Pedal Slip / Slap / Delay

Frank Wilson

Apologies upfront if there is a simple fix or remedy for this problem but as I get older I feel I have a lot less confidence in repairing things than I used to.

In a nutshell I am experiencing delay when pedalling, the best way I can describe it is like when we used to have cotter pins to hold the pedals on (older members will remember them) and when they had worn a bit the would slip a bit with a delay to take up the slack.

I had a new chain fitted about three months ago, would it be as simple as the chain now having stretched a bit and the gears needing adjusting, they do change fine at the moment.

Sorry if this is not a great description of the problem but quite hard to put into words really.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

StillGoing

Sounds more like the chain is too long and the delay is taking up the slack before becoming taught. It won't have stretched in 3 months unless you have incredible power beyond the abilities of humans.

sungod

damaged/stuck pawl in the freewheel?

chaymck

Stiff link?

dee4life2005

May be a gunked up pivot bolt in the rear derailleur, so it's not fully taking up the slack on the bottom loop of chain ... so when you stop pedalling you get a bit of slack build-up that feels like a delay when you start pedalling again as you are taking up the slack before it seems to engage.
You usually get a tell-tale oily stripe across your chain-stay when this happens though. To diagnose this as the issue just move the derailleur and pulley cage by hand and check that both are snappy when they spring back and that it takes up the slack in the chain.