Bicycle Mechanics - Rear Derailleur skipping while going up hill

hello guys,

The other night i had chain stuck, i couldn't free the chain from the front chainrings because it was a super tangled mess. So i used my foot and jumped on the pedal as hard as i can to free it (i'm not the brightest).

Turns out that i bent one of the chain links and caused a skip whenever it goes through the rear derailleur cage gears.

So i got a new chain, and the problem still persists. When i ride on flat ground the bike rides fine, but only when i ride up a slope will the rear derailleur skip during every revolution. I can't figure out the problem.

Do i have a bent derailleur cage?

I'll probably just take it to my shop since i suck with the rear derailleur.

Thank you in advance,


take care

The other night i had chain stuck, i couldn't free the chain from the front chainrings because it was a super tangled mess. So i used my foot and jumped on the pedal as hard as i can to free it (i'm not the brightest).

Turns out that i bent one of the chain links and caused a skip whenever it goes through the rear derailleur cage gears.

So i got a new chain, and the problem still persists. When i ride on flat ground the bike rides fine, but only when i ride up a slope will the rear derailleur skip during every revolution. I can't figure out the problem.

Do i have a bent derailleur cage?
This probably has nothing to do with the derailer. If it is skipping every revolution of the chain you've got a stiff link, most likely the link where you joined the chain.

There's a trick for fixing this, explained at http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment

It's also possible that your old chain and cassette had worn together, so the new chain doesn't mesh properly with the worn cassette.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/chains for detailed info on this.

If you still have the old chain, it would be helpful to pick up a ruler and measure it for elongation.

Sheldon "Chains" Brown

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. |
| No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they |
| have been married a quarter of a century. --Mark Twain |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Less likely than Sheldon's options is the possibility that the RD is a bit off and needs to be moved in or out a bit with the RD cable tension adjuster. Screw the barrel in or out 1 full turn, remember which way you turned it and try it out. Then either reverse the adjustment or try 2 full turns for effect. Worst case is you end up with the RD on the next cog from where it should be but more likely the Rd will be obviously noisier as it moves from optimal positioning and by 1/4-1/2 turn increments you can dial it in. Just keep track of which way and how much you turn the adjuster and what your starting point was.

Thanks a lot guys! I will give those suggestions a try.

take care

You might also check for a chipped tooth on chain wheels or cogs.

When i ride on flat ground the bike rides fine, but only when i ride up a slope will the rear derailleur skip during every revolution.

Every revolution of the entire chain, or every revolution of the rear wheel? If it's every wheel revolution, your cassette may be cocked sideways if the cassette was not initially torqued on properly.

Every revolution of the entire chain, or every revolution of the rear wheel? If it's every wheel revolution, your cassette may be cocked sideways if the cassette was not initially torqued on properly.


I when to the smallest chainring and smallest cassette gear. Pedaled backwards and indeed the chain pops up from the cassette ring every revolution. So perhaps my cassette is cocked sideways, or according to Sheldon, i may have a shot cassette. Though the cassette looks relatively fine, then again what do i know.

thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. I'll look further into that cassette.

take care

Less likely than Sheldon's options is the possibility that the RD is a bit off and needs to be moved in or out a bit with the RD cable tension adjuster. Screw the barrel in or out 1 full turn, remember which way you turned it and try it out. Then either reverse the adjustment or try 2 full turns for effect. Worst case is you end up with the RD on the next cog from where it should be but more likely the Rd will be obviously noisier as it moves from optimal positioning and by 1/4-1/2 turn increments you can dial it in. Just keep track of which way and how much you turn the adjuster and what your starting point was.
Not very scientific. If it's Campag 10 speed, move the chain to the 4th smallest cog and turn the cable tension adjuster until the upper jockey wheel is in perfect alignment with this cog. Alternatively, start from the beginning with the outer limit adjustment.

I when to the smallest chainring and smallest cassette gear. Pedaled backwards and indeed the chain pops up from the cassette ring every revolution. So perhaps my cassette is cocked sideways, or according to Sheldon, i may have a shot cassette. Though the cassette looks relatively fine, then again what do i know.

thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. I'll look further into that cassette.

take care


You may just need to remove the cassette, tighten up the screws that hold the cassette rings and spacers tight, and reinstall the cassette with proper torque setting.

yeah I alawys use my torque wrench NOT!!! it's not realistic. take it to your lbs (local bike shop) describe the problem. I would say it's the cassette/freewheel. ask your lbs to check for chain stretch an while you are there get a tune up. BIKES REQUIRE REGULAR MAINTANENCE

I have a similar problem but only when pedaling on the smallest rear cog. Does this call for the same suggested solutions? All help appreciated!

When I had a similar problem, I had just put a new chain on. I couldn't get it to stop skipping off the rear cassette, especially in the lowest cog. After judiciously adusting the limits and dialing in the the derailuer cable length, I replaced the cassette with a new one. Problem solved. It would be very difficult to actually see the difference between the old cassette and the new one with a bare eye - curious. But it's fixed.

what do you know.......... more than you did before this.

rubber down........yardbird

I when to the smallest chainring and smallest cassette gear.

You shouldn't do the small/small or big/big combination. Cross chaining can cause a lot of problems.

I when to the smallest chainring and smallest cassette gear

You should never, ever ride in that combination. It's the worst gear on the bike, and use of it kills chains and cassettes.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

Sheldon "No No" Brown

+-----------------------------------------------------+
| If the King's English was good enough for Jesus, |
| it's good enough for me! |
| -- "Ma" Ferguson, Governor of Texas (circa 1920) |
+-----------------------------------------------------+