A Look at Barrel Adjusters | Tech Tuesday

[@Bert_and_Sons]

I would like to thank Park Tool and especially Calvin for his videos. Whenever I need advice or just to refresh my memory, I look for the answer at Calvin. Calvin, live long and prosper and May the Force be with You 🙂

[@jenmanacsa3174]

I love how you upload videos that were also featured before. With even better vids too. It’s like a refresher course even for pros. 🙂❤️ Thanks!

[@richardrawlings6234]

There is a term when the cable won't realese and let you drop on to a lower gear what is the real trerm for this say cablein 4th and wont release and let you drop in5th Due to cable tention call it your gear is on the wire

[@urouroniwa]

It took me ages to figure this out. The key is that the housing is braced against the bike frame on a real bike. By lengthening the housing system, you increase the distance that the cable must travel in order to get to the other end. Because the cable length doesn't change, the cable gets tighter. Even though it's good to see that the housing moves in the example, in reality the housing must not move or else the path length doesn't change. The housing just slides up and down the cable. :-)

[@bikingchupei2447]

funny thing is i still didn't get it after watching the video, but understood it upon reading your comment.

[@sweetalert480]

@@bikingchupei2447me too

[@rogerstrang3575]

@urouroniwa , what does "lengthening the housing system mean?

[@urouroniwa]

@@rogerstrang3575 barre adjusters are basically just screws. When you screw it out it pushes both ends apart. With an inline barrel adjuster it pushes one cable housing away from the other. For a barrel adjuster on the frame it pushes the housing away from the frame. That means that the path the cable has to travel to get to the other end of the housing increases. Because the cable is fixed at both ends, this stretches the cable. It's like having a rubber band, holding on to both ends and the pulling the middle. The rubber band stretches. Obviously, screwing the barrel adjuster in, allows the housing on either end of the adjuster to get closer together. This shortens the path the cable has to travel and so it reduces the stretch. If you are having trouble imagining it, don't worry. There will probably be a time when it just clicks in your head and you'll wonder how you didn't realise it sooner. However, I think the mechanism is actually genious and it's pretty hard to wrap your head around at first.

[@dviant13]

​@@bikingchupei2447 Me too! I completely did not understand how a hollow screw is going to affect anything, so I came to this video for clarification. I was still clueless after watching the video. This comment cleared it all up!

[@janey1098]

Finally, a video that clearly shows and explains exactly what I needed to know. Thank you Calvin and Park Tool production team. Excellent work as usual.

[@johngonon1507]

OMG ... now that's how it works ... so glad you made this video. I was always fiddling (as you point out at the end of the video) but now I'll be able to actually understand what I'm doing.

[@SerPurple51]

Barrel adjusters were the one thing I had difficulty understanding until I took matters into my own hand and started experimenting to see what difference it really made. The most noticeable difference was when adjusting my mechanical disc brakes and seeing how the different barrel adjuster position changed the pull of the brake lever. Now I fully understand.

[@antoniiocaluso1071]

why is this channel so effective, so concise, so well-presented...without a "song-n-dance". excellent work! gracie! always a Like.

[@nardixbici]

I don't have this kind of barrel adjuster (I have a road bike). However, I watched all the video because it is really well made, clear, accessible. Kudos to Calvin and Park Tools for a great video, among many others!

[@Gledii]

Maaaan, you are the Meister. your videos are the ONLY ones that truly explain how the things works. it makes so much easier to repair knowing exactly how all these things actually works. thanks a lot

[@aran5050]

The best mechanic, easy to understand even though English is not my first language.

[@sgit1]

The best explainer on the internet!

[@no_Ray_bang]

finishing line is some deep wisdom. Thanks Calvin!

[@andymci5981]

There are hundreds of KZbin videos on this topic, and this is by far the best. Well done Calvin.!

[@gregknipe8772]

I really like this series explaining the simple, in order to remind us that we are each bike mechanics. Thank you. Keeping it simple.

[@ansonthurston5062]

Fun fact. The barrel adjuster is part of the Bowden Mechanism invented by Ernest Monnington Bowden. And while it’s used in many applications today, it was originally designed for bicycle brakes!

[@figlermaert]

This is a great video. I get all turned in my head about what creates slack and whether that slack moves the derailleur towards the lower or higher gear. Even after watching your rear derailleur indexing video I forget off hand. Now I easily can remember clockwise, goes to smaller gear, counter goes to larger. 😀 **edit. Opposite of what I said 😂

[@JS96919]

you mean right goes to smaller and left goes to larger?

