Hit a curb 6 months ago and just realized I was indexing my rear derailleur backwards
I've been building bikes for like 15 years and always adjusted the limit screws by feel, never really checked the high/low basic setup. Last week I watched a Park Tool video after a buddy pointed out my chain was rubbing on the 11t cog. How long did it take you to figure out something simple that you had been doing bass-ackwards for ages?
Park Tool totally saved my ass on this too! I read a forum post once where a guy said he spent two whole years adjusting his shifting by ear and getting it close but never perfect. Turns out he had the B-screw cranked all the way in thinking it gave more tension. Felt like a fool after watching that same video you mentioned. I still catch myself doing little stuff like checking chain stretch with a ruler instead of a gauge because that's how my dad taught me in the 90s. Always funny how these little habits stick around until one random tutorial blows your whole world open.
Hold up, did that guy ever say why he thought the B-screw was for tension? I'm trying to figure out if that was a common myth back then or just one of those things people made up. Curious if your 90s ruler trick actually works well enough or if you've eventually switched over to a gauge.