Bike is slipping and skipping.
07-12-20, 09:14 AM
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Bike is slipping and skipping.
Hello,
I have a Giant bike I bought from Craigslist and it skips and slips a lot. Not a smooth ride at all. I aligned all the gears and checked if the chain is tight enough but it still slips. I asked my buddy whose a little more into bikes and he noticed that the back shifter was a Shimano deore 7 speed and the front shifter was a Shimano Altus 3 speed. The cassette is also an 8 speed.
He seemed to believe that this Mish Mash of parts, primarily the 7 speed shifter on an 8 speed cassette, is the cause of the slipping of the chain. Also just for informations sake, the chain is a 7 speed chain.
Any help and/or is appreciated. Thank you for your time.
I have a Giant bike I bought from Craigslist and it skips and slips a lot. Not a smooth ride at all. I aligned all the gears and checked if the chain is tight enough but it still slips. I asked my buddy whose a little more into bikes and he noticed that the back shifter was a Shimano deore 7 speed and the front shifter was a Shimano Altus 3 speed. The cassette is also an 8 speed.
He seemed to believe that this Mish Mash of parts, primarily the 7 speed shifter on an 8 speed cassette, is the cause of the slipping of the chain. Also just for informations sake, the chain is a 7 speed chain.
Any help and/or is appreciated. Thank you for your time.
07-12-20, 09:34 AM
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While you might be able to make a 7 speed shifter work on an 8 speed cassette, it requires a bit of finesse to do so. Your bike would work better if you match the cassette to the shifter or vice versa. As the cassette is the cheaper of the two ways to go, I’d suggest a cassette change.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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07-12-20, 09:37 AM
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When you say the rear shifter, do you mean the rear rear derailleur or the rear shifter mounted on the handlebars? The rear derailleur difference does not matter. What does usually matter is the rear shifter that is mounted on the handlebars should match the number of cogs on the cassette, but even a seven speed shifter on an 8 speed cassette should not cause the problems that you are experiencing.
There are also other many other possibilities that are not readily apparent, and more likely to be the cause of your problem. You need to let a mechanic give the bike a once-over to know for certain what needs replacing. There could be cable friction, bent derailleur, bent hangar, stiff chain links, bent chain links, worn chain, worn cogs, etc.
Can you be more specific what was done by “aligning gears”? That is a vague statement that demonstrates a level of experience inconsistent with the probability of improving things. Did you adjust the limit screws on the derailleur? Did you adjust the cable tension or barrel adjuster? Did you bend anything? The actual gears (cogs and chainrings) are nearly impossible to go out of alignment, so “aligning them” is a curious statement.
There are also other many other possibilities that are not readily apparent, and more likely to be the cause of your problem. You need to let a mechanic give the bike a once-over to know for certain what needs replacing. There could be cable friction, bent derailleur, bent hangar, stiff chain links, bent chain links, worn chain, worn cogs, etc.
Can you be more specific what was done by “aligning gears”? That is a vague statement that demonstrates a level of experience inconsistent with the probability of improving things. Did you adjust the limit screws on the derailleur? Did you adjust the cable tension or barrel adjuster? Did you bend anything? The actual gears (cogs and chainrings) are nearly impossible to go out of alignment, so “aligning them” is a curious statement.
Last edited by aggiegrads; 07-12-20 at 09:41 AM.
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07-12-20, 09:39 AM
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I mix and match parts all the time. No guarantee that is your problem.
Slipping chain could be 100 different things, most likely worn parts. Since you appear new to bikes I would say take it in for a tuneup, but from the posts I read bike shops are all slammed so may take weeks to get that work done right now
Bikes are easy and fun to work on, lots of good info on line. Hit up the park tool website or Sheldon Brown's website, the godfather of all things bicycle related. 7/8 speed chains can be had for $10, cassettes aren't a whole lot more, amazon sells inexpensive kits with chain breaker tools and chain stretch gauges. Forums like this contain lots of knowledgeable but highly opinionated people, threads can quickly get sidetracked. The Park Tool and Sheldon Brown websites are perfect for learning basic bike mechanics.
