# SRAM NX Eagle 1x12 stuck in second gear, shifter not clicking



## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

I have SRAM NX Eagle 1x12 on a new bike and it stuck in second gear. The shifter wouldn't click and shift up. It would click but not shift to go down. The bike was unridable. The shop I bought it off won't answer the phone so I bought a new shifter online and took it to another shop to replace. They say they can't warranty the shifter and might not be able to tell me what caused it or how to fix it if it happens again. So for all I know this could keep happening. Can someone give me some advice please?


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

The shifter isn't the problem.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

J.B. Weld said:


> The shifter isn't the problem.


 Stupidly I unscrewed the wrong side and a little bent bit of wire came out. The bike shop said they would use the new one rather than try to rebuild it. So, any idea what could have caused it, and what should I do if it happens again? I've been watching some videos on how to adjust the three bolts on the derailleur.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

When you say "shift up," do you mean shift up the cassette to taller cassette gears? You shouldn't have to adjust the 3 rear mech screws. Once they are set, it should be fine. The only adjustment you need to do on the trail is the barrel adjuster. If your shifter was stuck, it could be anything.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

Battery said:


> When you say "shift up," do you mean shift up the cassette to taller cassette gears? You shouldn't have to adjust the 3 rear mech screws. Once they are set, it should be fine. The only adjustment you need to do on the trail is the barrel adjuster. If your shifter was stuck, it could be anything.


 I was stuck on the second biggest cog, which to me is a low gear, but I know almost nothing about bike terminology. I just assumed going to smaller cogs is going 'up' like going from first to second in a car.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

Sounds like you are unable to shift onto the biggest ring. Does that sound about right? If so, you need to check the low limit screw and ensure it's set properly. If it's not set up correctly, it may be blocking your shifter/rear mech from pushing the chain onto the lowest gear. I would start with that first.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

Battery said:


> Sounds like you are unable to shift onto the biggest ring. Does that sound about right? If so, you need to check the low limit screw and ensure it's set properly. If it's not set up correctly, it may be blocking your shifter/rear mech from pushing the chain onto the lowest gear. I would start with that first.


 What happened was I came to a small hill and had to shift down (I mean to bigger cogs) a few gears. After that it was stuck on the second biggest cog and when I pressed the trigger to go to smaller cogs, there was no click from the trigger and the chain stayed where it was. I had a new shifter fitted today so I'm hoping it will not happen again, but I'm scared to go far in case it does. I did try the other trigger and at first it made a click but the chain stayed on the second biggest cog. Then that trigger stopped clicking as well.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Sounds like maybe a b-screw adjustment deal.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

J.B. Weld said:


> Sounds like maybe a b-screw adjustment deal.


 Well I've heard they are sensitive to that. Hoping the bike shop set it up today better than how it was delivered, if it was that. I'll have to get one of those plastic templates. The good news is the cable outer goes all the way through the frame so it can be just pushed through.


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

My crystal ball says loose cable at the derailleur end since the sifter still clicks.


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## rangeriderdave (Aug 29, 2008)

If you were trying to shift to the biggest cog and the shifter moved but the chain didn't ,the cable is too loose. With you not knowing the terminology ,it makes it harder to describe what you need to do to fix the problem. I'll try , when the chain is on the the smallest cog, the shifter cable should be taut . When you move the shifter that pulls the cable a little tighter ,it doesn't take much to move the chain to the next gear. In one of your later posts you said that it wouldn't shift from one cog to the next, that's another problem. If the derailleur hanger got bent .that might cause that or if there was something jammed in the derailleur that would too. It's hard to tell by the way you wrote about the problem , but if you were trying to get the chain to move by just moving the shifter ,that doesn't work ,you have to be pedaling to get the chain to move from one cog to another. There is another way that the derailleur won't drop down to the smaller cogs ,that is the cable being too tight. If somehow the cable housing got outside of the housing guilds ,then things wouldn't work right either.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

As I was reading, I thought it would be the cable retention clamp wasn't secured properly and the cable was pulled and now requires adjustment. If a shop didn't check that first they aren't too aware of how to start fresh with shifting issues.

As I continued reading, and got to the part about needing to downshift when a hill approached is when I had the thought of a friend (new to riding) who didn't fully understand when to shift, more importantly, when NOT to shift. He broke his shifter on the trail, internally, by pushing the lever harder under it finally snapped because he was under too much load.

If your shifter was replaced and there is an issue still, then it's back to an incorrectly adjusting system.


