Problem with pedalling?

nedia10

Hi

ive noticed a problem that has started over the last few days, seemingly by itself!

whenever pedalling, after every say .. 4 - 6 revolutions of the pedal, the pedals seem to 'jump' forward for lack of a better word, just a tiny bit, like theyre clicking forward, sorta jumping without any real force being needed

im assuming its something to do with the chain or something, as it seems it doesnt pull the chain, or theres little to no resistance for that split second


so its sorted like .. pedal for a few secs .. jump forward a bit ... pedal for a few secs .. jump forward a bit etc etc

if that makes any sense!!?

any ideas what this could be? the bike is bascially brand new and hasnt had much usage at all as of yet, i havent been fiddling about with it either so im fazed as to why it has started randomly happening

any suggestions or feedback appreciated!

maximus69

is your chain lubed up? had that on mine the other day.

how new is it? cables prob stretched a bit. just take it back for a service

hamstrich

It sounds like there may be one particular link in the chain which is skipping? I'd recommend inscpecting all of the chain links to see if you can notice any which looks different from the others. I had something similar to this a while ago...the chain broke shortly afterwards :shock:

nedia10

maximus69 wrote:

is your chain lubed up? had that on mine the other day.

how new is it? cables prob stretched a bit. just take it back for a service

no it actually looks like it could do with a bit of oil on it .. are you thinking lube would cure or aggravate the problem?

the bike has had very little use, and no rough use at all

its strange as it was fine one day then just started doing that the next

ill have a good look at the chain links shortly and see if i can notice anything strange

theres absolutely no way i could imagine the bike would need a service tho! its hardly been used

maximus69

not a service as such just might need gears setting up again. doesnt take long for cables to stretch when new.

give the chain some lube see how it goes. give everything a check over for anything obvious. some good guides about about setting gears up on park tools and u tube etc.

i have found though its better to just start from scratch when setting gears rather than trying to look for the sweet set up by adjusting adjusters and fiddling with high low limits. thats if you want to give it a go yourself!!
lbs wont charge you much for setting up gears if you dont want to do it yourself

brownix

this is a good page that tells you how to set up the front mech if you wanted to know

http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article.asp?sp=&v=1&UAN=2968

stu8975

It will be most likely a stiff link in the chain, by the time the link has done 1 revolution, your cranks would need to be turned several times. You may be able to spot it by pedaling backwards slowly, or get someone to hold the back wheel off the ground while you pedal forward.

nedia10

hmmm i dont want to risk meddling around with the gears, i tried it on a previous bike and ended up with a bike with 3 gears and awfully confused! and i dont really want to bring it to lbs incase this isnt the problem!

what does a stiff link look like and how do i deal with it? im assuming not enough oil could cause stiffness?

maximus69

you will just have to find it by moving the chain with your fingers. if you find a stiff link just try to free it by moving. remember to lube it
gears was just a suggestion by the way

stu8975

http://bicycletutor.com/stiff-chain-link/

nedia10

i took the bike out again there

i think it may be the gear .. when i have it on a really low gear (i think low is when pedalling is really easy!) the problem isnt there

but when its on a higher gear, and is harder to pedal, the problem is there

it seems to have got worse, with the bike almost 'stuttering' every 2 rotations of the pedals, i had it up and down the gears and it doesnt seem to be affecting the lower ones

Daz555

If it is happening more on the higher/stiffer (ie physicall smaller) gears then it is probably a stiff link. The tighter circumfrence of the smaller cogs makes it more difficult for the links to bend around.

Just go along the chain link-by-link and bend each one in both directions. If one feels sticky or stiff then you have a stiff link that needs sorting. You can also try rotating the pedals backwards whilst watching the derailleurs. A stiff link will often cause them to flick suddenly as it passes through.

nedia10

ok i had a good feel around the chain, theres definitely 2 or 3 that are very stiff, and no matter what way i bent or moved it it didnt loosen any!

it seems theres a couple of 'phantom' stiff links lol .. the derailullier jumps but checking the chain that has just went through it theres no stiff links .. although im guessing that may be down to a stiff bit going through another part of the system?

so looks like i need to get a chain tool then!

cheers for all the speedy helpful replies anyhow!

out of curiousity, how do the links become stiff? they seemed fine one day then really stiff the next?! strange!

maximus69

well done.
outer plates pushing against the roller, googled it!! just make sure you use decent lube after you have sorted it. you could lube it and leave it over night and try again?
you can buy a multitool with chainbreakers on them. something to consider!

nedia10

im considering buying this, reckon it would be a worthy investment?