Slipping chain could be 100 different things, most likely worn parts. Since you appear new to bikes I would say take it in for a tuneup, but from the posts I read bike shops are all slammed so may take weeks to get that work done right now
Bikes are easy and fun to work on, lots of good info on line. Hit up the park tool website or Sheldon Brown's website, the godfather of all things bicycle related. 7/8 speed chains can be had for $10, cassettes aren't a whole lot more, amazon sells inexpensive kits with chain breaker tools and chain stretch gauges. Forums like this contain lots of knowledgeable but highly opinionated people, threads can quickly get sidetracked. The Park Tool and Sheldon Brown websites are perfect for learning basic bike mechanics.
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07-12-20, 09:47 AM
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Bikes are easy and fun to work on, lots of good info on line. Hit up the park tool website or Sheldon Brown's website, the godfather of all things bicycle related. 7/8 speed chains can be had for $10, cassettes aren't a whole lot more, amazon sells inexpensive kits with chain breaker tools and chain stretch gauges. Forums like this contain lots of knowledgeable but highly opinionated people, threads can quickly get sidetracked. The Park Tool and Sheldon Brown websites are perfect for learning basic bike mechanics.
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07-12-20, 09:52 AM
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While you might be able to make a 7 speed shifter work on an 8 speed cassette, it requires a bit of finesse to do so. Your bike would work better if you match the cassette to the shifter or vice versa. As the cassette is the cheaper of the two ways to go, I’d suggest a cassette change.
07-12-20, 09:57 AM
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When you say the rear shifter, do you mean the rear rear derailleur or the rear shifter mounted on the handlebars? The rear derailleur difference does not matter. What does usually matter is the rear shifter that is mounted on the handlebars should match the number of cogs on the cassette, but even a seven speed shifter on an 8 speed cassette should not cause the problems that you are experiencing.
There are also other many other possibilities that are not readily apparent, and more likely to be the cause of your problem. You need to let a mechanic give the bike a once-over to know for certain what needs replacing. There could be cable friction, bent derailleur, bent hangar, stiff chain links, bent chain links, worn chain, worn cogs, etc.
Can you be more specific what was done by “aligning gears”? That is a vague statement that demonstrates a level of experience inconsistent with the probability of improving things. Did you adjust the limit screws on the derailleur? Did you adjust the cable tension or barrel adjuster? Did you bend anything? The actual gears (cogs and chainrings) are nearly impossible to go out of alignment, so “aligning them” is a curious statement.
There are also other many other possibilities that are not readily apparent, and more likely to be the cause of your problem. You need to let a mechanic give the bike a once-over to know for certain what needs replacing. There could be cable friction, bent derailleur, bent hangar, stiff chain links, bent chain links, worn chain, worn cogs, etc.
Can you be more specific what was done by “aligning gears”? That is a vague statement that demonstrates a level of experience inconsistent with the probability of improving things. Did you adjust the limit screws on the derailleur? Did you adjust the cable tension or barrel adjuster? Did you bend anything? The actual gears (cogs and chainrings) are nearly impossible to go out of alignment, so “aligning them” is a curious statement.
07-12-20, 09:57 AM
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First, how stretched is that chain? It could either be too stretched out to stay seated on the cogs or newer than the cogs. (Same issues in front. They just take longer to show.) A quick check for the chain. Get a steel ruler or tape measure. Measure 12 pairs of chain links with the chain stretched out. (How tight doesn't matter.) For ease of seeing what you are measuring, measure from the front of any pin to the front of a pin 24 links (12 pairs) away. On a new chain this will be 12" exactly. If it is 12-1/8", that chain is shot and so is the cassette almost certainly. 12-1/16"? Replace the chain and see if things are better.
Next question - is your rear derailleur properly centered over the cog in all the gears? (Put the bike on a stand or hang it by a loop around the nose of the seat and look from behind.) There is a cable tension adjust barrel where the RD cable comes into the derailleur. If the derailleur centers in (say) the big cog but is off on the small cogs, the derailleur and shifter may not be a match. They both need to be designed around the same pull of cable per gear shift. (This isn't my forte. I'm a friction shifting dinosaur.) Another possibility, again, not my forte - the cassette spacing may be different from the RD shift jumps if it is a road cassette; Deore being mountain. This will show just as the mismatched cable pull.
