How To: Adjust Shimano Rear Derailleurs 

I know this is way after the fact but it still remains completely relevant in this day & age! Thanks bud!

Derailleur adjustments always seemed to be a mystery to me. I followed this video step by step and I had my rear 10 speed Ultegra derailleur adjusted within 10 minutes. Excellent video.

Probably the most practical, clear and concise how to video I have ever watched. Very well done. Thanks so much !

One of the best bike how-to vids out there. This would have taken 45 unbearable minutes if was done by most of the RU-vidrs you see.

I've gone back to this video more than once to adjust my derailleur. This video is excellent, professionally produced, easy to understand.

There are lots of videos showing this sort of adjustment, but the one is by far the best...best filmed (clear), best explained and most easily understood. Nice job!

*Great bike for the price, **Latest.Bike** shifts well. Needed to fine tune gears and brakes.The big tires seem to mow over anything.*

Simple and to the point. The best example of this task on RU-vid. Thanks guys.

Till now I've felt EMASCULATED not knowing how to adjust my derailleur. You've given me BALLS.

This is probably the most thorough video I've seen so far (out of about 12) and it really helped me understand each component of the derailleur system, what will happen when I adjust them, and what I'm shooting for. That smooth shift is going to feel great, I can tell.

Nice video, done professionally, focused right, lit right, clean room without disturbing and unnecessary stuff laying around to draw attention away from the subject at hand. Nicely shown and explained. Great job! Thank you!

Have to say I'm impressed by the way this video has been shot. So many videos have blurry close-ups of sprockets against a murky background, and mechanics blocking the component they're working on by standing in front of it! In this tutorial, everything's clearly lit and shot (presumably in a small studio) - well done, must have cost a bit, but it's appreciated.

I have a Kestrel 200Sc from '89 with original dura ace components. First off, I am amazed that not much has changed with these derailleurs! Your tutorial has made my bike into a brand new riding experience! Thanks for the video!

From one dude to another dude without sounding weird, I freakin' love you man! I'm on a crazy budget and love to fix my own stuff if I can. Thanks for taking the time to make the video! Greatly appreciated :)

The rear derailleur can be tuned while in the 1, 2, or 3 ring in the front. The middle ring is probably the best; however it should be noted that after the rear derailleur is tuned, it should be tested in all the chain rings in the front, going through all the gears in the rear to make sure everything is working properly.

My rear mech has never been so perfectly aligned. Thank you so much for this video.

been struggling with the retailers on my new bike for a few days, all sorted now thanks to you! happy days!

probably the most detailed and easiest video tutorial for rear derailleur tuning....thanks ART'S CYCLERY.

Top notch instructional video! Terrific production values, clear and concise advice and - the proof - not only did the adjustments work "first time" but it helped me figure out how to fix my rear mech barrel adjuster. I can't recommend this highly enough.

I used to work as a bike mechanic. Our trick was to have no cable tension and adjust the high and low limits by grabbing the rear mech and moving it by hand to make sure the low and high limit were properly set. Then adjust cable tension. Then adjust b-limit. Here's how to do it. With bike on stand (you need this if your are going to be serious about working on your machine-you can fashion your own out of 2x4's or buy one) Pedal and shift to the lowest gear (largest rear cog). Stop pedaling (also stop rear wheel from spinning for safety), then actuate your shifter all the way to highest gear (smallest cassette cog). This will release the cable tension allowing you to remove the rear cable housing on one of the stops on the frame (does not matter which stop). Then-while pedaling-manually move mechanism by hand adjusting limit screws so chain is right below smallest cog when you let go of mechanism and right below largest cog when you push it up. When you push it up and it stops in the right spot, give it a little extra push-just a little- to ensure it does not move the chain so far in that it pops of the cassette into the spokes. Repeat this releasing and pushing up a few time to make sure it is consistent. Then put the housing back in its stop turn barrel adjusters at rear mech and shifter all the way in then back em out 1/2 turn. Loosen anchor bolt and pull cable to get all the slack out (don't pull so hard that you actually move the rear mech), then tighten it down again (not so much to overly crush/damage the cable). Now you can fine tune the shifting using the barrel adjuster on the rear mech (while bike is on stand) or at the shifter (while riding). Adjust b-limit as indicated in video. This is a quick, reliable and scientific way the adjust your shifting as it isolates each variable which affects shifting performance.

