KapnKaos

Hello all, I'm very new to recumbent, I bought this one from a garage sale $175 and put another $100 in to it to get it what I would consider ready to ride. Because of my "newb" status...I may not really know what that is.

I rode it for about three months. The first couple of weeks was flawless, then the chain began to slip in the higher gears (harder to pedal) but not at all in the lower gears. After another month...maybe six weeks it's begun to slip in all gears. I've done some lurking in this forum and read many, many posts on chain slipping. I've also followed some links to external articles helping me learn more about taking care of the chain.

Is there anything that is inherent to recumbants in regards to chain slippage?

cyclistbrian

Sounds like you need to adjust the tension on the rear derailleur cable. It'll most likely need to be tightened. If you've had a new cable installed it's probably stretched a bit.

corkscrew

It could be in the shifting - if the shifters are indexed.

More likely I'd guess that the chain is worn out, and possibly the rear gear cluster as well. If fiddling with the shifter cables don't work, I'd look into a new chain and rear cassette/freewheel.

Mr Gnome

Kapnkaos,

I'm no mechanic, but I haven't ran across any different problem with mine over what you'd do for a DF bike.

Probably like, Brian said if you changed cables.

Are you doing anything different in your riding habits you didn't before? i.e. Cross chaining, etc? Did you change the chain? I've read that a new chain and an old warn out freewheel/cassette can cause problems. It would be the same thing the other way around with a new freewheel/cassette and an old warn out chain. Have you checked your chain for stretch?

There is a recumbent forum @ https://www.bentrideronline.com/ or for just the forum @
https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/index.php which is just about recumbents, so you'd probably get more info over there.

It would be a good idea to list what you've done, as you stated, "ready to ride." Some of these mechanics around here would have a better chance of helping you.

Bob

BlazingPedals

I'd vote for a worn chain and cassette. You can get a chain checker tool for not much moolah, or just replace them. See how the new chain rides on the old chainrings; they may need changing too. This is not a 'bent specific issue, it happens to uprights all the time, too.

JanMM

+1

Retro Grouch 

Assuming you have a derailleur drive train there are 3 potential causes:

1. Misadjusted shifting. Since you've had work done on this bike this gets my vote for most likely. If that's the case 1/2 turn CCW on a barrel adjuster to the rear derailleur will probably fix it.

2. Chain and/or cassette wear. Easy to check. Hold a steel ruler up to the chain. On a new chain there will be two pins that are exactly 12" apart. If those two pins are 12 1/8" apart you need a new chain. If they are 12 1/4" apart you need a new chain and a new cassette. I replace chains when it reaches 12 1/16".

3. Skipping freehub body. It's kind of hard to diagnose because the problem usually only happens when you're riding. If it's neither of the other two, this is probably it.

The only thing that's really different about recumbents is the frame design. Unfortunately, that can make storing and working on them a little different and some high volume bike shops prefer not to work on them.

charly17201

One thing no one else mentioned - and since you are new to bents....... chain roller and routing.

1. Make sure your routing through the roller is correct (find a good pic of your model on google - probably the easiest if you can't find it on the manufacturer's page).

2. Then go to Sheldon Brown's web site (https://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html) - everything there on chain tension/stretch/maintenance applies to bents also (it just doesn't go in to the bents and the rollers).

Then check
3. Chain stretch.
4. Chain tension.
5. Front derailer and Rear derailer adjustments (https://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html)

If the chain is routed right, isn't stretched, tensioned correctly, and derailers adjusted properly - then it is most likely cassette wear or a bent derailer.

One last thought - if you have replaced the chain, or the previous owner did and did not get the right chain for it, there can be problems. Chains are sized not only by length, but also by how many gears on the cassette (i.e. 10 speed, 8-9 speed, etc) and this can cause problems too as to the cog has to fit in the chain. The 10-speed cassette requires a thinner chain than an 8-9 speed cassette, etc.

One more last thought (and the cheapest fix) --- if you replaced the shifter cables already, it is most likely that they have stretched now and simply need adjusting.

Good luck, Hope this was clear enough.

rumrunn6

worn chain and gears - replace them - you'd have to anyway at some point - so might as well do it now. no one doesn't change them.