Lastly, put the chain in the middle chainring and middle cog (or whatever makes for the straightest chain as viewed from behind. Sight along the chain but observe the rear derailleur. Is it lined up with the chain, both fore and aft and vertically. (You may be able to hold a yardstick in line with the derailleur cage and estimate if that is parallel to the rim or the wheel.) This sighting is all about derailleur hanger alignment, that 2" piece of aluminum (usually) that sits at the right dropout and extends down and serves as mounting for the rear derailleur. That hanger gets bent every time the bike falls over onto the derailleur. Replacement hangers are at every bike shop for common bikes If yours is bent,it can be straightened, but they are aluminum. Bent and straightened, it will break eventually. All bike shops have the tool to measure and align the hanger but the aluminum caveat still stands. (Don't straighten it on a carbon fiber bike! Breaking the bike's dropout will cost you the frame. Take it off and do it in a vise. Better, take 1t to a shop.)
There are plenty of other factors that may be causing your woes, but these three are easy to see and address.
I just straightened the aluminum hanger on my best bike. A shop has set aside a replacement for me.
Ben
Next question - is your rear derailleur properly centered over the cog in all the gears? (Put the bike on a stand or hang it by a loop around the nose of the seat and look from behind.) There is a cable tension adjust barrel where the RD cable comes into the derailleur. If the derailleur centers in (say) the big cog but is off on the small cogs, the derailleur and shifter may not be a match. They both need to be designed around the same pull of cable per gear shift. (This isn't my forte. I'm a friction shifting dinosaur.) Another possibility, again, not my forte - the cassette spacing may be different from the RD shift jumps if it is a road cassette; Deore being mountain. This will show just as the mismatched cable pull.
Lastly, put the chain in the middle chainring and middle cog (or whatever makes for the straightest chain as viewed from behind. Sight along the chain but observe the rear derailleur. Is it lined up with the chain, both fore and aft and vertically. (You may be able to hold a yardstick in line with the derailleur cage and estimate if that is parallel to the rim or the wheel.) This sighting is all about derailleur hanger alignment, that 2" piece of aluminum (usually) that sits at the right dropout and extends down and serves as mounting for the rear derailleur. That hanger gets bent every time the bike falls over onto the derailleur. Replacement hangers are at every bike shop for common bikes If yours is bent,it can be straightened, but they are aluminum. Bent and straightened, it will break eventually. All bike shops have the tool to measure and align the hanger but the aluminum caveat still stands. (Don't straighten it on a carbon fiber bike! Breaking the bike's dropout will cost you the frame. Take it off and do it in a vise. Better, take 1t to a shop.)
There are plenty of other factors that may be causing your woes, but these three are easy to see and address.
I just straightened the aluminum hanger on my best bike. A shop has set aside a replacement for me.
Ben
07-12-20, 09:59 AM
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I mix and match parts all the time. No guarantee that is your problem.
Slipping chain could be 100 different things, most likely worn parts. Since you appear new to bikes I would say take it in for a tuneup, but from the posts I read bike shops are all slammed so may take weeks to get that work done right now
Bikes are easy and fun to work on, lots of good info on line. Hit up the park tool website or Sheldon Brown's website, the godfather of all things bicycle related. 7/8 speed chains can be had for $10, cassettes aren't a whole lot more, amazon sells inexpensive kits with chain breaker tools and chain stretch gauges. Forums like this contain lots of knowledgeable but highly opinionated people, threads can quickly get sidetracked. The Park Tool and Sheldon Brown websites are perfect for learning basic bike mechanics.
Slipping chain could be 100 different things, most likely worn parts. Since you appear new to bikes I would say take it in for a tuneup, but from the posts I read bike shops are all slammed so may take weeks to get that work done right now
Bikes are easy and fun to work on, lots of good info on line. Hit up the park tool website or Sheldon Brown's website, the godfather of all things bicycle related. 7/8 speed chains can be had for $10, cassettes aren't a whole lot more, amazon sells inexpensive kits with chain breaker tools and chain stretch gauges. Forums like this contain lots of knowledgeable but highly opinionated people, threads can quickly get sidetracked. The Park Tool and Sheldon Brown websites are perfect for learning basic bike mechanics.
07-12-20, 10:03 AM
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First, how stretched is that chain? It could either be too stretched out to stay seated on the cogs or newer than the cogs. (Same issues in front. They just take longer to show.) A quick check for the chain. Get a steel ruler or tape measure. Measure 12 pairs of chain links with the chain stretched out. (How tight doesn't matter.) For ease of seeing what you are measuring, measure from the front of any pin to the front of a pin 24 links (12 pairs) away. On a new chain this will be 12" exactly. If it is 12-1/8", that chain is shot and so is the cassette almost certainly. 12-1/16"? Replace the chain and see if things are better.