[@scottsutoob]

I could alway understand barrel adjusters at the brake, lever or derailleur. The ones that are hard to figure out which way to turn are the inline barrel adjusters. I usually have to turn them a bit as see what happens and then I forget again.

[@inabit1956]

Best explanation ever. Figured it out on my own but it took a long time. Thanks Calvin!

[@liammcgough9969]

Thanks for the video, that really did help. I want to keep my Suntour rear derailleur that is non indexing, but, just realized thanks to your video that a inline barrel adjuster can be added to help use indexing shifters.

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

thank you! this video was super direct and I knew what he was talking about. I became poor and now I am on my own. thank you park tool

[@XRePete]

What a gun. He knows everything, wish I could live next door to him so can be like 'Hey, here's my bike, please fix it' instead of trying to understand this stuff with my two brain cells

[@nicknz100]

Such a simple and well explained video. Thanks.

[@bernhardpiosczyk6500]

Auf dieses Video habe ich gewartet. Jetzt verstehe ich das Prinzip. Danke 👍

[@EfficientMan]

Has ever happened to you to understand very complicated things and not understand simple ones..? I repair not only my bicycle but the motorcycle too, I do all the repairs, yet I had to look at this video to understand the barrel adjustment, I couldn't understand it before as I was thinking that the housing just slides over the cable, how could this help with tension? But thanks to your animation I see it now, it's the effective housing length, now I cannot unsee it!

[@freds4703]

Excellent video for newbies.😊

[@DY696]

For me, the way I understood it is that the exposed inner steel cable that is visible on the frame is the slack. When you unscrew the barrel adjuster, the outer plastic cable (cable housing) lengthens and takes up the slack where the exposed inner steel cable is. The cable length never changes, just that slack is given or taken away. On my bike and probably many others, that exposed inner steel cable is located at the bottom of the frame behind the crank arms. There is cable housing at either end of the system and a break somewhere in the middle. This way you can adjust the slack at the handlebars or the derailleur. If there was no break in the cable housing, this barrel adjusting system would not work. The relationship between the inner cable and outer cable length is what makes it feel like you are tightening the inner cable.

[@emersonsarsagat8270]

I only not learnt how to adjust my bike, I also found a father figure.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

How awesome is this. Great stuff! I am less bike-ignorant now 🙂

[@Cyrenetes]

I think the person who made the animations for this video doesn't actually know how barrel adjusters work. The animations show the barrel adjuster shortening the cable which is exactly what Calvin spent 5 minutes explaining that it doesn't.

[@parktool]

The animation is a simplified showing of the housing adding or removing slack from the cable. The length of the cable doesn't change, but the slack was exaggerated to get the concept across of how the housing's movement affects the cable. Apologies for the confusion.

[@Pushyhog]

thanks mister J

[@EfficientMan]

For anyone who still doesn't grasp this (it took me sometime...), think augmented... what would happen if you pull the housing away a lot, like one meter (the cable still stays attached). You would create a curve of uncovered cable, that curve is like extra distance, or extra invisible housing if you prefer.

[@notanomad9320]

I find a lot of volunteer mechanics make the mistake of incorrect cable tension whereas the 1st click does nothing but the second and following clicks line up with the cogs until you get to the largest cog. Different brands seem to have different requirements on how much slack is needed to make that 1st shift from the small cog. Thats where barrel adjusters come in handy.

[@parktool]

Kind of like: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmiTaHWMmd-df6csi=yaw5c6p9qE4dZA_C

[@PereAndreuUbachdeFuentes]

Please make a video showing how the different types of barrel adjusters work.

[@Mersuharrastaja]

Nice stem you have!

[@Arbigale]

GOODNESS MY OWN MYSTERIOUS ANXIETY ON HOW THESE THINGS WORK SOLVEDDDDD😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@rhsatrhs]

If you've just changed the cables, they're going to stretch; so start with the barrel adjuster (almost) all of the way in before indexing. Once those cables have been pulled a few times, you're going to be unscrewing it to lengthen the housing. If reindexing without having changed the cables, start with the barrel adjuster halfway out so you have more room to turn it in either direction.

[@BLITZKRIEG1]

lol cables don't stretch mate. it's the bushings 😂😂😂

[@faruktrako4201]

Cables strech. Nothing hapens to housing. You can buy jagwire cables that are streched, and you never need to adjust because of strech

[@chris4536]

Cables don't stretch, it's the overall length of the housing getting shorter as the ferrules on the ends of the housing get pulled in tighter.

[@rhsatrhs]

Both things can happen. Ferrules tighten up, and the cable stretches. Ultimately it doesn't matter, though. My advice is the same whether you think it's all the housing and ferrules, or the cable.