Thank you for explaining this in a clear, easy to follow manner. My bike started skipping whenever I was going uphill, and I had no idea what to do. Now it shifts better, and stays in gear. Thank you, so much.

Many hugs, you have no idea how much your vids have helped me, there is no bike shop within 100 miles of where I live, have to do it all myself or walk.

Best vid I've seen on this topic compared to many others on YT. Don't waste your time, this is the only one you need. Thanks Art!

Thanks! Clearly filmed and explained. This will help immensely with the 7 bikes in our household which have Shimano derailleurs.

this is excellent. I'm a pretty good mechanic but have never completely understood all the screws and adjustments and have used trial and error to make adjustments. This completely demystifies the rear derailleur. Very clear and concise. Thanks

Thank you very much! The up close shots of the alignment process really helps in understanding what's going on and makes it so much easier to applying it to your own bike.

I hadn't messed with Derailleur in decades, but have been extremely successful finding tips & insights on RU-vid, so finding this video was perfect timing. Followed steps, especially helpful was the hard stop settings for high/Low gear, after that, worked like a breeze. Thank you,

First time I was installing my XT RD. Glad I watched this video and didn't took me long to learn how to adjust my RD properly. Thanks for making this tutorial video :)

Thank you very much my man! Very concise, clear and helpful, sorted my derailleur in 10mins after wasting an hour fiddling with it yesterday haha.

Thankyou Art. Setting these gears is close to finding the meaning of life.

Thanks for this, I knew what all the adjustments did but was never sure of a specific order in which to approach the adjustments, this really helped. Cheers, Giles

I have looked at several tutorials and this is the best by a country mile! excellent work!!

Thanks for the vids, I finally figured out how to adjust the front and rear derailleurs! I've been tinkering with them on my own, but often the results are so slight that they're not noticeable. It's easy to miss that you've made some rather large changes after a series of "small" adjustments. Thanks a ton!

Thanks for this video. I've now been able to setup my rear derailleur so I can use all my gears for the first time in some years.

Thanks for the concise and clear video! I'm getting back to riding after a 13 year knee problem hiatus, and I'd simply forgotten how to do all of the basic bike adjustments.

I refer to this video often and have been able to help my friends index their gears. This instruction is a gift that keeps on giving. Rock on guys!

This is awesome, I just got two new bikes that have this style setup on the rear. You explained this in an absolutely clear and simple way. THANK YOU!

Outstanding video. I carefully followed your instructions step-by-step to adjust my Shimano Deore derailleur for my Fuji Touring bike. I've learned so much from your video. Thank you!

Awesome video. I watched a bunch of different videos to learn how to adjust the gears for my beloved cycle but this was by far the very best of all of them!!!

Much appreciated. This video helped me figure out rear derailleurs for the first time, mostly because it was the first time in decades of riding I needed to adjust mine. In the past I've always bought bikes in bike shops, but this time I had one delivered and assembled myself, and my 21 speed was only doing 15 speed. Now it's doing 21 speed and shifting smooth as butter.

Knew how to do this and wanted a quick review. This has to be the best video on the topic. THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much! My bike fell over yesterday and started making that clicking noise when I went out to ride. I now know it's probably the barrel index. I'm thrilled to learn how to adjust my own bike!!

Well filmed, well presented, straight to the point, and very informative. Many thanks.

Great guide! You guys saved me £50. It took me 10mins to adjust rear gears, first try. Thanjs!

Excellent video. This explains everything perfectly, and uses great camera angles and lighting.

