Chains advice

[hollibob]

I have a boardman pro MTB 2014
Riding it today my gears were slipping up and down on there own
After about 3 miles it just stuck and on closer inspection the chain had pulled apart and I had to Bodge it to ride home very very slowly
It still came off 5 times
MY QUESTION was it slipping due to the chain been knacked or has the slipping knacked the chain

 

[Dave 123]

The slipping could be gear indexing, stretched links, worn cassette, worn chainring or indeed a knackered chain.
If you can't, then take it to a person who can.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It is important to understand the word slipping. When referring to erratic chain behaviour at the cassette, the terms skating and skipping is more descriptive.

Skating would have the chain run over the sprocket without dropping down and engaging the teeth or, popping out from the teeth and skating over the top. This is due to chain and cassette wear.

Skipping has the chain vacillate between two or more sprockets as if it can't decide what gear it wants to be in. This is due to a gear adjustment problem.

Which one?

 

[Cycleops]

Chains can wear like any other component due to any number of factors.

Have a look at the cassette and see if there are hooked or sharp teeth or any other sign of wear, if none replace the chain and see how it fares.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Chains can wear like any other component due to any number of factors.

Have a look at the cassette and see if there are hooked or sharp teeth or any other sign of wear, if none replace the chain and see how it fares.

No no and no. A cassette does NOT wear like you describe.

 

[Cycleops]

So how does it wear?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

So how does it wear?

You've been here long enough to have seen the debates. It's all in the record. I'm not going to regurgitate hours of writing when you can easily search for it. Point is, if you don't understand something, don't offer advice.

 

[Cycleops]

You do seem unnecessarily touchy this morning. Here's something that might help the OP:

View: https://youtu.be/8LqTmvuf6tw

 

[Ajax Bay]

Have a look at the cassette

You can't see if a cassette's worn (to the point of slipping/skating when you put the power down): you feel it: it slips, normally on a sprocket in the middle of the cassette which has had more use. This is sometimes immediately apparent when you replace a chain, only to find you've left it too long and it's worn the cassette (some sprockets).

on closer inspection the chain had pulled apart

Please can you say what you mean by 'pulled apart'? Difficult to answer without understanding that.
Note: The OP has not been back since 0648 last Friday and has presumably therefore not seen the various advice given.

 

[gbb]

No no and no. A cassette does NOT wear like you describe.

You can't see if a cassette's worn (to the point of slipping/skating when you put the power down): you feel it: it slips, normally on a sprocket in the middle of the cassette which has had more use. This is sometimes immediately apparent when you replace a chain, only to find you've left it too long and it's worn the cassette (some sprockets).

Please can you say what you mean by 'pulled apart'? Difficult to answer without understanding that.
Note: The OP has not been back since 0648 last Friday and has presumably therefore not seen the various advice given.

As a genuine question / comment, can we clarify something without resorting to arguements

It's often stated that you can't see cassette wear....I can't accept that, I've seen it on a couple of my bikes that were neglected, I can pull photos off the internet that quite clearly show wear, sharks toothing, whatever the correct terminology might be, but to the layman, wear is absolutely evident.

Should we really be saying that when encountering transmission problems, skating in particular I suppose, can occur when a cassette looks in good condition. Equally, if a cassette has visible wear on it...it's fooked, no question.

In other words...skating, slipping can occur when you can't visually detect 'wear'
If you can see 'wear'....the cassette should be considered FUBAR'd.

Serious and respectful question....I know it inflames posts sometimes.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

As a genuine question / comment, can we clarify something without resorting to arguements

It's often stated that you can't see cassette wear....I can't accept that, I've seen it on a couple of my bikes that were neglected, I can pull photos off the internet that quite clearly show wear, sharks toothing, whatever the correct terminology might be, but to the layman, wear is absolutely evident.

