Winter Cycling - Winter riding causes chain skipping?

Hello,

I am new to winter riding. In the fall, my chain began skipping on my two highest gears, especially when pedaling uphill. It was only a minor annoyance at this point. Just recently, I went for a ride after the snow had melted, and by the end of my ride, my chain was skipping quite frequently on my two highest gears. Now I can barely use those gears effectively. How can I fix this?

I am thinking of bringing my bike in for a tuneup (I do not own many bike tools), but I'd prefer to fix the bike on my own if possible. I'd really appreciate your help!

Try this first. http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
Get an old toothbrush, and a scrub brush, some Simple Green or some other degreaser and clean your chain and derailleurs and the pulleys.

How many miles do you have on your chain? Chains do stretch over time, which causes skipping. They need to be replaced every once in a while. If you let it go on too long, you'll need to replace your cassette and front rings as well. Sheldon Brown's pages, as suggested by the other post above, are a great place for more information.

Perform each step if the prior steps do not solve the problem:

1. Clean your drivetrain with mineral spirits and re-lubricate your chain.
2. Replace the chain.
3. Replace the cassette.

In the future:

Maintain your drivetrain BEFORE the chain links rust stiff.

Winter riding itself doesn't cause skipping. It can lead to more rapid chain wear which does cause skipping. If you live in a place where the winters are wet or the roads are treated with sand and/or salt, winter riding can reduce chain life.

As others have suggested cleaning/lubricating the chain and sprockets may help if there's crud preventing the teeth from engaging the links correctly.

Since the skipping is limited to two gears it wouldn't surprise me if there are some worn teeth on the rear cassette (the collection of gears). Replacing the cassette requires a specialized tool and if you replace the cassette, you also need to replace the chain. Putting on a new chain requires it to be sized correctly and you'll need a chain tool to remove the extra links.

Another post mentioned Sheldon Brown's web site. It is an excellent resource for those who like to work on their bikes. The Park Tool website also has a lot of information on how to perform bike maintenance if you're interested.

The cassette tool and the chain tool aren't that expensive and for typical bikes, neither are cassettes and chains. Some cities have bicycle coops. Many of these places have tools and a space for you to work on your own bike for a small fee.

Hi!
I had the same problem with my hybrid in December. It was -16C (4°F) and my drivetrain went into free spin. As it turns out, the grease was so cold the palls (pawls?) in the rear hub had nowhere to grab onto. I toook it to Joe Mamma here in Ottawa and the bike genius there added a special lubricant that increased the grease's viscosity without breaking it down. Now I've been able to ride in -25C (-13°F) weather and there's only a rare hop.

So in short, it's not the chain hopping, I don't think, it's the hub. If it *is* the chain, I'd suggest you check to make sure the links are loose, by just bending it firmly at the point of kink (if you can find it).

Good luck!

I've also had ice/snow/sludge buildup during a ride preventing the chain from fully seating on the cogs and thus skipping.