To start from scratch, in a cliff note version.

You will need the rear wheel off the ground

Remove the cable at the derailleur.
Pedal the bike and manually push the derailleur up the cassette (lower gear/big cassette). This is the same as your shifting. If you push the chain into the spoke, the low limit screw will need adjustment to prevent that.
Slowly reduce pressure from the derailleur while continuing to pedal. Chain should come all the way down the cassette to the smallest cog. If not, the high limit screw will need adjusting.
You do not need a cable/shifter to adjust travel of derailleur. This should be done manually to set the stops properly.
After this is when the cable should be connected by:
Making sure shifter is in the correct position to be in the hardest gear. Connect cable at the derailleur using the holding clamp. Making sure the cable is pinched the correct way in the clamp (there is a channel for the cable).
Next is tuning the cable tension so chain shifts up the cassette and back down.

A derailleur is a spring tensioned mechanical device. You shift and the cable pulls the derailleur towards the spokes. If the cable were to instantly snap, the spring in the derailleur will make it go all the way back down. 
Two ways the derailleur will not go down is cable tension is too tight or the stop screw is screwed in too far.

Good luck.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

the-one1 said:


> My crystal ball says loose cable at the derailleur end since the sifter still clicks.


 The shifter to go from the second biggest cog to smaller cogs wouldn't clink. The one to go to a bigger cog clicked but didn't actually move the chain, then it stopped clicking as well.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

rangeriderdave said:


> If you were trying to shift to the biggest cog and the shifter moved but the chain didn't ,the cable is too loose. With you not knowing the terminology ,it makes it harder to describe what you need to do to fix the problem. I'll try , when the chain is on the the smallest cog, the shifter cable should be taut . When you move the shifter that pulls the cable a little tighter ,it doesn't take much to move the chain to the next gear. In one of your later posts you said that it wouldn't shift from one cog to the next, that's another problem. If the derailleur hanger got bent .that might cause that or if there was something jammed in the derailleur that would too. It's hard to tell by the way you wrote about the problem , but if you were trying to get the chain to move by just moving the shifter ,that doesn't work ,you have to be pedaling to get the chain to move from one cog to another. There is another way that the derailleur won't drop down to the smaller cogs ,that is the cable being too tight. If somehow the cable housing got outside of the housing guilds ,then things wouldn't work right either.


 I was trying to go to smaller cogs and getting no click from the shifter trigger. It happened just after I came to a hill and hsad to change down a few gears. The bike is almost new. The shop fitted a new shifter yesterday and it seems ok, sometimes it's a bit slow changing gear, usually to a bigger cog. Sometimes I can hear a noise for a couple of seconds like it's trying to change. Is there anything I should do if that happens?


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

fc59 said:


> Sometimes I can hear a noise for a couple of seconds like it's trying to change. Is there anything I should do if that happens?


Tighten the cable by turning the barrel adjuster on the shift lever counter-clockwise. Try 1/4-1/2 turn, if it starts to hesitate when shifting into smaller cogs you tightened it too much.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

Forest Rider said:


> As I was reading, I thought it would be the cable retention clamp wasn't secured properly and the cable was pulled and now requires adjustment. If a shop didn't check that first they aren't too aware of how to start fresh with shifting issues. As I continued reading, and got to the part about needing to downshift when a hill approached is when I had the thought of a friend (new to riding) who didn't fully understand when to shift, more importantly, when NOT to shift. He broke his shifter on the trail, internally, by pushing the lever harder under it finally snapped because he was under too much load. If your shifter was replaced and there is an issue still, then it's back to an incorrectly adjusting system. To start from scratch, in a cliff note version. You will need the rear wheel off the ground Remove the cable at the derailleur. Pedal the bike and manually push the derailleur up the cassette (lower gear/big cassette). This is the same as your shifting. If you push the chain into the spoke, the low limit screw will need adjustment to prevent that. Slowly reduce pressure from the derailleur while continuing to pedal. Chain should come all the way down the cassette to the smallest cog. If not, the high limit screw will need adjusting. You do not need a cable/shifter to adjust travel of derailleur. This should be done manually to set the stops properly. After this is when the cable should be connected by: Making sure shifter is in the correct position to be in the hardest gear. Connect cable at the derailleur using the holding clamp. Making sure the cable is pinched the correct way in the clamp (there is a channel for the cable). Next is tuning the cable tension so chain shifts up the cassette and back down. A derailleur is a spring tensioned mechanical device. You shift and the cable pulls the derailleur towards the spokes. If the cable were to instantly snap, the spring in the derailleur will make it go all the way back down. Two ways the derailleur will not go down is cable tension is too tight or the stop screw is screwed in too far. Good luck.