It depends who I address when I say you can't see wear. I can see it, I can describe it but most of the people who tell others here that they should look out for shark-toothing and shark-finning are imagining it. No-one has yet shown me a cassette that wears to sharp points (shark-toothing I assume?) or breaking waves shape (shark finning, I assume).

Cassette wear is very subtle and you have to know what to look for. A driven sprocket wears completely differently from a driving sprocket. A driving sprocket first wear like a shark fin and then in stage two like a shark tooth i.e. sharp point. In stage three it changes shape again and the wear presents as a wave pointing backwards, not forwards and without the incurl of a breaking wave. I have posted photos of all stages on here before.

Should we really be saying that when encountering transmission problems, skating in particular I suppose, can occur when a cassette looks in good condition. Equally, if a cassette has visible wear on it...it's fooked, no question.

I don't really understand the question. But I'll try. Like I said, cassette wear is only visibly noticeable to the experienced observer. The best test for a worn cassette is a new chain and a test ride.

In other words...skating, slipping can occur when you can't visually detect 'wear'
If you can see 'wear'....the cassette should be considered FUBAR'd.

Yes on the first count.
On the second count, I want to know who it is that can see it and want to hear a description of the wear indicators before I'll answer that question.

Serious and respectful question....I know it inflames posts sometimes.

I don't think I've ever not answered someone's technical questions seriously or with thought and insight. No need to tread on eggs.[/QUOTE]

 

[fossyant]

You can't always see a worn cassette if it's just wearing out, but you'll know its worn as soon as you fit a new chain as the chain will skip.

I'd get yourself a KMC chain and a Sunrace cassette if you want to keep the costs down as cassettes can be expensive.

 

[gbb]

Or to look at it another way, to get right down to the nitty gritty...

You can't see if a cassette's worn (to the point of slipping/skating when you put the power down): you feel it: it slips, normally on a sprocket in the middle of the cassette which has had more use. This is sometimes immediately apparent when you replace a chain, only to find you've left it too long and it's worn the cassette.

I've replaced cassette's where modest wear is evident but I suffered no slippage or skating prior to that point...and I never cycle steady, often power up inclines out the saddle....at what point would slippage occur if it's going to happen before wear is visually evident....I've used cassette's up to and over the point of visual wear but never ever as far as I can remember suffered slippage / skating.

I realise the variables make it an inexact science but ...

Moving on, I note OPS original point was his chain had pulled apart by which I assume he meant a side plate had popped. If I may use Yellow Saddles explanation in former posts, that's because of a bad shift at some stage that's stressed the link. Feel free to correct me YS. I could imagine a scenario where that popped side plate would in simple terms catch , jam, whatever somewhere it shouldn't. Could this be what OP is describing ?

 

[fossyant]

A worn cassette usually has 3 or 4 of the most used sprockets that won't mesh with a new chain and hence needs a new cassette.

Pain in the wallet

Gone are the days where you could replace single sprockets.

 

[Cycleops]

It depends who I address when I say you can't see wear. I can see it, I can describe it but most of the people who tell others here that they should look out for shark-toothing and shark-finning are imagining it. No-one has yet shown me a cassette that wears to sharp points (shark-toothing I assume?) or breaking waves shape (shark finning, I assume).

Cassette wear is very subtle and you have to know what to look for. A driven sprocket wears completely differently from a driving sprocket. A driving sprocket first wear like a shark fin and then in stage two like a shark tooth i.e. sharp point. In stage three it changes shape again and the wear presents as a wave pointing backwards, not forwards and without the incurl of a breaking wave. I have posted photos of all stages on here before.




I don't really understand the question. But I'll try. Like I said, cassette wear is only visibly noticeable to the experienced observer. The best test for a worn cassette is a new chain and a test ride.


Yes on the first count.
On the second count, I want to know who it is that can see it and want to hear a description of the wear indicators before I'll answer that question.



I don't think I've ever not answered someone's technical questions seriously or with thought and insight. No need to tread on eggs.

[/QUOTE]
Shame you couldn't have responded in this manner in the first place.