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Our guide below shows you what we think is the best way to adjust and tune your rear indexed gears. We've included a list of the tools and materials that you will need to complete the job and in some cases where you can buy them. If there are others that you prefer then feel free to let everybody know in the comments below.

Indexed gears require accurate cable tension to deliver crisp, clean gear shifting. An under- or over-tensioned gear cable will throw the shifting out. The difference between perfect shifting and skipping can be as little as a single millimetre of cable so make small adjustments of a quarter turn to screws and barrel adjusters and test the effectiveness of the change before making further changes.

• Allen keys (some derailleurs use Allen bolts instead of screws) • Small crosshead screwdriver • Cable puller

Checking for cable slack If your bike is relatively new, or even if only the gear cable is, there’s a good chance that the metal inner cable has developed some slack (often referred to as 'stretch' although technically it's bedding in, as the cable ferrules, housings and stops all snug up to their minimum length). This is often enough to throw gear shifting out. If the gear cable has developed slack, you’ll need to remove it by pulling the inner cable through at the derailleur clamp bolt (see below).

An easy way to check is to put the deraileur in the smallest sprocket and use a steel ruler as a datum as shown. If the cable's not prallel to the ruler, then it probably needs tightening.

Barrel adjuster tension You might also find that over time, cable tension adjustments have used up the range of adjustment provided by the barrel adjusters (at the derailleur and/or at the shifter depending on how your bike is equipped). As you can see above, this rear derailleur barrel adjuster is almost all the way out. This needs resetting at the cable clamp bolt (see above).

With the cable tension removed at the cable clamp bolt, re-set the barrel adjusters. Screw them all the way home (clockwise) into the derailleur or shifter body. Then screw them out (anticlockwise) one full turn. This will give you leeway to make fine adjustments in either direction as required.

High gear adjustment With the tension removed from the cable, turn the pedals. The rear derailleur should move the chain to run on the smallest rear sprocket, and the upper jockey wheel of the rear derailleur should be directly underneath the smallest sprocket.

If it's not, make any adjustments necessary to sort out this alignment with the set screw marked 'H' on the derailleur body. Turning the screw limits the extent to which the rear derailleur cage, and therefore the chain, can move outwards. Turn the screw anti-clockwise to let the derailleur move further out.

Low gear adjustment Setting the low gear limit so you can shift cleanly onto the largest rear sprocket is important because failure to do so can allow the chain to over shift off the top of the cassette and into the spokes causing (occasionally terminal) damage to the rear wheel. The furthest inboard the rear derailleur should be able to move is the point where the upper jockey wheel is sitting directly underneath the centre line of the largest sprocket when viewed from the rear. Make any adjustments to achieve this position with the set screw on the rear derailleur body marked ‘L’.

Setting cable tension Use a cable puller (sometimes called a 'third hand tool') to pull the inner gear cable gently through the housing, making sure all sections of cable outer are located in their stops and that any cable guide grooves on the derailleur body are being correctly followed.

It’s the smallest things that can foul up indexing so take a second to be sure. You’re looking for just enough tension to take the slack out. As you make the adjustment, watch to see that the upper jockey wheel isn’t being pulled inwards from under the smallest sprocket. When the cable is free of slack and the derailleur and sprocket are still lined up, tighten the cable clamp bolt to hold the cable in place. Don’t over tighten the bolt – it's easy to strip threads and tear heads.

Check it Rotate the cranks. The chain should roll cleanly on the smallest sprocket and through the rear derailleur cage without catching or skipping. Now try the full range of gears one at a time. You can occasionally get the cable tension spot-on first time, but you'll usually have to make some fine tuning adjustments to the cable tension with the barrel adjuster. You're looking for one single click of the shifter to deliver one clean gear change. A single index click, which delivers a gear change that is slightly over or under shifting means the cable tension needs fine tuning at the barrel adjuster.

Fine tuning with the barrel adjuster Shift one gear from the smallest sprocket. The chain should move smoothly onto the adjacent sprocket. If it doesn't reach the adjacent sprocket, add a quarter turn of tension at the barrel adjuster (turn it anticlockwise). Similarly, if it shifts to the adjacent sprocket, but is making a noise as it tries to reach the third sprocket, you should release a quarter turn of tension at the barrel adjuster to remove the over shift (turn it clockwise). Whichever way you need to make adjustments, make them small; quarter turn adjustments are plenty. Continue until one click at the shifter delivers one clean (quiet, no skipping) shift to the adjacent sprocket.

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This tutorial is on how to change the color of a Solid over time in After Effects. It’s just over 2 minutes so take a look and let me know if this is what you do to accomplish this or if you do something different.

First you need to create a new Solid in After Effects. Use the keyboard shortcut Command+Y (Mac) or Control+Y (PC). Give the Solid a name and make it the Comp size then click OK.

To change the color of a solid in After Effects, select the solid then use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Y (Mac) or Control+Shift+Y (PC). Change the color then click OK.

Let’s say you want to change the color of the solid over time.

Go to the Effects & Presets panel. Type in Fill to find the Fill Effect. Take it and drag it onto the solid in the timeline. The color defaults to red. Don’t worry!

Move the time position indicator in the timeline to where you want to transition to start. Select the layer of the solid and find the Effects Control panel. Change the color from red to whatever you want it to be. Click the Stopwatch icon next to Color.

Move the time position indicator in the timeline to where you want the transition to end. Change the color in the Effects Control panel. Repeat these two steps as needed if you want to change the color more than one time.

Scrub through the timeline to view the results.

If you want to view where the keyframes are on the timeline in case you want to adjust the timing or delete them then select the layer of the solid and hit the “U” key. This keyboard shortcut is the same on Macs and PCs. It shows the properties of a selected layer that have keyframes on them. If you hit the “U” key twice in a row rapidly it’ll show any property that has been changed on a layer (this is super useful to me!!).

That’s it. You should now know how to change the color of a solid over time in After Effects.

Suggested Viewing: Change Color of One Letter in Text in After Effects

Since releasing this tutorial I’ve made a ton more tutorials for After Effects, Avid Media Composer, Premiere Pro, Media Encoder, and Photoshop. I appreciate any input you have to make these tutorials better. If there’s anything you want me to show you let me know below in the comments section. Remember to subscribe to get notified when there’s a new post here on Edit Video Faster.