Tools needed:

• 9mm wrench or Torque wrench with 9mm socket
• #2 Phillips head screwdriver

Optional:

• Bike repair stand
• Replacement derailleur hanger
• 5mm Allen/Hex wrench (for hanger replacement)
• 19mm wrench (for wheel axle nuts during hanger replacement)
• Shift cable (if cable is frayed upon inspection)

 

If your eBike is not shifting properly, you will need to diagnose what the cause of the shifting problem is.
These repairs are easiest with a bike repair stand, and while all of these directions are designed for a repair stand,
you can do all of these adjustments with the bike on the ground, or by leaning the bike on the kickstand and a wall to elevate the rear wheel.
You will need to be able to pedal or test ride after adjustments are made to ensure the shifting is functioning well again.

If you are not comfortable making these adjustments, or are having difficulty improving the shifting,
your local bike shop will have the tools and expertise to get your bike running smoothly again.

 

Be sure that your derailleur bash guard is not limiting the derailleurs movement, in gear 7 (or the hardest gear)
the derailleur will be very close and if the bash guard is bent or in the way, you will need to fix or re-orient the bent piece, or replace the bash guard.
 

You will need to be able to pedal or test ride after adjustments are made to ensure the shifting is functioning well again.
If you are not comfortable making these adjustments, or are having difficulty improving the shifting,
your local bike shop will have the tools and expertise to get your bike running smoothly again

 

WARNING: Do not put your hands or loose objects in a position where they can get caught in the wheel, wheel spokes,
brakes/rotors, derailleur / pulley wheels, or the chain. Serious injury / damage to body can occur.

 

 

Checklist for adjustments:
These are in the order they should be addressed when diagnosing shifting.
All adjustments are covered in great detail in the following sections.

Inspecting components / derailleur hanger

• Checking derailleur hanger and derailleur alignment
• Testing shifting

Rear derailleur adjustment

• Test shifting
• Shift to gear 7
• Release shift cable from derailleur shift cable clamp nut
• Adjust "H" High limit screw
• Test "H" limit adjustment
• Reset barrel adjuster on derailleur (4-6 counter-clockwise 1/4 turns from being fully threaded into derailleur)
• Reattach shift cable to derailleur
• Shift from gear 7 to gear 6, adding/removing cable tension as needed
• Index gearing, adding removing cable tension as needed
• Adjust "L" Low limit screw
• Test "L" Low limit screw
• Test full range of gears, test ride bike

Front derailleur adjustment

• Test shifting and ensure all gears are usable
• Check rotation / height of derailleur in relation to big chainring
• Shift to small chainring / 1 on crankset
• Remove cable tension (thread barrel adjuster clockwise into shifter on handlebar)
• adjust rotation / height of derailleur
• (If height is adjusted) Release cable from derailleur shift cable clamp nut and reset cable tension later in steps
• Set "L" Low limit screw
• Reset barrel adjuster on shifter (3 counter-clockwise 1/4 turns from being fully threaded into shifter)
• Reattach shift cable to front derailleur
• Test shifting and adjust cable tension as needed
• Set "H" High limit screw
• Test full range of gears, test ride bike

 

 

CHECKING THE REAR DERAILLEUR HANGER ALIGNMENT:
The first thing you will want to look at is the alignment of your derailleur pulleys to the cogs on the rear wheel.

• If you are looking at the eBike from the rear, the derailleur pulleys and the cogs should be parallel to each other
• If they are not your derailleur hanger may be bent; this would require a derailleur hanger alignment or a new hanger (if severe)
  (Shown below is a picture of a properly aligned hanger and derailleur)

NOTE: Any damage noticed could have been caused by an impact on the derailleur, or laying the bike down on its side with the derailleur under the weight of the bike.
The derailleur hanger is intentionally designed to be the weakest part between the frame, derailleur, and hanger; it is designed to bend and/or break before more expensive components would (Frame, Derailleur).
If the hanger is not bent, the derailleur itself may be bent or twisted. If this is the case, the derailleur would need to be replaced.

 

REPLACING THE DERAILLEUR HANGER:
Ensure that the bike is powered off, we will be removing the rear wheel and disconnecting the power supply could damage the overall system if not turned off.

