rear derailuer wheel skipping...

chill123

i've had my current steed for about 4 years and done a few thousand miles on it.

i'll fess up and admit i haven't looked after it well at all. only recently have i started to clean it properly and degrease/relube the chainset regularly etc.

i have the folowing symptoms:

- rear jockey wheels are skipping
- cassette teeth show signs of wear
- i presume my chain may be stretched (it's never been replaced)?

i guess my question is how do i know which bits are knackered and need replacing?

Down the Road

You take it to a bike shop and get it serviced

marcusjb

The above poster might be correct - but you should invest in a chain wear indicator tool and check your chain length every couple of weeks (especially in winter).

It would be safe to assume that you have a worn chain with large mileage and general neglect. Sadly, this time, you'll have to replace the cassette (and possibly the chainrings as well, but worth getting the bike shop to look them over).

It's shouldn't be hugely expensive (but not mega cheap either) - but it should serve as a lesson to lubricate and clean things and to change your chain when it's worn (a cassette should last a good long time if you don't run a worn chain on it).

Berk Bonebonce

Down the Road wrote:

You take it to a bike shop and get it serviced

Anyone with half a brain never lets their bike near a bike shop. Have you heard of some of the tales of bike shop cok-ups on this forum. A bike shop in my home town has gone down in folklore after putting a carbon frame in their stand only to have it crack when they closed the jaws.

Yup. Buy a chain wear indicator for less than a tenner.

Jockey wheels skipping as the chain passes over them is usually indicative of a stiff or damaged chain link.