One of the biggest problems with almost every bike rider is the unadjusted derailleurs. Derailleur is a part of bike that is present at the back and front of the drive chain where it derails that chain into the suitable place.

It’s incredibly important for a cyclist to adjust the bike’s derailleur in the right way. If a derailleur on your bicycle is not adjusted properly, then you’ll hardly be able to get smooth cycling experience and enjoy your ride.

It’s fair to say that adjusting a derailleur on a bike is no easy task. This type of work requires certain knowledge, skills and experience. All of this means that you are likely to find it difficult to adjust your derailleur by yourself if you haven’t done this before. This is something a beginner or an uneducated person cannot tackle. They definitely need to get some assistance or take it to an expert.

On the other hand, as the saying goes “nothing is impossible”. In fact, the same can be said about adjusting derailleur on your bike. If you learn how to adjust a derailleur on your bike properly, then you are likely to find it easy to do this type of work again and again in the future.

It’s also important to note that adjusting a derailleur on a bike is a time-consuming process. That mens that it will definitely take you some time to adjust your derailleur properly. Keep in mind that the durability of the process depends a lot on your experience. Do you have huge experience in adjusting derailleurs? If so, the adjustment process will probably not take you too much time. Most likely that you’ll be able to do all the necessary derailleur adjustments on your bike fast and easy. On the other hand, you must be prepared that it will take you more time to adjust your derailleur properly particularly if you do this type of work for the first time.

However, if you are stuck in this problem and want to get it done by yourself, then here is a brief guide for you.

• It all begins with the preparation. So, the big question is – what needs to be done to get ready for adjusting bike’s derailleur? Let’s try to get the answer right away! If you take a closer look at the back and front of the drive on your bicycle you’ll be able to see that the derailleurs are attached to the bike with cables. Before to get started, you’ll need to prepare a screw driver. First of all, you have to unscrew the cables in order to detach the derailleurs. Bring the bike’s shifters to the dead spot and then pull the cable in order to carefully screw to the original place.
• Now turn the pedals so as to enable chain to come at rest and gear from the outer part of the wheel.
• You will find two screws on each derailleur: one for adjusting the last gear H and second to adjust L (the first gear). You have to adjust those screws by rotating your equipment in clockwise direction to tighten the derailleur and counter-clockwise to loosen it.

• Be careful while screwing the rear derailleur as chances are there that you end up with chain coming in between the frame and the wheel. Bear in mind that if chains comes in between the frame and the wheel, it will take you more time to make adjustments. And of course, you must be very careful and do everything possible to prevent these kinds of things from happening.
• So now, your derailleurs have been properly adjusted at their required position gears. Attach the cable without having any slack in it.
• Once assembled, turn the pedals and go to the first gear for rear derailleurs. The bike must go into the second available gear for sure.
• After success, come to screwing the adjustment screws of cable housing. Turn the pedals and unscrew it. Uninstall it and pedal until chain goes to the next gear available.
• Next, shift until the bike notifies you that cable has been pulled to the first gear.

It might sound a bit difficult but let me tell you that it is just a matter of couple of sessions. As it was mentioned earlier, you’ll be able to get familiar with the process of adjusting derailleur on a bike over time. That means that you’ll definitely find it easier to adjust your derailleur properly if such a need arises once again in the future. Practice, practice and again practice! There is no doubt that the success will happen to you over time! And of course, you’ll be able to a better job in the future.

After some practice, you will grab the technique and work just like a pro. Now matter what type of a bike you have and how many speeds it comes with. All that you need to do is to follow our tips for adjusting derailleur on a bike. The reality is our tips work pretty well for any type of a bike. You can apply these steps on almost every bike until it meets your expertise. However, if you have bikes that have three or five speeds having regular friction shifters, then this is the point you have to think a lot. You have to use your knowledge and guess the place where gear is going.