made a new mtn. bike buddy here in central Indiana. and of course he asked me too take a look @ his bike cause he was having a bit of trouble( as if i know what i`m talking bout lol) anyway, he has a TREK 49000w/ shimano deore level componentry. he has a few upgrade needs beside current problem......problem is, he replaced the chain only and now has some ghost shifting as he said. what i found was it actually felt like it was popping or skipping forward. not like it was trying too climb to or fall to the next chainring on the casstte! but actually skipping forward as if the drive mechanism was giving out. i gave it a lil tuning up. the sram cassette looked ok, not too worn but still new chain replacement done earlier today. as i said earlier, i suggested some upgrades(chainrings and pulleys and new cassette). so in this long winded post. is it just the chain or could it be the pawls and springs located in the drive shell? i really couldnt get a feel for his bike as i rode it(had a thud buster type seatpost) He is a healthy clyde and does quite a few rides during the week @ town run trail. it`s a roller coaster type ride that gets dusty and sandy conditions when it`s dry here. and last but not least he`s probably put 500 miles on this rig........any tips would be greatly appreciated............Thanks..................ghost....................
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rear derail barrel adjuster won't work? this can be a sensitive adjustment.
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worn chainring or der. adjustment
With 500 miles the middle chainring may be worn enough (especially if the chain was pretty stretched) that with the new chain, it is going to skip. Might only need to replace the mid ring... get a steel deore for longer wear (or an alu raceface, ppl seem to be getting more wear out of 'em than $himano).
I'd doubt with only 500 miles the drivetrain would be so worn, that he'd need a new cassette. Now, I'm not sure of the longevity of the sram, but I get lots more miles off of a cassette than 500... I doubt new der. pulleys are needed, unless you can attribute significant drag to 'em.
As a rule, replace the chain often (or at least check it for stretch), so you don't have to replace the more expensive chainrings and cassette... Which is what a good ruler or chain-checker is for.
Now all that said, it may just be a simple barrel adjustment that is needed, since it's only been 500 miles, after all. If it's skipping/jumping while not under much load, try adjusting the barrel adjuster where the shifter cable comes out of the shifter... do this while riding straight on flat terrain. small adjustments clockwise or counterclockwise until it stops skipping. And make sure it shifts cleanly gear to gear throughout the entire range of the cassette.
good luck,
Serge
With 500 miles the middle chainring may be worn enough (especially if the chain was pretty stretched) that with the new chain, it is going to skip. Might only need to replace the mid ring... get a steel deore for longer wear (or an alu raceface, ppl seem to be getting more wear out of 'em than $himano).
I'd doubt with only 500 miles the drivetrain would be so worn, that he'd need a new cassette. Now, I'm not sure of the longevity of the sram, but I get lots more miles off of a cassette than 500... I doubt new der. pulleys are needed, unless you can attribute significant drag to 'em.
As a rule, replace the chain often (or at least check it for stretch), so you don't have to replace the more expensive chainrings and cassette... Which is what a good ruler or chain-checker is for.
Now all that said, it may just be a simple barrel adjustment that is needed, since it's only been 500 miles, after all. If it's skipping/jumping while not under much load, try adjusting the barrel adjuster where the shifter cable comes out of the shifter... do this while riding straight on flat terrain. small adjustments clockwise or counterclockwise until it stops skipping. And make sure it shifts cleanly gear to gear throughout the entire range of the cassette.
good luck,
Serge
GhstRydrX said:
if your chain is stretched, then it will wear the cassette. if he was running the worn chain for a while before replacing it, then his cassette will have worn as well. This is why its so important to frequently check the chain for stretch. Its cheaper to buy just a chain then a cassette and chain.
I would guess a new cassette would be the problem.
I would guess a new cassette would be the problem.
it`s all good.....
I was thinking the same thing styles, new cassette needs to be ordered. checking the rear derailure first was part of my initial inspection. made sure we cleaned it pretty well, even dripped a lil lube on the pulleys and checked em for drag(nothing to sticky)...took the chain off and made sure the alignment of the derailure and cassette looked in line(Hi-Low set screws were well withing the perameters of decent set-up). barrel adjusters were turned all the way back in and i re-adjusted the cable pulling it snug. maybe messing with the B-screw exagerated the problem. But iguess it wasnt as bad as it was ealier when he was out riding...In the stand evrything seemed to shift pretty well considering the product type(low end shimano). i have too admit, i`m sort of used to my srams! X.O. on my new rig and 800x-rays on the old schwinn. With all of that said, the popping of the drive was still there when pushing the gears, i didnt matter if i was in the granny, mid. or large chainrings up front....the action was definitely happening in the back section.front chainrings are definitely worn though(not severe) but time to change. cassette also showed signs of wear (i like the shark fin descriptions i`ve read in the other post here) sharks were definitely in the water lol....i didnt get to talk to jeff today, but i`m gonna see if he has his old chain, i want too check his chain length and also see if the old one is going to have the same problem.the cool thing is, this is his first riding season with a mtn. bike and he definitely has the fever! he will most likely retire this rig and get something a lil more spensive over the winter. drooling over an FSR on e-bay. gotta love it.....ghost
I was thinking the same thing styles, new cassette needs to be ordered. checking the rear derailure first was part of my initial inspection. made sure we cleaned it pretty well, even dripped a lil lube on the pulleys and checked em for drag(nothing to sticky)...took the chain off and made sure the alignment of the derailure and cassette looked in line(Hi-Low set screws were well withing the perameters of decent set-up). barrel adjusters were turned all the way back in and i re-adjusted the cable pulling it snug. maybe messing with the B-screw exagerated the problem. But iguess it wasnt as bad as it was ealier when he was out riding...In the stand evrything seemed to shift pretty well considering the product type(low end shimano). i have too admit, i`m sort of used to my srams! X.O. on my new rig and 800x-rays on the old schwinn. With all of that said, the popping of the drive was still there when pushing the gears, i didnt matter if i was in the granny, mid. or large chainrings up front....the action was definitely happening in the back section.front chainrings are definitely worn though(not severe) but time to change. cassette also showed signs of wear (i like the shark fin descriptions i`ve read in the other post here) sharks were definitely in the water lol....i didnt get to talk to jeff today, but i`m gonna see if he has his old chain, i want too check his chain length and also see if the old one is going to have the same problem.the cool thing is, this is his first riding season with a mtn. bike and he definitely has the fever! he will most likely retire this rig and get something a lil more spensive over the winter. drooling over an FSR on e-bay. gotta love it.....ghost
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