What am I doing wrong?

lycraholic

Northwind wrote:

Cleaning the chain, you mentioned wiping it down with a brush, that doesn't do much... Quick and effective method is chain off, into a jar of paraffin, shake it all about, take it out, hang it up to dry then relube- you'll not get cleaner and you'll not get better lubed either. And it doesn't take long, couple of minutes if you discount the drying time. But still even the dirtiest chain shouldn't eat cassettes that fast usually.

I'll certainly give that a go, it sounds much quicker if anything. I usually scrub it with a soapy brush then go in with muc-off and a wire brush, which works quite well but takes a fair while.

mea00csf wrote:

I'd change you're LBS, sounds like they're taking advantage.

Over the bike's life, 3 separate bike shops have suggested the same course of action for the recurring problems I've described- new block and chain. Whether they're all being unscrupulous, and whether indexing was always the issue each time, I can't know.

welshkev

thta does seem like a lot of changing of cassettes. i have one that's coming up 2 years now and is still going strong. and i'm 14 stone (90kg) and hammer my bikes off road (95% off road/5% road riding)

captainfly

I'm on sandstone, scythe stone and coal localy which make the mud super abrasive so even keeping my drivetrain super clean only got one chain out of a cassette but that was by letting the chain gett too worn (getting a checker after d'oh), now I just keep cleanish and change chains more often running two at once and swapping, cassetttes haven;t been an issue.since.

Shotsaway

Indexing is one of the easiest things you can do yourself. Practice will make you an expert. Once you can index yourself, you could also replace the cable, which may also improve the shifting issue.


It is interesting that some posters are recommending replacing chains every 1000 km or every couple of months?

My Rockhopper still has it's original cassette from 2004. The last time I replaced the chain was in early June and I've since covered about 2000 miles. I think I better buy a chain checker guide

lycraholic

THE SAGA CONTINUES...

Indexing didn't do anything, also sorry that I couldn't get photos of the cassette, my camera has gone walkabout.

Breaking off a clearly disfunctional relationship with my LBS, I headed off to another bike shop. The much more helpful guy told me...

1.)The cassette is not appreciably worn
2.)The cage is bent, causing the skipping when under high power. Why didn't the others notice this hmmm....

He's going to take a look at it on Monday, test ride it, and hopefully sort it out. He seemed rather disdainful of the previous prescriptions for "block and tackle" x1000!!!

The moral of this story, not all LBSs are saints!

wobbem

Best advice I've had is use 3 chains and rotate them every 400km.
A proper chain cleaner ie
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4671
makes life easy and does a good job, I don't use degreaser just hot water and soap and a few rinses then wipe dry. I clean the chain after every wet ride, there is always fine grit in puddles which is the killer.

heez29

Hangers out of alignment ever so slightly?

lycraholic

heez29 wrote:

Hangers out of alignment ever so slightly?

No, though that was a niggling problem in the past.

Eyon

Lycra, cant be much advice here, but two things. Where do you ride in and around cambridge? I'm in cambridge too, well just a few miles south. Also, for a LBS, try out Station Cycles Superstore in Histon. Dave is the mechanic and is very very clued up, he does all my work and cant reccomend enough. The store at the station and the grand arcade aren't half as good, its worth a few miles cycle to get to histon!

Ian

allen.coulson

Lycra,

Greetings from the Science Park up the road.

Can you not change tyour course to mechanical engineering - might save you a bob or two.?

Good luck with your studies. I remember good times as a student. No I don't - Iwas pissed all the time.

lycraholic

Eyon wrote:

Lycra, cant be much advice here, but two things. Where do you ride in and around cambridge? I'm in cambridge too, well just a few miles south. Also, for a LBS, try out Station Cycles Superstore in Histon. Dave is the mechanic and is very very clued up, he does all my work and cant reccomend enough. The store at the station and the grand arcade aren't half as good, its worth a few miles cycle to get to histon!

Ian

Funnily enough the one I took it in to was Station Cycles at the Grand Arcade, they seemed really helpful to me but the proof will be what happens on Monday when they take a look at it!

Where do I ride, well nowhere at the moment, my once magnificent quads are shrinking and wilting. My usual rides take me down to Haslingfield, round to Toft, back along the main road and up to Madingley before heading back. I really like going to Fowlmere through Shepreth, Fowlmere RSPB is great for a relaxing walk. I sometimes go offroad along the track from Hardwick to Coton but it furzes up my gears and I don't tend to do it so often.

Chris

lycraholic

allen.coulson wrote:

Good luck with your studies. I remember good times as a student. No I don't - Iwas pissed all the time.

I am still working off an epic dessert wine hangover, round two tonight, oh dear...

MountainMonster

Ah station cycles in grand arcade, the place only worth renting bikes from.

lycraholic

Apparently:

Mech is dead
Chain is dead
Cassette is dead
Chainset is dead

Can't afford to replace the drivetrain, can't afford a new bike, don't know what to do. I'll go crackers over Christmas without my bike.

ride_whenever

Single speed it.

conversion kit
chain
skinny chainring bolts if required
decent chainring
tensioner

You might not need the chainring bolts if you're lucky (the gusset ring is quite fat) and you could use your old mech as a tensioner even though it is bent.

Far cheaper and you can ride it until it slips or you kill the freehub.

evo3ben

I know you may have already stated earlier in the post, but what make/model drive train do you have? what bike is it? Just seems too much to go wrong :?

Rather than converting to single speed and with out the need to spend money you could ditch the rear deraileur, choose the cog you want the chain to stay on on the cassette (middle would prob be best to give straight chain line), leave chain on middle ring up front and shorten the chain to compensate?
This way its technically single speed.
Along with taking off the rear deraileur you can remove the cable and rear shifter. And if you want to go to town remove front mech, cable and shifter. You would shead alot of weight off the bike and still be able to ride it.
For as little as £16 you can get a chain guide for the front if you feel you need it.

Also looking on the bright side, without the option off changing gears for hills it will get you fitter and come next summer when you have the cash, replace parts as needed you will be super fit 8)

lycraholic

I can't convert it to singlespeed because I use it when I'm at home (slap bang in the middle of the Pennines).

I think I will just have to lose all hope of getting a road bike before 2012 and buy a new mountain bike. I can't keep haemorrhaging money on this one. The frame is slightly too small for me anyway.

desweller

If you are getting difficulties with chain position control then it is often due to the original installation of cables.

The rear loop to the mech in particular needs to be long enough to reduce friction on the cable. If this is too short then you will get OK mech position control on initial setup, but it will rapidly degrade as the cable outer goes through an initial period of wear. Mechs will last for ages though if you lube the pivot points and don't smack them on anything.