk/?product=100- ... se-aerosol inside the shifter to lube the bearing surfaces between cable and shifter internals

[peetee]

All fixed now, incidentally can anyone shed any light as to why I’m going through about 2 cables/year?

Everyone snaps at the ball end of the cable inside the shifter?

Some shifters have a retaining tab to prevent the barrel end of the cable parting company with its seat if the cable inner doesn't move as freely as it should. Its possible to feed the cable in so that the barrel stays the wrong side of the tab and still have a functioning shifter. However the end can be bent over which leads to fraying and eventually a snapped cable.

[Brucey]

I agree it is probably a fault with the way the cable sits inside the shifter; with a well designed shifter and a typical FD the usual point of failure is at the FD.

cheers

[Fraz101]

This is where it frays and snaps.

[Brucey]

another thing that can knock hell out of cables is if the FD is

a) stopped by the cable not the stop screw when the small chainring is selected and/or
b) the high gear stop screw vs cable tension is set badly so that the cable is under great tension when the big ring is selected
c) that the barrel adjuster was half-out of its seating, causing scuffing of the cable. (it must have been a bit this way else you would not have lost the barrel adjuster...?)

cheers

[Fraz101]

I only lost the barrel adjuster because I left it screwed into the shifter after the snapped cable was removed.

It must have unscrewed whilst using my bike!

It was still there after I removed the cable,before going to the shop for a replacement.

[gregoryoftours]

I only lost the barrel adjuster because I left it screwed into the shifter after the snapped cable was removed.

It must have unscrewed whilst using my bike!

It was still there after I removed the cable,before going to the shop for a replacement.

But it was probably wound nearly all the way out as it's unlikely to have completely unscrewed itself to fall off. It's better that the cable is tensioned as fully as possible for the front mech and just a turn or two of the barrel adjuster to tweak if needed.