 Many thanks. I've copied your post for future reference. For now I've promised the bike shop I won't touch anything and will take it straight back if there's an issue. I tried shifting through all the gears with the back wheel off the ground and it seemed fine. Out on the road it was ok apart from a couple of times it was slow going to a bigger cog, made a noise for a couple of seconds. Instinctively I tweaked the trigger without clicking it, not sure if that made any difference but it shifted in the end. I think you are right, that I may have broke the shifter changing gear under too much load. In future if I run out of steam I'll get off and walk rather than risk that again. Is it ok to multiple click the trigger to rapidly go to bigger cogs as you approach a hill?


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

J.B. Weld said:


> Tighten the cable by turning the barrel adjuster on the shift lever counter-clockwise. Try 1/4-1/2 turn, if it starts to hesitate when shifting into smaller cogs you tightened it too much.


 That's what I was thinking, after watching a video yesterday. I promised the shop I wouldn't touch it, but I think they said I might need them to tweak it as the new cable stretches.


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## rangeriderdave (Aug 29, 2008)

Yes ,it's okay. What you want to do is "soft pedal" ,what that means is that you are still pedaling but without any real force . You should learn to anticipate is the need to shift ,when approaching a hill that you are going to climb. There is sometimes a delay when shifting to an easier gear, the load from peddling plus the way the cassette is designed slows things down.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

rangeriderdave said:


> Yes ,it's okay. What you want to do is "soft pedal" ,what that means is that you are still pedaling but without any real force . You should learn to anticipate is the need to shift ,when approaching a hill that you are going to climb. There is sometimes a delay when shifting to an easier gear, the load from peddling plus the way the cassette is designed slows things down.


 Reassuring to know, also about the delay. Thanks for the help!


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

As mentioned above, turn that barrel adjuster.
that will take out the cable slack. It's a fine adjustment.

Turning the adjuster out a couple click, or 1/4-turn will take out slack, then when you push the lever on the shifter the shift will be more instant.
Think of it like jerking a piece of rope tried to something you wish to drag. Much of your motion is used up before the rope is taut. Now pull that same rope tight, then pull it harder to move the object you wish to drag.

As mentioned too, if you then shift to to smaller cogs and it hesitates, you will have turned the barrel adjuster too much, removing too much slack making it so the sprint can't pull the chain down, the cable is holing it too tight.

Usually to fine tune the shifting, it takes one or 2 clicks in one direction of the barrel adjuster and it's done for a long long time. 

Sounds like you are learning a lot and that the shop is helping you out.
It does make it more difficult to learn these things when you can't easily just walk into a shop to get guidance. Stupid Corona.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

Forest Rider said:


> As mentioned above, turn that barrel adjuster. that will take out the cable slack. It's a fine adjustment. Turning the adjuster out a couple click, or 1/4-turn will take out slack, then when you push the lever on the shifter the shift will be more instant. Think of it like jerking a piece of rope tried to something you wish to drag. Much of your motion is used up before the rope is taut. Now pull that same rope tight, then pull it harder to move the object you wish to drag. As mentioned too, if you then shift to to smaller cogs and it hesitates, you will have turned the barrel adjuster too much, removing too much slack making it so the sprint can't pull the chain down, the cable is holing it too tight. Usually to fine tune the shifting, it takes one or 2 clicks in one direction of the barrel adjuster and it's done for a long long time. Sounds like you are learning a lot and that the shop is helping you out. It does make it more difficult to learn these things when you can't easily just walk into a shop to get guidance. Stupid Corona.


 Many thanks. I think I've thought of a way to remember which way to turn it. "If slow shifting to the left (bigger cogs), turn the barrel adjuster to the left (anticlockwise)." I do have that correct? Or even simpler... "Turning to the left (anticlockwise) moves the shifting position to the left."


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

fc59 said:


> Many thanks. I think I've thought of a way to remember which way to turn it. "If slow shifting to the left (bigger cogs), turn the barrel adjuster to the left (anticlockwise)." I do have that correct? Or even simpler... "Turning to the left (anticlockwise) moves the shifting position to the left."


