I seem to have gotten my rear derailer straightened out.
I went into it thinking I totally knew what I was doing, since I was pretty comfortable with the front derailer by the time I went to bed last night. But it wasn't cooperating. I was only messing with the cable tension knob. And... it was not very responsive.
Then I watched a couple videos on the rear derailer, and realized there's a cable tension knob right on the derailer. Which, for obvious reasons (friction), is *much* more responsive.
Then I sat on my floor for half an hour, with my bike upside down, running back and forth through the rear gears, fiddling with the tension, to balance out the smoothness of up-shifts and down-shifts as much as possible. Not because that amount of time was remotely appropriate, but because it was fun.
I still don't understand how people cope with the lack of lock nuts on these things.
Then I watched a couple videos on the rear derailer, and realized there's a cable tension knob right on the derailer. Which, for obvious reasons (friction), is *much* more responsive.
Then I sat on my floor for half an hour, with my bike upside down, running back and forth through the rear gears, fiddling with the tension, to balance out the smoothness of up-shifts and down-shifts as much as possible. Not because that amount of time was remotely appropriate, but because it was fun.
I still don't understand how people cope with the lack of lock nuts on these things.