Slipping gears after new chain

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Hi guys

My chain snapped at the weekend and chucked me off.

Keen to get back in the saddle, I duly replaced the chain this evening, but it's now slipping.

Cards on the table - I'm a proper newbie numpty when it comes to cycling!

I think I may have left the new chain 2 extra links in the chain, and have probably underlubed it.

I'm just after a bit of peace of mind that sorting this out is within my capability!

Any advice greatly appreciated!
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
How did you set the chain length?
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
If the cassette is old it may be worn and need replacing as well. Do the teeth look quite pointy like shark fins or are they squared off at the ends?
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
A new chain doesn't really need lube for a good few miles.
Did you measure the new chain against the old chain to match the same amount of links?

You don't say where the chain is slipping.
At the crankest or the cassette? Either or, if you have used the chain well past it's worn point then it could have worn the cranksets and/or the cassettes teeth making it slip.
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
As Hacienda has said, could be a worn cassette, but you need to get the chain length correct first to eliminate that. Did you use the old chain to set the new chain length or did you use large-large cog method
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
ok and did you allow just one extra inch (two links) once the chain was stretched over the large cogs
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
Well if the chain is the correct length then as the other posters have said it could be the rear cassette, but I would split the chain first and recheck the length to rule that out first because its the simplest thing to do. I have an 2 old mtbs (15 years) that have not done many miles and the chain and cassette are perfect.
Can you also measure some of you old chain to see if its stretched, this may give an indication of cassette wear.
 
OP
OP
Gruff Eddie

Gruff Eddie

Regular
OK, I'll fish the old chain out the bin and measure it.

Another daft question - if, say, 100 links of the old and new chain are the same length, does that indicate that, as the chain is not stretched, the cassette is unlikely to be worn?
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
Could be, but then again has the chain be changed before so the cassette is now on its third chain!
Also if you measure the old chain you need to do it fairly accurately over a reasonable length I would think (I've never done it with a rule, only ever used a chain gauge) because you're looking for quite small errors (stretch measurement), don't know if anyone else here has used a rule to measure chain stretch.
By the way, don't throw the old chain away, it may be useful some day (chain whip may be).

Good luck anyway Eddie, hope you get it sorted soon.
 
Sounds like the new chain doesn't mesh on the old cassette properly.
I'd put the old chain back on with a powerlink if possible and source a new cassette. Using the new chain with the old sprockets will wear it prematurely AND it probably won't shift or index cleanly.
 
Top Bottom