• Remove rear wheel, wheel removal guide can be found here: **INSERT LINK HERE**
• Unmount rear derailleur from hanger, by turning the 5mm derailleur mounting bolt counter-clockwise
• Unbolt derailleur hanger from frame, by turning the 5mm mounting bolt counter-clockwise

Install the new hanger:

• Mount the new replacement derailleur hanger to the frame,
  by turning the 5mm mounting bolt clockwise and torque to 4-5Nm
• Remount the rear derailleur, by turning the 5mm derailleur mounting bolt clockwise
• Reinstall rear wheel (connect power supply and securing cables)
• Wheel install link: **INSERT LINK HERE**

NOTICE: Check derailleur hanger alignment AND derailleur alignment after installation of any new components,
check derailleur limits and adjustment. Test ride when completed.

 

 

CHECKING REAR DERAILLEUR SHIFTING:
We will refer to the rear gears as a "gear cluster", "freewheel" and "cogs"

• Gear 7 is the smallest tooth cog on the freewheel, example: 14 teeth or 14t (closest to bike frame)
• Gear 1 is the biggest tooth cog on the freewheel, example: 28t (closest to wheel)

Test the shifting before riding, as the derailleur(s) may need adjustment

• Shift one gear at a time, waiting for the derailleur to make the shift.
• Check that derailleur is shifting and staying in selected gear as indicated on shifter
• Check that the derailleur does not exceed 2mm past gears when push/pulled by hand
  (Example in second row of pictures below)

(If not shifting, continue to adjustment section below)

If bike does perform all gear shifts, check derailleur limits, followed by cable tension.
Then enjoy riding your eBike!

 

Resetting High "H" limit on rear derailleur:
Shift into gear "7" the high gear, furthest out from the wheel and remove cable tension until slack with no cable tension,
the derailleur should return to gear 7 without hesitation and derailleur should have 1-2mm movement past the gear cluster.

In the picture below, left. We are showing what the derailleur screw limit is set to, you can pull gently on the derailleur arm (the silver pivot arm section)
towards you / away from gear cluster to ensure that the chain will not drop between the gear cluster and the frame.

 

If this does not match the actions of the derailleur, start with resetting the derailleur:

• Shift to gear 7 (High gear)
• Loosen (counter-clockwise) the 9mm nut clamping the cable to the derailleur,
  enough to allow for cable movement (pictured below left)

(This will let you get a true idea of the derailleur adjustment without the cable tension affecting the results)

Note: When the cable is reinstalled, it will need to be routed through the cable clamp plate,
and tighten the nut to secure the cable pictured below right)

 

Test limit, adjust "H" limit screw as needed:

• Counter-clockwise will loosen limit, check that this does not allow the chain to move between gear cluster and frame
• Clockwise will restrict movement, pulling the derailleur in closer to gear 7,
  check that once adjusted shifting is not limited at gear 6, and doesn't allow for movement back into gear 7
• Continue to adjusting barrel adjuster section below

WARNING: Do not move the chain, derailleur, or pulley wheels while moving your hand in this section, safely pull on the silver pulley arm of the derailleur,
while keeping your hands, fingers and loose objects away from moving parts, test that nothing gets caught when pedaling, and then test the limit safely.

 

Resetting / adjusting barrel adjuster:
Leaving room for adding or removing cable tension once the cable is reattached to the derailleur is very important
The barrel adjuster expands (counter clockwise) to add tension and collapses (clockwise) to remove tension

• Thread the barrel adjust into the derailleur fully (clockwise)
• Unthread (counter clockwise) the barrel adjuster 4-6 quarter (1/4) turns (more if needed)
• Shown below: (Left) Fully threaded in barrel adjuster (recessed, not flush) and (Right) with 4 quarter turns - inner/outer barrel adjuster sitting flush
• Reattach the shift cable to the derailleur (Make sure shifter on handlebars is in gear 7)

 

 

Adjusting / indexing gears:

Adjusting gears starts from the outside of the bike (gear 7), and when you shift, the cable pull - pulls the derailleur in towards the center of the bike.
Note the positioning of the chain in between the cogs in the gear cluster, that will clue you in to how to adjust the barrel adjuster / cable tension

Check that you can shift from gear 7 to 6, and from 6 to 7 without hesitation, remove tension 1-2 eighth turns (clockwise) if there is resistance.
If you have run out on turns on your barrel adjuster, check if cable tension is still too high or derailleur limit is too tight.
(Reset barrel adjuster / derailleur if needed)