[@awesomexistence]

@@chris4536, housing and ferrules seat in pretty quick. Once that happens cables will stretch throughout their life span and this is why you’ll need to periodically adjust the cable housing tension to apply more force on the stretched cable.

[@a8f235]

I always adjusted my gears while riding, because you get to test the adjustments with tension on the drivetrain immediatly. The other thing I've learned is to stop listening to all the people who still claim that indexing isn't all that important, because any time I tried to not follow what should work, I got issues. 10-speed with 9-speed yeah it's fine... Except there are absolutely no guarantees that will work. If I had a box of this and that then sure I'd try to experiment, it's just a big difference when many people still claim that indexing is almost not of importance. If you get issues with a ghetto setup, how are you going to troubleshoot it... Any adjustements will just push the problem(s) further to either side, and it's just a pain to deal with. My recommendation is to stick to what the manufacturer says will work, because that is a baseline you actually can troubleshoot which will save you a whole lot of frustration. Adjusting gears is actually pretty simple. You first just need a setup that will work when adjusted properly.

[@vincent.416]

Oh Harold, you sneaky guy! 🔫🔫🔫

[@trekkeruss]

I prefer to use barrel adjusters as minimally as possible. Quite often ones that are used too far out of the body get bent or otherwise damaged, rendering them useless and causing shift or brake cable problems.

[@Buckets41369]

The reaer derailleur barrel adjuster on my Shimano 105s seems to "loosen" itself by rotating clockwise and I'm having to adjust it every 50 km (30 mi) about one or two full turns anti-clockwise to use my largest sprocket. I've taken it to a local bike shop and it felt great for a few hundred kilometres but now the problem is back again. Would replacing the barrel adjuster housing help?

[@mattgies]

Is it actually turning though? What you describe is also a symptom of a cable that's frayed and snapping its individual wires one by one. Inspect the full length of the cable, especially inside the shifter.

[@johngorman7729]

I think you’re brilliant.

[@DJKennyebikeguy]

Any suggestions for locating a supplier for 8ft long shifter cables for cargo bikes?

[@parktool]

Typically "tandem length" cables are over 8 feet in length. They should be available from most bike shops or online bike part retailers.

[@fabiopunk1661]

despite the experience, I always get confused with the second adjuster type, so I use the principle: turn it one way and see, if it gets worse, turn it the other way!

[@anpade]

Soooooo helpful!!!! Thank you!!! :-)

[@bartomiejkleszcz3930]

Thanks👍

[@CRM537]

hi i just changed my shifter cable... and i have no tension on either end.. shifter/barrel and the gears work perfect. Did i do anything wrong.. the H L have been set by me.

[@jimbrittain402]

My students always find this complicated. I try teaching about the "lengthening" of the housing, but what they usually remember is, "Just turn it the opposite way of the way you think it ought to go - loosen to tighten, and tighten to loosen". And I suppose it's too late now, with the ubiquity of one-by systems, but I wish some genius had figured out a way to get one on a front derailleur, so we didn't have to use in-line adjusters...

[@whothefoxcares]

It would be great if government had built-in barrel adjusters, to take up slack like any good bicycle.

[@harterbob]

Neither my shifter nor my rear derailleur have barrel adjusters. Strange, but true, so I guess the only way I can adjust cable tension is by disconnecting the cable at the derailleur and loosening or tightening it before reconnecting it.

[@KatinaChoovanski]

This is what inline barrel adjusters are for.

[@zzhunt3254]

Când You do a video how to measure bearing angle headset?

[@RenAigu]

Slightly related: I've had my front derailleur cable snap inside the shifter housing the other day. I struggled to get the cable stop and the about a cm of frayed cable out when replacing the cable. The fraying had lodged itself a bit in the mechanism, so pushing it out with another piece of cable, or a small hex key didn't really work. Did I miss a trick here, or is it just a case of trial and error with tweezers and pushing from the other end? This model of shimano combined shifter brake lever had only a hole in line with the cable head, that seemed to be meant to used for this kind of maintenance, with a rubber stop to seal it (no obvious or fast way to disassemble the shifter to get more access).

[@mattgies]

Yeah, when the cable head breaks off inside a Shimano road lever, it can be quite tricky to get it out. A mechanic's pick tool can help. If you notice your shifting getting weird on an integrated shift/brake lever, it's best to inspect the cable head ASAP so you can extract it before it gets too mashed up in there.

[@mattgies]

Actually I'd amend that to say "...shifting getting weird on ANY shifter" because even flat bar levers can pose a bit of a challenge with a stuck cable head. But the road shifters are usually the most difficult.

