Raleigh gear problem
 

Hi!

I have an old Raleigh racer bike that I been having for some year. A while ago something happened to the gears and the back gear do not stop shifting. It keeps on shifting until the chain jumps out from the teeth and get stuck between the teeth and the bike frame. I have tried to change the tension of the screws on the gear itself and been trying to loosen up the gear cable but the problems remains. Any leads on what might be wrong and how it might be fixed?

Than you in advance!

Check the alignment of the rear derailleur cogs They should track in the same plane as the
cogs, no matter what gear you are in..

If the bicycle fell over on the drive side, the derailleur has the potential to get bend slightly
(or a lot).

This might explain your issue.

Photos of the the drive side and from the rear of bicycle would help with diagnosis.
rusty

I am not the most experienced bike mechanic so I am not super user what I am looking for. What I can see is that when I put the chain back onto the teeth they chain is not straight.
But maybe that is not what you meant?
I also saw that the material that is on the lower wheel on the gear is wear down. It makes the chain jump. Can this be a part of the problem too?

Why can I not post any images here until I have 10 post? Thats stupid! But I have some photos!

One possibility is that the shift lever is not tight. When you shift to a larger cog, if you hold the lever in place, will the chain stay in place? And then when you let go of the lever, the chain moves back down to the small cogs and the lever moves by itself? If so, tighten the screw/bolt that holds the lever on. If it is too tight, you will not be able to move the lever with your hand. But just a little bit looser than that, it will hold the lever in place after you shift.

This forum has a "trial" period of posting before it will accept links and photos to be placed in a post. One way around this is to write out the address (spelling "at" and dot") of a third party photo sharing service, like Flicker (which is what I have used). The hope is that spammers and trolls won't have the patience to hang around that long and that real people will be patient, or go that small extra bit as I mentioned.

The OP said the chain drops off to the outside, between the small cog and the frame " It keeps on shifting until the chain jumps out from the teeth and get stuck between the teeth and the bike frame." This is the opposite of the usual result when the bike falls over and the rear der gets bent inward toward the spokes (and away from that between the frame and cogs point). It's quite possible that the pulley teeth are worn but this shouldn't make the chain jump off the cogs, maybe allow the chain to ride up somewhat off center of the pulley and thus rub against the cage plate. This is a different issue then what's asked about.

One very devious cause might be a broken axle. With power the freewheel, and rest of the wheel, can pull forward. The, now, two parts of the axle pull apart. The cogs become misaligned WRT the der (which is still attached to the frame, the other end of the broken axle). But this problem usually only shows with strong pedaling and not so much when the bike's rear wheel is lifted off the ground.

This is one more reason that more info is needed for us to preform long distance assessment. Andy

Thank you for the replay so far!
Dont seam to manage to get those images on line. But I had a look myself and the chain is very much not in line so I will I will have a look again if there will be an affect when changing the tightness of the lever screws. Last time it did not and this act of constantly shifting the gear was still there. But I try again.

Any other leads on why the sifting is still happening I am happy to hear them!

When I was less experienced at bike mechanics, I took my early 1980s Raleigh Super Grand Prix to my LBS when I had problems with chain and shifting. I was pleased with their work. They replaced rear derailleur and chain, and even adjusted my headset without my asking. Maybe give them a try. The only other time I've used LBS after high school was when I broke a spoke (stick got between spokes and slammed into seat stays), and they did a good job then too.

Been spending some more time with the gears after finding a good tutorial online how to adjust the lever screws.
Now I got the chain to not jumps of the cogs all the time which is great, but I still have one problem which is that the chain after like some turns make a little jump.
It seams like it starts somewhere down in the lower jockey wheel and make the whole chain take a skips.
I am starting to wonder if it dose this just because the chain is a bit rusty and the joints are not moving as the should. Or could it be something else?

Thanks agin for all the replays! Just getting a terminology and understanding what I shall sear for is super helpful!

As mentioned by AeroGut ......... sometimes on my '78 Raleigh the tension adjustment on my downtube shift levers gets too loose and I'll have one or the other DR shifting from the big to smalls by itself and then the chain jumping because it's not lined up properly. So check the tension adjustment on your shift levers first. Particularly if like mine, the old style friction levers.

So here is the follow up cessation regarding the chain, I thought I might change it anyway because it is quiet rusty and old.
I learned from youtube that I need to sound the teeth rows on the casket and that shall tell me what chain I need. The video I watched said that they standard start from x7 until x12.
Now my bike only have 5 rows. What type of chain shall I get?

Thanks in advance!

Something like this although you may be able to find a better price.
https://www.amazon.com/KMC-116L-6-Sp.../dp/B00HZ8POGK

Chains require sizing. Which means removing links. If you don't have the tools and know how, then you might find that buying one at your LBS (Local Bike Shop) and letting them install it worth the little bit of extra cost they charge. A chain breaker might be a tool you only use once. A cheap one can break first use. Any in the wrong hands might ruin the chain and sized wrong ruin the bike.

Of course depending on the stay-at-home rules in your area, it might be hard to find an open LBS. Some shops have mobile service too that might be an option so you don't have to get out.

If it's an old rusted chain then liberal amounts of something like wd40 might loosen it up after a while. If the bike hasn't been ridden thousands of miles in it's life, the chain and gears are unlikely to be worn. IMO.

But there are a lot of things it could be and many things might be out of wack contributing to what you are seeing. So a LBS if ones available will be helpful. Around me, they are really inexpensive for the maintenance they do.

5 cogs = 1/8" chain. I had this 1974 Raleigh 1x5 too, with a stem shifter.
This pic was just before I scrapped it. Likely near what your bike is. I still LOVE and use the grips.
I think the axles were 95 mm and 120. The front and headset bearings were 7/32" I think.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cfdcba28a6.jpg