[offRoadMtnBike]

The bike: Gary Fisher Cake 3 Dlx.

The Problem: Chainsuck

I have taken the bike back to where I got it a few time to get the Chainsuck problem fixed. They have made improvements with the problem but I still have problems downshifting under load going up hills. I took a couple pictures to show basically what chainsuck is and what damage it does to the bike.

https://home.rochester.rr.com/picturesonline/cs.jpg

Is this typical damage to the paint and frame of the bike?
https://home.rochester.rr.com/picturesonline/damage.jpg

I am new to Mtn Biking but not new to dirt bikes or hybrid bikes.

I really don't know if this is typical as far as the damage is concerned...

 

[mward]

From what I understand fishers are more prone to chainsuck than is common. Don't shift to the granny under load, shift up (harder) about 3 sprockets in the back and go to the granny before the hill, then downshift in back to get the lower gearing.

 

[sliderhouserules]

In general you shouldn't try to shift the front derailleur under load. If you have to then you should relax your pedal load until the shift completes. If you're still getting chain suck even when you're not loading the pedals all that much during a front shift then you have a mechanical (or design) problem.

I'm not too keen on the whole drivetrain picture, but a good chain can make a difference. Once you get some damage to your chain from previous chain suck incidents the chain will be more prone to chain suck in the future.

Check your front cranks closely to see if they're bent or out of skew slightly. This can cause chain suck all by itself. Most BB/cranks allow you to adjust their axis slightly to get them lined up perfectly, I believe. This may be what your LBS has already looked into.

Replacing your cranks is a last ditch option. I have an old Trek that had horrible chain suck (due to damaged/bent cranks) and I had the BB/cranks replaced and it rides fine now. I still get minor chain suck but the bike always had that. And I'm still running the original chain on it (over 10 years old now)! I should probably get a new one but I have a new bike and just use the Trek as my campus bike so I haven't really worried about it. It doesn't chain suck all that bad since I had the cranks replaced so it's rideable.

 

[omendelovitz]

Welcome to the world of Gary Fisher

I have a Sugar 2+ from Fisher and exactly the same thing happens (more intense, but not as far back). There are a couple of lesser fixes that can be applied - 1) make sure the chain is well lubricated and clean as often as possible. 2) switch your chainrings to Shimano, that is supposed to help a bit.

O