How to make bike adjust to highest gear?

Question

Hi,

I have a bike problem. When I try to shift gears (the front ones w/ pedals) I can get to the 2nd one but not the third. (this is a racing bike with brake/gear shift together). On the lowest gear, there is a rattling noise. How do I make my bike shift to the highest gear?

Is it by adjusting the cable tension or those 2 little screws or both? Which do I do first?

Thanks

And can somebody explain to me exactly what those 2 screws do.

Answer 1

You may have to push past the current gear for it to get a better cling on to the gear you are trying to switch to.

Answer 2

The two small screws on the derailleur assembly are the upper and lower limiters.  They control how far the derailleur can push the chain when shifting to the highest and lowest gears.

Here's a helpful guide if you want to try adjusting the derailleurs yourself:  http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustm...

Hope this helps.