Next question - is your rear derailleur properly centered over the cog in all the gears? (Put the bike on a stand or hang it by a loop around the nose of the seat and look from behind.) There is a cable tension adjust barrel where the RD cable comes into the derailleur. If the derailleur centers in (say) the big cog but is off on the small cogs, the derailleur and shifter may not be a match. They both need to be designed around the same pull of cable per gear shift. (This isn't my forte. I'm a friction shifting dinosaur.) Another possibility, again, not my forte - the cassette spacing may be different from the RD shift jumps if it is a road cassette; Deore being mountain. This will show just as the mismatched cable pull.
Lastly, put the chain in the middle chainring and middle cog (or whatever makes for the straightest chain as viewed from behind. Sight along the chain but observe the rear derailleur. Is it lined up with the chain, both fore and aft and vertically. (You may be able to hold a yardstick in line with the derailleur cage and estimate if that is parallel to the rim or the wheel.) This sighting is all about derailleur hanger alignment, that 2" piece of aluminum (usually) that sits at the right dropout and extends down and serves as mounting for the rear derailleur. That hanger gets bent every time the bike falls over onto the derailleur. Replacement hangers are at every bike shop for common bikes If yours is bent,it can be straightened, but they are aluminum. Bent and straightened, it will break eventually. All bike shops have the tool to measure and align the hanger but the aluminum caveat still stands. (Don't straighten it on a carbon fiber bike! Breaking the bike's dropout will cost you the frame. Take it off and do it in a vise. Better, take 1t to a shop.)
There are plenty of other factors that may be causing your woes, but these three are easy to see and address.
I just straightened the aluminum hanger on my best bike. A shop has set aside a replacement for me.
Ben
Next question - is your rear derailleur properly centered over the cog in all the gears? (Put the bike on a stand or hang it by a loop around the nose of the seat and look from behind.) There is a cable tension adjust barrel where the RD cable comes into the derailleur. If the derailleur centers in (say) the big cog but is off on the small cogs, the derailleur and shifter may not be a match. They both need to be designed around the same pull of cable per gear shift. (This isn't my forte. I'm a friction shifting dinosaur.) Another possibility, again, not my forte - the cassette spacing may be different from the RD shift jumps if it is a road cassette; Deore being mountain. This will show just as the mismatched cable pull.
Lastly, put the chain in the middle chainring and middle cog (or whatever makes for the straightest chain as viewed from behind. Sight along the chain but observe the rear derailleur. Is it lined up with the chain, both fore and aft and vertically. (You may be able to hold a yardstick in line with the derailleur cage and estimate if that is parallel to the rim or the wheel.) This sighting is all about derailleur hanger alignment, that 2" piece of aluminum (usually) that sits at the right dropout and extends down and serves as mounting for the rear derailleur. That hanger gets bent every time the bike falls over onto the derailleur. Replacement hangers are at every bike shop for common bikes If yours is bent,it can be straightened, but they are aluminum. Bent and straightened, it will break eventually. All bike shops have the tool to measure and align the hanger but the aluminum caveat still stands. (Don't straighten it on a carbon fiber bike! Breaking the bike's dropout will cost you the frame. Take it off and do it in a vise. Better, take 1t to a shop.)
There are plenty of other factors that may be causing your woes, but these three are easy to see and address.
I just straightened the aluminum hanger on my best bike. A shop has set aside a replacement for me.
Ben
07-12-20, 10:10 AM
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Ben’s other advice is good.
What tools do you have? It sounds like you have a chainwhip and cassette tool.
07-12-20, 10:10 AM
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Thanks for the reply! I think I'm going to change the shifter simply because I think I would need to bend the rear forks to accomodate the 7 speed cassette. However my question is, would this address the slipping and skipping and provide me with a smooth ride? Provided that there are no other issues of course.
*Caveat: There are wider hubs out there now that you would need to spread your rear triangle to accomodate but for at least up to a 10 speed cassette, you can use a 135mm hub.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-12-20, 10:10 AM
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Unless you got the bike for less than a hundred bucks, I'd investigate getting your money back. You might have a money pit. Especially if you don't have experience DIY'ing bikes.
07-12-20, 02:20 PM
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Sounds like a worn out chain and/or rear cog set. Could also be a bent crank/chainrings if it's happening in all gears.
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