Getting into the swing of it....

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Ok, I have been a born again cyclist now all told off and on due to the weather and Christmas for a couple of months. I'm aiming to average around 60 miles a week so I'm not challenging for a yellow jersey just yet.
I am managing most aspects of the gears, got nearly all of the kit I need and mastered the shoe/pedal thing which really daunted me at first.

I'm hitting a problem occasionally when changing from the small (front cog) to the big one. Twice the chain has come off, which in all the times I have done it is nothing really but annoying all the same. I've had the bike serviced but the same thing happened last night. Is it possible I am doing something wrong or is there a special knack to it. If I'm very careful it appears there isn't a problem but when I forget about it, I grind to a halt.

The other more concerning thing is looking over my shoulder when approaching busy roundabouts on dual carriageways when turning right and trying to get into the right hand lane. ie exiting at 3 o clock. I'm not sure if this is difficult because I'm wearing too many layers, no confidence or I'm knocking on a bit now!

Should I be looking at investing in a mirror or is this another thing that comes in time?
 

biggs682

Touch it up and ride it
Location
Northamptonshire
Did you mention the front ring issue to the shop that serviced the bike ?

If not just drop back in and ask them to have a look it will more than likely be a matter of some fine adjustment of the fr mechanism screws

Can i ask why you are cycling on busy dual carriageways to start with i avoid them at all costs and certainly wouldn't fancy swapping lanes when busy , is there not a cylce path alongside it ? or find an alternative quieter route would be my advice

but well done re 60 miles a week keep it up
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Adding to the high limit screw adjustment advice, if you are having problems doing shoulder check, you can always try taking your right hand of the bars when doing it. You should be able to twist further.
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
Can i ask why you are cycling on busy dual carriageways to start with i avoid them at all costs and certainly wouldn't fancy swapping lanes when busy , is there not a cylce path alongside it ? or find an alternative quieter route would be my advice

The op's no choice if they want to go north or south. Me? I'd be going East from there; out into the lanes where it's quieter.

@Marazzi Mick it's probably both confidence and experience in terms of shoulder checks, etc. Have you thought about your local club, BBM Revolution? They do a lot of quieter rides. Oh, and a few much faster ones * : http://www.bbmrevolution.cc/


* been there, done that with them. Still have nightmares. Will be back for more in the autumn.
 

Will Spin

Über Member
If the chain is coming off the big ring when changing up and it's going over onto the pedal side then you've got too much tension in the cable. It's quite easy to adjust this. First find the adjuster, if you have external cables then this will be on the down tube, if you have internal cables this should be on the cable in the handle bar area. Turn the adjuster clockwise (I.e. screwing it in) about a 1/4 turn at a time until shifting is achieved without the chain coming off. You can make these fine tuning adjustments while riding if you're careful, only make sure you are adjusting the one for the front derailleur and keep an eye on the road!
 

Vantage

Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
As others have said, this sounds like a limit screw adjustment but may also be a cable tension adjustment too. It may be that the derailleur cage isn't sitting parallel with the chainset. If you YouTube front derailleur adjustment it can be easily sorted.
Depending on what type of handlebar you use, a mirror is a good idea. I found that the ones for straight bars to be a bit on the small side. If you're using a drop bar then I recommend the Cateye BM300G race mirror which go for about £6. It plugs into the end of the bar and is held in place by tightening a screw...a bit like a wall plug. It folds away easily and is made of nice soft plastic that is almost impossible to snap.
The general advice on mirrors is that if you see a vehicle in the rear view, then there's a vehicle and no need to shoulder check. If you can't see a vehicle then swing your head around to double check. More so at night.
I find doing a shoulder check causes the bike to wander to my right and that's bad so a mirror greatly reduces that problem.
 

Will Spin

Über Member
It's not a limit screw adjustment problem. You need the upper limit screw adjusted out further than the derailleur will move when shifting, thereafter it's all about the adjusting the cable tension so that the chain doesn't come off when changing up onto the largest chain ring, the limit of the derailleur movement in this direction is set by the cable tension and not the limit screw. If you try to prevent the chain coming off by adjusting the limit screw there won't be enough movement in the derailleur to allow the gear change.
 

Vantage

Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
Outer limit screws aren't there because they look pretty. They do a job. That job is preventing the derailleur travelling too far and throwing the chain off the chainring.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Since you had it serviced, take it back, and get them to sort it out. Then you can have a read about cable tension and limit screws at your leisure and maybe do it next time it needs adjusting.
 

boydj

Legendary Member
Location
Paisley
One tip in changing to the big ring is to do it before you go too far down the cogs at the back - either that or come up a couple at the back before going onto the big ring. Ideally, the straighter the chainline when you are making this change, the less likely you are to drop the chain. This is assuming that the limit screws are adjusted correctly.

As an aside, if the chain does drop off outside the big ring it is often possible to get it back on by shifting back to the small ring position and continuing to pedal. Mostly this will work, but just occasionally the chain might jam, so you have to be ready to deal with that.
 
OP
OP
Marazzi Mick

Marazzi Mick

Active Member
One tip in changing to the big ring is to do it before you go too far down the cogs at the back - either that or come up a couple at the back before going onto the big ring. Ideally, the straighter the chainline when you are making this change, the less likely you are to drop the chain. This is assuming that the limit screws are adjusted correctly.

As an aside, if the chain does drop off outside the big ring it is often possible to get it back on by shifting back to the small ring position and continuing to pedal. Mostly this will work, but just occasionally the chain might jam, so you have to be ready to deal with that.

Both of those are top tips - thank you sir!
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
Personally, I change front ring fairly early and use the available gears before I end up getting cross-chained (by which I mean low at one end and high at the other). My experience (of what is assume is a compact set up) is that by avoiding cross-chaining you can find the best combination of gears for simple and straightforward changing.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
If you plan to continue cycling you need to learn how to adjust the bike yourself. A bike is not like a car, which needs new fluids and filters every few thousand miles but nowadays, no adjustment. A bike is a delicate assembly of components that need occasional adjustment so to have a service and expect perfect long-term performance is asking too much; you need to be constantly tweaking it to get the best from it.
 
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