BlazingPedals

I just thought of another possibility. Tight link in the chain. Easy to check: slowly backpedal and watch the chain as it goes through the jockey pulleys at the derailleur. If a link is tight, it will cause the derailleur to 'jump.' You'll see it easily! It causes the same 'jump' when you're pedaling forward, and the jumping makes it partially shift, which can feel like a skip. If that's the case, oil the link and twist the chain in that spot to help loosen it up again.

Jeff Wills

+1 on this. This is usually the case on bikes that have been sitting for some time.

Kap'n, I am a bike mechanic (OK, semi-retired- I have a "real" job now), and bikes bought at garage sales are usually suffering from neglected maintenance rather than outright wear 'n' tear. It sounds like you've already spent time and money getting it into riding shape, but did you clean and oil the chain? Grease the brake and shift cables?

VegasTriker

OK, now you have peaked my curiosity. What recumbent did you get for $175? Even the least expensive models like the Sun recumbents usually go for more than that.

KapnKaos

I'm so very sorry guys. Thank you everyone for reaching out to me with so much fantastic advice. It's been a crazy life for the past few weeks and I'm finally getting back to reading all your responses. There are a few questions that have been asked and I'm going to do my best to answer them in this reply.

Mr Gnome mentioned I should list what I've done to make this "ready to ride". I looked at the rollers and it didn't' appear that they were setup correctly, I looked up some pics on line to find an example of what it should look like and (I believe) fixed the top roller so that it's in the correct position. The front crank arm stripped after the second or third ride so I bought a new front gear and arms. I've made some other adjustments to the seat/handlebars but nothing that would effect gears. I bought some lights too...because I was riding in winter and it was dark out.

Many have spoken about new cables and stretching, I didn't change the cables but the bike wasn't ridden much when the guy built it. I'm going to tighten the cables today along with checking for a tight link and will get back to you around lunch time to update anyone that's still interested. :-)

Jeff Wills - I haven't done anything with the maintenance you suggested, I'll try oiling the chain and greasing the brake/shift cables. I'm sure I can find some advice on that process online.

VegasTriker - It was a garage sale purchase...it appears to be unbranded. The story goes, this lady's dad built the bike (and one for his wife) so they could "get in shape" but they never road them. Apparently, he sold his wife's bike for around $350 but I was able to talk his daughter down to $175 (good for me). I've pushed up a pic, if you know what' I've bought from the picture I would love to put a name to this thing.

Thank you again everyone, I'll be posting another update in a few hours.

KapnKaos

So, the bike works fine now...it's amazing what a little bit of oil on a chain can do! (Please, don't berate me, I know that should've been the first thing I looked at)

I did the "peddle backwards" thing and the chain was "sticking" to the front gears. It was slow going at first (both the back peddling and my thought process) but eventually the chain stated to move smoother over the gears. Then, finally, I thought, "Oh, I should try oiling this chain...it's very dry". I grabbed what was handy (10w-30) and put a thin coat on the chain. Then the back-peddle thing became significantly improved. I checked the air in the tires and went for a short trip around the block. Not an exhaustive test by any means but I was able shift through all of the gears and there was no slipping.

Time to read that link about proper care and maintenance of chains again...maybe pay attention this time.

charly17201

Glad it is working out for you now. The Sheldon Brown web site I can't say enough about. It is really helpful regardless of what you are trying to learn/do mechanically to a bike. Motor oils isn't the best for a chain, but lord knows I used more than enough of it on my bikes when I was a kid.

A good on-line source for 'bent parts is HostelShoppe.com. The prices aren't the cheapest, but I do love the customer service.

KapnKaos

So, I got a quick ride in today, during the last half of my lunch hour. Just over 2 miles and no problems with shifting. I made sure I got some time in all my gears...there's some adjusting that need to be done on the front derailer but...no big deal. Everything else looks to be working good. I just need to find something other than 10w-30 to oil the chain with. ;-)

Thanks so much for everyone's help (and kindness).

himespau 

Hoping it's just that the ferrules are seating more in the housing than they did at first and you just need to adjust.

Edit:Whoops, that's what I get for not reading the whole thread/not looking at the dates before posting. Looks like your fix was almost as cheap. Best wishes.

BlazingPedals

Glad to hear that the chain was just binding. I'm still curious as to what the bike looks like. When I clicked on the link, I got:

"Invalid Attachment specified..."