I think of it as tightening or loosening the cable. Counter-clockwise tightens it, which makes it shift faster to bigger cogs, and clockwise loosens it which does the opposite.


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

J.B. Weld said:


> I think of it as tightening or loosening the cable. Counter-clockwise tightens it, which makes it shift faster to bigger cogs, and clockwise loosens it which does the opposite.


 This is the best way to learn really, first principles I call it, as opposed to parrot fashion. Cheers.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Turning the adjuster out makes it go up
Out to go up

If you are turning adjust out (like it would unscrew and move the adjuster to the left), also makes it easier to shift to the left (up the cassette).


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

Forest Rider said:


> Turning the adjuster out makes it go up Out to go up If you are turning adjust out (like it would unscrew and move the adjuster to the left), also makes it easier to shift to the left (up the cassette).


 Thank you!


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## Igotsoul4u (May 11, 2019)

These amazing Park videos guided me through fixing a bent hanger, replacing cables/housing, and retuning all the derailleur points.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGCTGpvdT04TlNwuGy2pd_y8wt-oLfuij


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## fc59 (May 30, 2020)

Igotsoul4u said:


> These amazing Park videos guided me through fixing a bent hanger, replacing cables/housing, and retuning all the derailleur points.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGCTGpvdT04TlNwuGy2pd_y8wt-oLfuij


Awesome, will watch them, thanks!


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## sm1512055 (5 mo ago)

fc59 said:


> I have SRAM NX Eagle 1x12 on a new bike and it stuck in second gear. The shifter wouldn't click and shift up. It would click but not shift to go down. The bike was unridable. The shop I bought it off won't answer the phone so I bought a new shifter online and took it to another shop to replace. They say they can't warranty the shifter and might not be able to tell me what caused it or how to fix it if it happens again. So for all I know this could keep happening. Can someone give me some advice please?





Forest Rider said:


> As mentioned above, turn that barrel adjuster.
> that will take out the cable slack. It's a fine adjustment.
> 
> Turning the adjuster out a couple click, or 1/4-turn will take out slack, then when you push the lever on the shifter the shift will be more instant.
> ...


Sick of my trek rail carbon,uhd snapped in my bedroom just nippin it up,new 1 wont even go to 18nm and now the gears go up 1 if im lucky.the shop said cellotape your gears to the frame and get on a tram,huh it weighs 25 kgs.6 grand tok two hours to count,new pedals and brake pads tokk another 4 hours to change plus after waiting they then say we arent releasing the bike to you,young rich kid didnt have my money ready,he said some crap about they cant sell me a ebike that costs 8grand,it was 6, iasked for money back yes my money and then they give me my bike all of a sudden,then i realised that the frame bolts were all loose plus bent wheel and which the shop mechanic said was a bent tyre.he didnt check,plus some of us use military thermal cameras on frames etc like the pros,shops stop biting the hand that feeds you,hope u get the gears pal.👍fixed


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## sm1512055 (5 mo ago)

My udh snapped ten had to be drilled out with conshaped tungsten carbide bit then stranded cable pops out of steel ferrel and scratches paint off rear frame,brand new trek rail 2021.new udh went in then it wont tighten with new wrench without feeling it will snap the pocket on frame,now the sram gear shifter wont move at all,it just pedals in 1 gear,im absolutely fumin.can anyone give me tips on how to get it shifting,the udh is so badly designed,tons of people are suffering and sram know this and must be making a trainload of cash out of this super brittle hanger.


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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

For OP's edification, in your situation, something wasn't moving, either the derailleur itself or the cable. When something like that happens, you probably don't want to force anything and stop riding and investigate ASAP, lest something be lodged in the der that could break it rather irreparably.

The limit screws on the derailleur set the limits of its travel in and out or up and down the cassette and the barrel adjuster fine tunes the cable tension so that each click of the shifter moves one gear without over or undershifting and with the max travel set by the limit screws.

On a new bike, cable tension will probably decrease a bit as it stretches and wears in, necessitating some tightening (barrel turned so that it moves away from shifter) to compensate and bring shifting back into "spec." And that's something you may have to repeat over the life of the cable and housing, maybe a year or two depending on how much you ride.

The B-tension or gap positions the derailleur relative to the cassette and also has an effect on chain tension. It can cause some counter-intuitive problems.

Because the derailleur hanger is sacrificial and replaces a rigid connection to the frame, if it gets bent, it can reposition your derailleur relative to the cassette and cause another set of kind of weird problems. And it doesn't have to be bent much to do so.


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