Rear derailleur

[richard21172]

Photo 2

[richard21172]

Photo 3

[richard21172]

Photo 4

[richard21172]

Photo 5

[Brucey]

the mech is leaning in a little but that clearance looks like it should be OK. If it closes to nothing when you pedal hard then something is worn or broken, or maybe the spokes are a bit slack or something...?

cheers

[richard21172]

Thanks for everyone's replies

[NetworkMan]

I've got this problem on my new Spa TI Audax frame. In the lowest rear gear, both small chainring and middle chainring (not tried largest) the RD cage rubs on the spokes in the region of the top (jockey) pulley. It's in the region of where the spokes cross. When the wheel is unloaded it hardly happens at all, probably just once per rotation but when my 60 kg. is sitting on it and freewheeling it is very much worse with perhaps most of the crossings touching. The spokes must surely be loose since they seem loose when I pluck them and there is a tinkling sound, especially when under drive, in any gear.

The RD is an old Deore LX from about 2002 possibly an M560 - is has a fancy bellows arrangement to keep out dirt from the cable.
The cassette is a Shimano 11-32 9 speed of the same age.
The wheel is the original Dawes Mavic MA3 36 PG spokes with 2002 8/9 speed Tiagra hub, the one with the chunky external seals.

All the above has had very little use though I can detect play in the RD, a few mm at the top pulley which is significantly more then the play which I believe Shimano deliberately engineer in so that the pulley can move in the cage. When the wheel is unloaded and stationary I can easily push the jockey pulley against the spokes.

Looking at he rear I think I can see that the rear dropout is not quite vertical but the derallieur itself seems to hang down vertically OK and the point of contact with spokes is so close to the pulley teeth I'd have thought that to cause the trouble any misalignment would need to be pretty big.

Any Ideas. I guess the first thing to do is to get the spokes tensioned. I'll get the dish checked too though the wheel seems central in the stays.

I realise that I don't have any other bikes to compare this with. My other 130 OLN wheel has a 7 speed cassette spaced away and everything else is 135 OLN with less dish. I therefore don't know how much clearance is normal.

Thanks in advance. Hope I don't have to return the frame , trouble is wasn't like this on the old Dawes Audax frame which is now just a frame and fork.

Edit:
To get the jockey well clear of the sprocket I had to tighten the B-tension screw the tightest I've ever done one. Can't really see if this is a clue though.

Edit 18/9/18
Much egg on face. Firstly correctly identify and adjust the lower limit screw. Now no derailleur rub!

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Looking at the photos now today.
It appears that its over adjusted a bit in one shot.

With adjusting the screw it might be that the cable is over tight on the screw.
Recheck gear selection..........slacken off cable and adjust to give good lower gears selection.

Ideally the stop screw shouldn't barely touch as you get bottom gear, but as the derailleur gets a bit worn a bit of over selection is needed.

[NetworkMan]

Hi,
Looking at the photos now today.
It appears that its over adjusted a bit in one shot.

With adjusting the screw it might be that the cable is over tight on the screw.
Recheck gear selection..........slacken off cable and adjust to give good lower gears selection.

Ideally the stop screw shouldn't barely touch as you get bottom gear, but as the derailleur gets a bit worn a bit of over selection is needed.

One reason that I got it so wrong is that in the past the lower limit screw has just not been so important. That's because all other wheels are 135 OLN with more dish and clearance or a single 130 OLN but with a 7 speed cassette and a spacer, again giving more clearance.
It always seemed to me that the detent on the index shift determined the position of the RD in the lowest gear not the limit screw which was only there as a safety device. This is completely different from the upper limit screw where the cable is slack and has no effect. Anyway as I've now discovered it's not quite so simple

[Brucey]

Hi,
Looking at the photos now today.
It appears that its over adjusted a bit in one shot.

With adjusting the screw it might be that the cable is over tight on the screw.
Recheck gear selection..........slacken off cable and adjust to give good lower gears selection.

Ideally the stop screw shouldn't barely touch as you get bottom gear, but as the derailleur gets a bit worn a bit of over selection is needed.

One reason that I got it so wrong is that in the past the lower limit screw has just not been so important. That's because all other wheels are 135 OLN with more dish and clearance or a single 130 OLN but with a 7 speed cassette and a spacer, again giving more clearance.
It always seemed to me that the detent on the index shift determined the position of the RD in the lowest gear not the limit screw which was only there as a safety device. This is completely different from the upper limit screw where the cable is slack and has no effect. Anyway as I've now discovered it's not quite so simple

a lot of people have assumed the same thing and have only discovered the error of their ways when the RD has tangled with the spokes....

cheers