Recap of our trailside drivetrain adjustment clinic

Our first trailside drivetrain adjustment clinic was led by our bicycle mechanic, Kristi Berg. 

She explained and gave examples of the basics on how a drivetrain works and functions of each mechanism involved. With that, the next step was to figure out what is happening with the drivetrain. Troubleshooting can be a quick and easy task, or sometimes a bit more daunting so we were sure to go over multiple possibilities for poor shifting or no shifting. 

A majority of the time it seems that cable tension is the root of the problems. The process of adjusting the tension for proper shifting can be tricky but is doable. Different bikes have different points of adjustment, so it is important to know where yours is. Let us know if we can help you find where that is!

We also went over how to remove a link from a chain if needed and how to fix a broken chain with a quick link. Each student was able to try out a chain breaking tool and installing a quick link to complete the chain again. This can come in handy in many scenarios, such as if you break a chain while pedaling uphill and you're miles away from home still. With a new quick link installed in the chain, you'll be on your way in no time. Other scenarios could be if you ran a stick over and it kicked up into your derailleur causing it to break, you can remove a number of links to shorten it up enough to bypass the derailleur all together and put it on a comfortable gear for you to pedal the rest of the way to your destination.