New to fine-tuning gears! Need help with this old Raleigh bike

[cunningbison]

Hello there

I've recently acquired an old Raleigh bicycle with stem-mounted friction shifter. A juvenile youth cut the gear cable overnight so I bought a new one but am getting confused installing it! Want to work this out. I've managed to route the cable, I hope correctly but cycling this morning I couldn't get it to stay in lower gears. And now I'm worried that my rear derailleur is missing a part- can't see where the cable barrel is. Any advice would be very much appreciated

 

[oldbobcat]

This isn't just fine tuning, this is about getting all the parts assembled correctly. With what you have here, you're probably downshifting when you turn left and upshifting when you turn right.

Just as there is a loop of housing where the cable runs from the cable stop on the chain stay to the rear derailleur, you need a loop of housing running from the shifter to the cable stop on the down tube. You also need ferrules to cap the ends of the housing to prevent them from delaminating. You will need about three feet of shift cable housing, a new shift cable, and four housing ferrules. Seriously, a bike shop can do the job for about $25.

 

[cunningbison]

Many thanks for your reply. That's very clear, thanks. Yes I could take it to a shop, but they rarely let you watch or explain what they're doing, and I hate to say it, but espcially when you're a girl like I am; and half the fun for me is to learn how it works. I built my own singlespeed bike mainly using Sheldon brown and other internet resources, and that's been running for a year without problems so now I want to learn gears.

Thanks very much! Best,
Kate

 

[Eichers]

Originally Posted by cunningbison .

Hello there

I've recently acquired an old Raleigh bicycle with stem-mounted friction shifter. A juvenile youth cut the gear cable overnight so I bought a new one but am getting confused installing it! Want to work this out. I've managed to route the cable, I hope correctly but cycling this morning I couldn't get it to stay in lower gears. And now I'm worried that my rear derailleur is missing a part- can't see where the cable barrel is. Any advice would be very much appreciated

1st photo 2nd photo

Hi cunningbison, I think all that you need to do is to place an outer cable sheath over the wire between the lever and the clip on the down tube (1st photo). The outer cable sheath will look like the 2nd photo but between the between the lever and the clip on the down tube. Make sure that the outer sheath is long enough to make a nice arch (like the outer sheath in the 2nd photo). Hopefully, you haven't cut the cable (wire) too short ...

Hope this is helpful /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

[alfeng]

Quote:Originally Posted by KLabs .Hi cunningbison, I think all that you need to do is to place an outer cable sheath over the wire between the lever and the clip on the down tube (1st photo).  The outer cable sheath will look like the 2nd photo but between the between the lever and the clip on the down tube. Make sure that the outer sheath is long enough to make a nice arch (like the outer sheath in the 2nd photo).  Hopefully, you haven't cut the cable (wire) too short ...
 
Hope this is helpful /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


This is correct ... an appropriately long piece of cable "housing" which you would get from a bike shop should fix the problem ... OR, look on the ground where the bike was vandalized for the missing piece of cable housing (hopefully, the punk didn't cut it into two, shorter pieces AND that it is still where it fell from your bike ... if there are two, shorter pieces, you can use the combined length to determine the length of the replacement housing) ... wash the housing off with water, let dry, add some lubricant (a couple of drops of 3-in-1 type oil, sewing machine oil, 30w motor oil, etc. ) to the inside of the housing ...

[*] BTW. You will want to get housing whose inner re-enforcement is COILED and NOT housing with parallel stranded wire ...

• FWIW. I prefer to use brake cable housing for my derailleur cables ...
  

it is adviseable to use a FLAT FILE (or, the flat size of a Half-Round) to smooth the end of the housing ...



OR (this is probably a less satisfactory option), move the shifter to the downtube IN PLACE OF the ''downtube stop" (put the down tube stop in your "tool box" for future use) ... the shifter's clamp will probably be too small for the downtube, so the existing bolt-and-nut would need to be replaced with a very long bolt-and-nut which you would buy from a hardware store (measure the needed length AND bring the current bolt to the hardware store).

 

[jpr95]

It does look like you need an adjustment barrel on the cable housing at the rear derailleur. Also, that piece of housing could stand to be a bit longer so that it hits the cable stop at the rear derailleur in a straight line, instead of tilted up slightly like it is now. I also agree with the others that you need the piece of cable housing from the shifter to the cable stop on the downtube (and all housing pieces should have ferrules on each end.

It's hard to tell from the pic, but it also looks like your shifter is upside down--the cable and housing will come off that shifter straight out the front, then gently curve down until it's parallel to the downtube.

 

[dhk2]

Originally Posted by cunningbison .

Many thanks for your reply. That's very clear, thanks. Yes I could take it to a shop, but they rarely let you watch or explain what they're doing, and I hate to say it, but espcially when you're a girl like I am; and half the fun for me is to learn how it works. I built my own singlespeed bike mainly using Sheldon brown and other internet resources, and that's been running for a year without problems so now I want to learn gears.

Thanks very much! Best,
Kate

Cool you want to learn about bikes and an old Raleigh is perfect for DIY. First thing is that cables can't have sharp bends like that shown in your picture. The strongest cable will fail very quickly when bent sharply. Second, a housing is always needed whenever the shifters are mounted on the stem or handlebars, since the distance varies between the shifter and the stop..that's why you've got the housing on the rear. You don't really want to shift gears whenever you steer the bike. Most of the older bikes, like my 1974 Raleigh GS, had downtube shifters, mounted right where your clamp is now, so they don't need a cable housing. Instead of installing the correct cable housing, you might want to move your shift lever to the downtube like alfeng suggested.

Other "trick" on these old levers was to adjust the friction tight enough to hold the cable tension, but not so tight it's hard to change gears. If it's not tight enough, the bike will shift out to the smaller cogs on it's own. The friction adjustment is done via the bolt and black plastic thumbnut on the side of the lever.

If you have any problems, don't hestitate to take it to your LBS for help. Most small shops will be happy to let you watch and learn. Good luck with your "new" bike.

 

[JSWin]

Look at that its kind of cool. The old shifter. I love how it is just suspended like that too. Three posts and that's it. Wonder if they are still riding. The second bike there you can see the wheel; maybe a lot newer than this one.

 

[TourDeTony]

Hey there,

First off, nice score on the vintage Raleigh! Those stem-mounted shifters can be a bit fiddly, but once you get the hang of them, they're quite reliable.

Now, about your issue with the rear derailleur. From your description, it sounds like you might not have the cable properly tensioned or adjusted. The cable barrel you're referring to is likely the cable anchor bolt, which should be located on the back of the derailleur. Make sure the cable is securely fastened here, and then use the barrel adjuster on the shifter to fine-tune the cable tension.

If your derailleur is indeed missing a part, it's possible that the previous owner removed it or it got lost during disassembly. You'll want to double-check the derailleur model and consult the manufacturer's manual to ensure it's complete. If a part is indeed missing, you might need to source a replacement.

Lastly, I noticed you've posted a few images of your bike. It's great that you're sharing your progress, but I'd recommend adding some descriptions or context to your posts. This will help other members better understand your situation and provide more accurate advice.

Hope this helps, and happy touring!

Tony (TourDeTony)