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 148c003525

also, would i do any damage by using the bike with stiff links in the meantime?

cheers!

mattwhi1

Sorry guys im at work so not read through all the threads this might have already been mentioned!!!

This sounds like one of the links in your chain is bent, mine was doing this after my chain got sucked up and jammed between the frame and front chainset!

Tip: if this happens on a ride I found that getting a small allen key or screwdriver from your tool kit finding the link and put the tool through the link and bending it back ever so slightly this should solve the problem until you can get a new chain fit.

It took me ages to work it out!

Tallchap1

I had same problem. New chain solved it. One stiff link caused me to adjust the gear mechanisms like it was giong out of fashion. To make it worse it only happened after a long run. Feel at the chain found the bugger out. Seems the friction generated enough heat to cause the link to tighten right up. Horrible feeling.

-liam-

Anyone considered the freehub ?

Northwind

nedia10 wrote:

im considering buying this, reckon it would be a worthy investment?
!

The smaller Lifeline set from Wiggle is better. Both good enough but the Wiggle kit has a better tool selection IMO, and they're higher quality.

nedia10

ok to answer my own question about is it being safe to use the bike with it ...

NO!

my chain snapped

im waiting on my wee tool kit and lube etc coming ... what im wondering is .. is it a big job to put a chain on? or would i be safer handing it in to LBS? dont want to do any damage!!

much is a chain?

and chain fitted?

cheers!!

Northwind

It is veeeery easy. Easier with some chains than others, but always easy. Trouble is, if the chain's been worrn enough to snap, chances are the cassette is also worn out- you'll see this immediately if you fit a new chain, it'll not sit properly on the teeth (and can even sit on top, if it's as bad as my brother's chains always are) and it'll skip as you pedal- exact same problem as a stretched chain, the teeth oval out so they're basically longer than the chain links.

What sort of cassette is it? If it's a cheapish one, it's worth just ordering another I'd say, the chance of the old one being unworn is very very slim given what happened to the chain. Luckily my idiot brother uses Shimano HG40s so they cost under a tenner. Fitting a cassette is ever so slightly more involved, but still easy enough if you can work a spanner at all.

mellex

nedia10 wrote:

what im wondering is .. is it a big job to put a chain on? or would i be safer handing it in to LBS? dont want to do any damage!!!

It's not a big job and you'll be amazed how simple it is. There is a good walk-through guide with pictures in the 'Workshop' section of this site. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-chain-maintenance-18117

Just make sure you measure the length of your old chain and cut the new one to the same length, that is assuming you didn't lose any links when the old chain snapped.

nedia10

i dont have my old chain!! i was out somewhere when it snapped and was gonna take it with me and thought it was of no use so left it where it was as i was wearing light clothes and didnt want to get covered in oil!

the bikes just new so hopefully it hasnt worn the cassete, ill go check now!

Bobhellen

you should not leave thing like that on the floor not good for the name of the sport

nedia10

ok had a look at the teeth .. some seem less pointed than the other ones but dont seem overly worn compared to the teeth on the gears that id rarely use?

some are pointy others a bit flatter but doesnt seem like much wear?

pleaaaase tell me i havent done much damage


ETA: just done a bit of googling and it seems that its the middle part of the crank that has the most 'wear' although im not sure if its meant to be like that? there seems to be little damage to the cassate?

Northwind

What I'd do then is just get the chain but watch carefully for any problems- if you put a new chain on a worn cassette it'll just wear the chain out superfast. If it does have problems with meshing or skipping, don't carry on riding if you can possibly avoid it or you'll just have a bigger bill later. Good luck! You might have got away with it.