Real informative & easy to follow. Cheers, you saved me hours of tweeking away on my own in the bike shed.

3rd video I have seen for this concept and this is by far the best demonstration video regarding Rear Derailleur adjustment, thank you.

This is a great video, very simple explanation, great camera and a very neutral narrative voice. Can't wait to make my adjustments later tonight. Thanks!

Thank you, clear instructions helped me a lot and saved me the money of getting someone else to fix my bike.

i watched ur ask a mechanic video "Ask a Mechanic: tuning a rear derailleur" started over. now i'm fixed up. thnks.

Thanks very much for this, unlike other people posting comments I understood exactly what you were saying, and was finally about to fix the issues I was having with my rear derailleur. My biggest problem was getting the tension right so that each upper and lower limit screw was in the right adjustment 'zone', once I got that sorted it kind of just came good without me needing to do anything more!

thanks guys, always a good refresher when i haven't fine tuned everything for a while

I recently had a $400 job done on my bike that included adjustment of derailleur. It was shifting perfectly until just a couple days later, after I'd dropped the bike on its right. It was a no-speed fall over landing on grass, but it was close to freezing, so the ground was hard. Now, I have clicking and in low cog, it shifts off into the spokes. Under normal conditions, I would simply not shift into low, but I'm training for a triathlon with a passenger, whom I tow in a trailer and I REALLY need that low gear to climb, so it's become an issue. Thanks so much for this very informative and useful video. I have successfully adjusted the derailleur for smooth operation. Just back from a 25 mile ride towing a 50 pound trailer and 100 pounds of stone, and the bike was flawless.

Daniel, Thank you for your clear & concise instructions. Since up-shifting while climbing a hill under power my rear derailleur became sluggish & noisy when I tried to shift to a smaller cog. I thought the chain which is new might have been damaged but upon inspection it looked ok. After watching your video I simply adjusted the cable tension fine tune knob & all is back to normal. Nice video.

Very informative and clear instruction. Best video explaining how to set up a rear derailleur, thank you.

This video is so clear and concise it helped me understand the shifting system as I never have before. Thank you!

Amigo, your instruction is incredibly well-paced and, well, instructive. My chain was jumping over the big cog into the sprockets and I fixed it like a boss. U r el duderino...

I got in a jam with my sons bike (I dumped it and he was getting cranky) and I found this video. I was able to make a lot of progress smoothing out the shifting and getting it to stop shifting into the spokes. Thank you!

Its all so clear to me now. Thanks for the video and cheers from Finland!

I'm seeing this video 7 years late, the amount of trouble I have had with gears on my bike while growing up.

this tutorial was really helpful i have wasted so much time before with adjusting the derailleurs and it takes so much time for a rookie like me to get the mechanism but this video has finally saved me a lot of time thanks

This is the best tutorial on youtube, I got so frustrated with my bike and 5his helped so much. Got yourself a subcriber

Awesome! Thank you for taking the time, sorted my bike and saved a few £££, Cheers

Much better presentation and no accent. Thank you very much.

Thanks very much. Well presented and well taught. I appreciate that you used a clean chain, cassette and derailleur, a clean bike and clean tools. That and the good photography made everything easy to see. I adjusted my bike in minutes, thanks very much.

Recently ordered a bike from the interwebs for the first time. After my first trail ride with I discovered it was not setup at all. It was ghost shifting like crazy climbing small hills. Im a novice and getting back into mountain biking after about 10 years so I used this video to help set up my rear derailleur and its counterpart to adjust the front. Watch a little, pause it, make the adjustment. Watch a little more, pause it, make the adjustment. I took it on my second trail ride today on a much harder trail and the shifting was perfect. I prefer to learn how to do things myself rather than just paying someone to handle it for me so I will be subscribing to this channel as of now! Great how to's explained at a very basic level.

Well done! Straightforward without all the unnecessary jabber, Thank you!

Best tutorial for the rear derailleur on here. Thanks.