• Pedal the bike in gear 7 and check that the chain stays in gear 7 doesn't "hop" between 7 and 6,
  check cable tension and adjust in 1-2 (1/4) quarter turns as needed
• Check shifting from 7 up to 6 (counter clockwise to add tension), and from 6 down to 7 (clockwise to remove tension) we can move to the next gears
• When you can shift from 7, to 6, and then 5, we can check gear indexing

Indexing gears:

• If tension is high LEFT PICTURE, and won't shift towards gear 7: rotate barrel adjuster 1-2 eighth turns clockwise to release/remove tension
• If tension is low RIGHT PICTURE, and won't shift towards gear 1: rotate barrel adjuster 1-2 eighth turns counter clockwise to add tension
• If tension is set properly CENTER PICTURE, the chain should have relatively equal spacing between the neighboring gears,
  if derailleur cannot shift to desired gear, check derailleur limit screws

 

SETTING THE LOW LIMIT:
Shift through gears while pedaling to gear 1 on the shifter, pedal the bike and ensure that the bike can stay in gear 1,
and is not forced into gear 2 by lack of cable tension or by the "L" low limit screw
 

To adjust:

• "L" Low limit - counter clockwise will loosen the limit and allow the derailleur to move closer to gear 1 / center of wheel

WARNING: If too loose, chain can get caught in between gear cluster and the wheel motor/hub (how to check limits in pictures below)

• Cable tension - counter clockwise will add tension and allow for shifting towards gear 1,
  clockwise will remove tension and allow to shift towards gear 7
• Low limit should be no more than 1-3mm past gear 1, towards the wheel motor/hub
  (pictured below, left)
• In gear 1: Push on outer derailleur pulley cage towards the wheel motor/hub (pictured below, right)

Note: Push in the upper cage section where the cage is supported by the derailleur

• Adjust low limit in small increments as needed
  (1/4 to 1/2 turns when looking at the face of the screw)

You should have 1-3mm of space when the derailleur is pushed past the gear cluster,
but not enough space for the chain to raise from gear 1, and continue past the gears getting caught between wheel and cogs

• Test shifting/ride to ensure adjustment works properly.

WARNING: Keep hands and fingers clear of derailleur/chain and gears when pedalling

 

 

FRONT DERAILLEUR / SHIFTING ADJUSTMENTS: (The Flex)
We will refer to the chainrings as 1 / small, 2 / middle, 3 / big.
The flex has what is referred to as a 3x7 drivetrain, 3 speed front & 7 speed rear.

Test your shifting before making adjustments, your bike may not need much adjustment out of the box.
The front shifter allows for small incremental shifting adjustments to quiet the drivetrain depending on riders
preferred gear use.

 

Gear combinations to test shifting: 

• High gearing - big chainring / 3 to gear 7 (small cog on cassette)
• Low gearing - small chainring / 1 and gear 1 (big cog on cassette)
• High (front) to Low (rear) - big chainring / 3 to gear 1 (CROSS-CHAINING) 
• Low (front) to High (rear) - small chainring / 1 to gear 7 (CROSS-CHAINING)

Cross-chaining is a term used for when using the furthest extremes of drivetrain gearing,
this should be tested with low torque going into the drivetrain, as the drivetrain will be at the extreme limits of what it can handle.

 

Derailleur adjustment points:

• L - Low limit (pictured below left)
• H - High limit (pictured below left)
• 9mm Derailleur band clamp nut (pictured below left)
• 9mm Derailleur cable clamp nut/washer and routing slot (pictured below right)
• Cable tension for front derailleur is adjusted with the barrel adjuster on shifter

 

 

Adjusting the front derailleur rotation:
Check the the rotation of the derailleur. Making sure that the outer cage spacing (Front to back) can be matched
to one of the front chainrings on the crank/crankset of the bike.
 

to adjust:

• Shift into 1 / the small front chainring, this removes cable tension.

If not shifted down, the derailleur will move when loosened at the cables discretion,
this can mess with the height/rotation adjustment, we will cover this below.

• Thread the barrel adjuster into the shifter (clockwise) to ensure all cable tension is removed, or disconnect cable.
• Loosen (counter-clockwise) the 9mm nut securing the derailleur band clamp around the seat tube

test derailleur twist resistance while loosening, you want the derailleur to move when you twist,
but you don't want the height unnecessarily adjusted.

