Bicycle Mechanics - bike chain piling up when coasting

Tonight when I walked my bike and got back on, the chain was all piled up behind the cranks. I managed to turn the cranks a few turns and it worked again. Then when I coasted....same thing...seemed like the rear derailer kept feeding chain forward when it shouldn't have.

I had noticed before that when I was walking the bike in/out of the garage, the cranks were turning....I thought that was odd, because my husband's trek doesnt do that.

Maybe i should've bought a trek. :(

Sounds like your freewheel isn't freewheeling. Do you have any problems when you coast on your bike. Your freewheel/cassette (whatever your rear gear cluster is called) may need a cleaning and relubrication -- or, replacement. Do you have similar troubles with coasting, expecially if you coast slowly (which would be the same as rolling it out of the garage)?

thanks!

yes same problem when coasting.....sounds like you've diagnosed the problem....such a new bike, hard to imagine it needs lube already. If i were to try it myself, what lube should i use? I have wd40 at home and also something called "road rage" that the LBS sold me for the chain.

If that doesnt do the trick. I'll have to take it back to the LBS i suppose and let them work on it.

I have wd40 at home

Don't use WD-40. It is actually an "anti-lube" and is more of a solvent than a lubricant. You'll just wash away more existing grease if you use it.

Thanks to your tips I was able to isolate the problem. As you suspected, the free-wheel was not free-wheeling. Turned out the transparent plastic shield that is between the spokes and the free wheel had come loose and was wedged in an akward angle. I was able to loosen it and determine that 2 of the 3 tabs that are supposed to fasten it were missing. ?sheared off?

I'll take it to the shop because it looks like the whole assembly will need to come off in order to put on a new shield. Way beyond my skills.

Many thanks for the help.

just break the sheid off and don't use it. just take it to the LBS as soon as you start to hear the derailure hiting the spokes or learn to adjust the derailure yourself.

That is an excellent idea! That way I can still cycle till I can get to the shop.

Are there books you recommend about how to do such adjustments?

"effective cycling" I can't remember the author but he wrote several versions, the one I got from a liberary sale is very good about all sorts of adjustments, and how to's

and don't use WD'40, your better off with plain old 10w30 (Like you put in you engine) I have an old "snot sucker" from when my kids were babies that I use to put little dabs of oil just where I need it (I'm to cheap to buy an oil can with a trigger and spout)

Are there books you recommend about how to do such adjustments?

You could read Sheldon Brown's website (www.sheldonbrown.com) - he's got lots of good info there. I learned everything I needed to know about fixing my bike as a teenager (long, long ago) from "Anybody's Bike Book" by Tom Cuthbertson (Amazon lists it).

For some closure on this thread. The local bike shop removed my broken shield. The young mechanic said, "yeah these shields last about 2 weeks on Gary Fishers, they have weak tabs." He double checked the deraileur to ensure it would not interfere with the spokes. He did not recommend putting another shield on. I took the bike for a ride and it was much improved. I hadn't realized how much drag the wedged shield was having on the efficiency of the bike. I wonder if someone has given Gary Fisher some feedback on the flimsy shield tabs.

Many thanks for all the tips from the clever people on this forum.

sheldonbrown.com is wonderful!!!