Watched with much interest, as I just installed a similar 6800 GS on my vintage Klein (mountain bike). And I have to agree with others, that this is probably the most practical clip on dealing with a bike part, that I have ever witnessed. My first thought was, "Man, where is this mechanic located??!!"

Watched the rest but this is by far the best! I adjusted my SRAM using this instructional....Excellent.

hey! im Planning to buy a new shimano derailleur and i watch your video. and it perfect, very CLEAR tutorial adjusting our rear derailleur! Thanks Art's Cyclery!

THANK YOU!! Best video tutorial I've seen! Helped me to adjust my rear Shimano Acera!

The most systematic explanation provided, simple and clear!

One more happy viewer. Back in action on all eight rear gears. Thanks!

By far the best vid I’ve seen on this topic. Well done and thank you!

My derailleur was way off in every aspect with skipping, grinding, etc. I couldn't find anything clear on the shimano ultegra except your video. It was spot on just following your procedural order. 15 minutes and my bike is smoother than a trip to the local bike shop and free. Thank you so much for posting this video!

Sure no problem! Glad to hear we got things working for you. My advice for the F. Derailleur is to screw the barrel adjuster all the way back in (you likely crossed the threads when screwing it back in, so back it out and try again). Then loosen the cable anchor bolt on the F. Derailleur that holds the cable, pull fairly tight on the cable, and re tighten the bolt. That will let you use the barrel adjuster. Check the description for a link on how to adjust Shimano Front Derailleurs.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this adjustment. This has been a big help for me in tuning my derailleur. I appreciate it.

Thank you so much Daniel! So clear so easy! Save me a trip to the bike shop. Now mine and my wife’s Bicycles are cruising!

Dude, I can't believe it was so easy! You just saved me $$. Keep up the good work!

Thanks alot, fixed my derailer in minutes. Exceptional.

repalcing my first rear derailleur this week. this video will be a big help.

Thank you for a clear and understandable video. I have done this earlier but when it's not very regural thing to do, this vid made the sequence and all the actions needed easy to repeat. It was a Felt QX75W with Alivio rear, new bike. The adjustments made by the bikeshop we're not correct since 4/8 and 5/8 were giving that sound like they wanted to be/change to on a different gear... Now it's very nice and smooth, did the steps like in this vid!

This was great! Really professional compared to other "how to" bike videos. Thanks!

Thanks a million daniel! Solved my issues with the skipping!

Excellent video!!! Camera work is perfect. Very clear and easy to understand.Thanks!

Thank you so much for this! As a person new to biking this was incredibly helpful

Short and sweet. Efficient video. Rehabbing an older MTB and this was helpful.

Thanks for this video! My rear derailleur is out of tune and this video helped me a lot!

This is an excellent video to show how to adjust this Shimano derailleur. Thank you!

Bike came broken from the store, they said it couldn't be fixed. Fixed in minutes, thank you!

thanks for this guys. well done - i always wondered what those screws did and now i know and now i was able to fine tune my derailleur.

Thank you, this helped me get my bike back in running order! Excellent video.

Thanks for the video. I've been wanting to know how to adjust my derailleur for a while now and this is just the ticket! :)

Thanks alot artcyclery i was having a slight problem fine tuneing my gears but you video has helped me out

killlaahhh, major milestone conqured for a minno like me... Cheers guru greatly appreciated

This was very helpful, thanks. Finally I've adjusted my derailleur as well as they do in the shops. And if it hadn't been for following the steps presented here, I probably would have taken a lot longer to realize that I needed to replace the cable and housings, first.

I followed the steps exactly after watching the video twice, still couldn’t get the bike to go into 1st gear. Ended up noticing the brakes seemed to be grabbing a little so I back the brake cable off, redid the steps and now everything is working perfectly thank you.

Wow. Great explanations, wonderful filming - that white background helps keep the focus on what's important. Thanks for the expertise!!!

Outstanding! Got a new kassett and now the gears seems to work properly.