0

I read the related post, but my situation is a bit different. Additional background - I installed new 105 shifters and derailleurs two years ago (~5000 miles) along with chain and cassette. I also had a 53T chain ring put on in 2013. All was good. Had slight hang-up with slack shifting (to higher gears) on rear cogs this spring, so I replaced the cable and sheaths to the rear derailleur. All was good again. The bearings in my freewheel started making noise last week. Which brings me to the present.

I just replaced the rear wheel, cassette and chain on my 30-speed road bike. The derailleurs shift perfectly and the chain travel when pedalling is smooth and quiet. However when I stand up or dig in on a hill the chain will skip on the cassette. It happens on all THREE chain rings in the front and the spectrum of cogs on the cassette. I thought sure it was a stiff link in the chain, but could not find an issue with it when manually flexing each link. I tweaked the rear derailleur to the point of shifting cogs in both directions and still have the issue. Any suggestions?

Móż
  • 23,532
  • 3
  • 71
  • 120
Brad Johnson
  • 86
  • 5
  • Welcome to [bicycles.se] @Brad. On the desktop version of the site, as your typed you question you would see a list of similar questions pop up on the right. They are still there now, and they answer you question. – andy256 Sep 08 '15 at 23:06
  • Stupid question: When you replaced the chain, did you get the right width? – Daniel R Hicks Sep 08 '15 at 23:39
  • Good question Daniel. I dug the chain box out of recycling to confirm, it is a 10 speed chain which matches the cassette, derailleur and shifter. It is a Tiagra chain which I bought in a pinch at LBS when I realized I didn't have a spare in my home "stock". Also didn't realize the 10 speed cassette I had at home was Ultegra. I have an Ultegra chain coming later this week, we'll see if that helps. – Brad Johnson Sep 09 '15 at 18:17
  • I started to wonder if I got the wrong chain in the right box, but Shimano stamps the number on the chain itself, CN-4601 - Tiagra 10-speed. – Brad Johnson Sep 09 '15 at 18:25
  • 2
    The top answer to the linked question suggests checking the derailleur hanger alignment and the chain length. The next answer suggests looking at cable tension. These can be frustrating problems; keep working at it, and update your post again or ask a new question as you narrow the problem down. – andy256 Sep 09 '15 at 22:06
  • Is the rear wheel installed correctly? If there's any slop or loose quick release the wheel could be shifting in the dropouts under load and causing the problem. Look for unusual wear where the quick release contacts the frame, and try pushing the rim sideways at the chainstays. – Móż Sep 09 '15 at 23:42
  • Good suggestions. The derailleur hanger is straight. I didn't check this before because there had not been any impact between working perfect on the old wheel/cassette/chain and skipping with the new parts. I had previously worked the adjustment barrels back and forth to the point of shifting up and down a cog on the rear, no change in the skipping but the shifting definitely changed! I just checked the rear skewer, it was tight and properly seated. Just for grins I loosened it and confirmed proper position again. – Brad Johnson Sep 10 '15 at 01:01
  • andy256 - I pulled 4 links of the chain out before installing to make the new chain the same length as the old chain (laid them side-by-side to confirm). I used a chain pin tool and confirmed free movement of the links around the connection point when I was done. – Brad Johnson Sep 10 '15 at 04:36
  • My rear derailleur was a little messed-up from all my in-ride fiddling, so I reset the stops and dialed in the index shifting. Works perfect again. Still skips under torque. Waiting on the new chain, hope I haven't done too much damage to the new cogs with all the testing. – Brad Johnson Sep 10 '15 at 04:39
  • When you cut the new chain to size, did you do it by comparing overall chain length, or the number of links? If you used length you probably made your new chain too long. – Daniel R Hicks Sep 10 '15 at 17:42
  • I don't follow, please explain? I had both old and new chain laying side-by-side on my workbench (ends not connected) - same links and length. ??? – Brad Johnson Sep 10 '15 at 18:27
  • Or are you referring to chain stretch? I did not have the old chain under tension. – Brad Johnson Sep 10 '15 at 18:30
  • Doh! I see what you mean. Apologies to all, my confidence in my chain measuring was misplaced. Partly because my garage is a mess (storing stuff for friend going through divorce) and I guess I was in too much of a hurry at assembly, my workbench was too cluttered to hold the entire chain length at once, so I moved it through and apparently lost track of some links. I was two links long. I removed two and now it no longer skips on the big or small ring, but still does on the middle ring. I tested the range of cogs on all three rings. – Brad Johnson Sep 11 '15 at 06:03
  • So it appears I have an issue with my middle ring. No obvious visual issue, but I guess I will order a new ring. – Brad Johnson Sep 11 '15 at 06:04

1 Answers1

0

Since you replaced the cassette and chain already, it could be your (front) chainrings that the chain is skipping on.

Check if the teeth are significantly worn (shark tooth shaped) and if the chain rides up the teeth under torque. If thats, the case, then your chainrings may need replacing.

Josh Click
  • 111
  • 3
  • It would be very unusual for all three chainrings to be worn out. – Daniel R Hicks Sep 08 '15 at 23:40
  • The skipping is basically cog/chain ring independent. It happens in every combination I tried, which is why I'm leaning toward a chain issue. It's definitely skipping in the rear not the front, although I've had mashed chain rings (riding rock gardens on my mtb) cause phantom shifts in the rear, so I understand what you are suggesting. I haven't done any rock gardens with my road bike recently, and my big ring (53T) is only two years old, so I don't think they are the problem. – Brad Johnson Sep 09 '15 at 18:23