Forward vs backward pedaling on a derailleur adjustment

Spent 2 years adjusting derailleurs while pedaling forward only. Always chasing ghost shifts. Got a used bike in last week where the previous owner wrote "adjust while backpedaling" on the downtube in sharpie. Laughed it off but tried it. Cable tension became crystal clear in 10 seconds flat. Anyone else catch themselves doing a dumb habit like that for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_murphy211mo ago

That "pure frustration" part hit home hard. I spent a whole season chasing a weird skip in the middle of my cassette, convinced it was a bent hanger or worn chain. Finally backpedaled out of desperation and saw the cable was snagging on a tiny little burr under the barrel adjuster, something I would have never noticed spinning forward. Now I do the backpedal trick before I even check the low limit screw, saves me so much headache.

kellys781mo ago

Gotta admit I was the same way for like 3 years. Always thought backpedaling was some old wives tale from the 80s. Then I tried it out of pure frustration one day and it felt like a cheat code. The slack in the cable shows up so much easier when you spin backwards, its almost ridiculous how much time I wasted. Now I do a quick backpedal check on every new build or derailleur swap before I even touch the barrel adjuster.

olivia3981mo ago

Three years backpedaling and I still get ghost shifts. Forward works better for me.