[@RenAigu]

@@mattgies yeah this is a flat bar lever. And yeah to be honest shifting was getting weird after the first period with some freezing temperatures this winter season. But when it got weird enough to actually think "i need to take a look" it was just 2 hours from snapping, and not a real comfortable opportunity to inspect before.

[@mattgies]

@@RenAiguWhoops, I missed the bit about the rubber plug, which I think only occurs on a flat bar lever. Fortunately, the flat bar shifters can usually be partially disassembled to a greater extent than the drop bar levers, which makes the broken-off cable head less of a struggle. Go to s i dot shimano dot com (if I post a link YT will delete my comment), enter the model number of your shifter (usually found on the underside), and click the "EV" for "exploded view". That'll show you how it comes apart.

[@trendhoundz6399]

anyone can explain this barrel thing easier ? or any other way...how does turning it for my bike help . 1.cable - is adjusted by bith the High 'low screws at the frint and rear . by truning this barrels what really hapens ?? im confused now ...

[@parktool]

The barrels effect the cable. Perhaps test it and observe what happen. Turn it one way, then try the other.

[@_Zane__]

Hey park tool, any experience with shimano cues 1x10 11-48T cassette and derailleur? I just built myself a winter commute bike and I feel like it downshifts from 10 to 1 well but seems to hang on the upshifts near the high gears 8 to 10...

[@keithschrack]

Lube well and reduce or eliminate as much friction and binding as you can. The cable TUGS when shifting from high to low, but only ALLOWS changes in the other direction. The derailleur spring is wound tightest in 1st gear and becomes progressively weaker with each upshift--a cable the 'drags' can impact responsiveness in those last few positions.

[@_Zane__]

@@keithschrack yeah I'm thinking it might be the partial housing on the rear chain stay doesn't really give it a nice smooth transition to the cues rear derailleur... wonder if I should just eliminate that partial housing and go full housing from top tube and zip tie the housing to the side so it has a nicer loop (The cues rear derailleur barrel end is kind of is angled outwards for some reason..)

[@mattgies]

Make sure the chain is the correct length; verify the B-tension is set correctly; and check the hanger alignment. Not necessarily in that order.

[@tomvonderharr865]

Did you put on a 10 speed chain? Because CUES uses 11-speed chains regardless of the actual number of gears on the bike. Just a sanity double check.

[@_Zane__]

@@tomvonderharr865 yeah it's a 11 speed speed chain, I think i figured it out... was a bit too aggressive with limit and changed my housing lay out a bit going into the rear derailleur.. shimano cues kind of sits angled outwards a bit where rear derailleur housing enters... shifts pretty good now.. hah

[@MangoJim90]

0:24 some bike doesn't have any😅😂(neither on shifter, nor on derailleur) it's a "great" combo 🤣🤗

[@mattgies]

Better install an inline barrel adjuster. You can install those anywhere in the cable housing.

[@sebastiansochanski]

👌

[@ethany2831]

1:55 i am confused here. What is in the lever body? We have shorten the outside cable but the inside cable becomes longer and loose now. So the overall travelling distance/tesnsion shouldn’t change?

[@parktool]

The piece the barrel screws into is the lever body. The overall traveling distance between each click does not change as you state. However, you have change where the clicks start in the shift.

[@Pienimusta]

Mind blown by the fact that the it's not the cable that changes length, but the housing.

[@marcus2wheels]

I still dont know how this works...some black magic

[@marcus2wheels]

why does shortening the housing gives slack to the cable? Isnt the cable pulled tight from both derailleur and lever?

[@CyclingLifePT]

Saying both barrel adjusters are the same is kind of misinformative. They do the same job, but should be used in separate cases: The one near the derraileur is to be adjusted in the workshop, the one on the handlbars is to adjust tension on the go. If you are like me and enjoy winter rides, you must know that steel changes lenght with temperature so much so, you may need to adjust your shifting mid ride.

[@mattgies]

I'm sure Calvin knows but probably forgot to mention: Barrel adjusters can also be found on the downtube (typically just on road bikes) and inline (i.e., anywhere in the middle of a run of cable housing).

[@josediaspinto7438]

None of that makes sense anymore with e-bikes and wireless shifting

[@RamonMsanchez]

no entendi ni madre

[@petuuuuuuuuuu]

OK

[@carlosmariopereajaramillo6334]

En español por favor. 🚴 🚴 🚴.

[@carlosmariopereajaramillo6334]

Por favor en español. 🚴🚴🚴

[@seanmccuen6970]

oh my! if barrel adjusters need to be actually explained to you, you have bigger problems.