• Visually align the derailleur (front to back, pictured below right)
• Tighten (clockwise) the 9mm derailleur clamp nut to 4-5Nm
  Overtightening can damage the components and potentially the frame

 

 

Adjusting derailleur height:

This is an adjustment that you may have to check at different points when making changes to alignment.
You may realize when shifting that the derailleur is getting caught on the chainring when shifting to 3 / the big ring.

To check the height:

• Shift from any chainring up to 3 / the big ring
• you will want 2-3mm space above the big chainring and the lowest part of the front derailleur
  outer cage
• Shift down to the small ring / 1 to remove cable tension
• Adjust by loosening the 9mm derailleur clamp nut (same as previous rotation section)
• Tighten 9mm derailleur band clamp nut to 4-5Nm, and test that the derailleur has proper spacing
  between outer derailleur cage and big chainring

Check that the shift cable is taught, and does not have excessive slack when in small chainring,
as this may not have the cable tension required to pull enough cable to shift up to the big chainring.
 

 

Setting derailleur low limit / Resetting cable or cable tension:
This will likely need to happen once height/rotation of derailleur changes.
Check to see if adjusting cable tension fixes any issues.
Always check that derailleur does not allow for chain to "drop" past low gear / 1 and frame when pedaling vigorously. 

To adjust:

• Shift into 1 / the small front chainring on front shifter/derailleur (pictured below, left)
• Shift into 1 / on the freewheel/gear cluster (pictured below, left)
• Thread the barrel adjuster into the shifter (clockwise) to remove all cable tension, or disconnect cable.
• Check that there is 1-2mm between chain and inner derailleur cage when in 1/1 gear combination.

Adjust "L" Low limit screw as needed:

• Counter-clockwise to allow the derailleur to move further inward and away from the chain/chainring
• Clockwise to pull derailleur closer to chain/chainring
• Pedal gently and listen for any contact points between derailleur
• Connect shift cable to derailleur (See Front derailleur cable routing guide below)
• Test shifting, add tension to cable by adjusting barrel adjuster at shifter (counter-clockwise),
  until you can shift up to the big chainring / 3 on the crankset,
• Adjust "H" High limit if derailleur doesn't complete shift to Big chainring / 3 with adequate cable tension
• Shift chain to big chainring / 3 on crankset
• Shift rear derailleur into gear 7 (High) and pedal gently to listen for chain/derailleur noise.
• Tighten "H" limit (clockwise) to restrict movement, or loosen (counter-clockwise) to eliminate noise when in big chainring / 3 (front) and gear 7 (rear)
• Test/adjust the "H" High limit, the shifter will stop moving based on the limit screw of the derailleur
  (If limit is not set, the derailleur will shift past the big chainring and onto the chainring guard)

 

 

Front derailleur cable routing:
Cable should enter the derailleur as shown below (left), your derailleur may be routed differently from the factory (example below)

• The derailleur mounted is a "top pull" and should be routed by entering the top of the derailleur against the leverage arm and the routing slot. (pictured below)
• The cable continues from the routing slot, under/between the derailleur and the clamp washer (below, right)
• Tighten cable in gear 1 (small chainring) routed as shown below, right picture

 

Bad/Incorrect routing:
This will not necessarily limit shifting, but these do not use the proper leverage point.
Shifting will be firmer, rather than smooth.

 

Troubleshooting front shifting:

Pictured below is an easy way to check High limit and the height of the derailleur,

Use this method if the cable were not attached (as pictured), and/or if you are testing cable tension / shifting
and the bike will not shift from the middle ring / 2, up to the big ring / 3.

(This will show whether the limit of the derailleur is causing the issue or if cable tension needs to be reset)

WARNING: Keep hands and fingers clear of derailleur/chain and gears when pedaling

• Use your thumb as a leverage point on the outer pivot arm of the front derailleur (pictured below, where thumb is placed)
• Use fingers to push derailleur from the inside of the inner cage, over to big chainring until able to inspect rotation/height adjustment
• Pedal slowly to allow chain to change chainrings as needed, test limits

 

 

 

Please contact us if you have questions, or if you would like more assistance with this, visit us at: www.support.gen3ride.com