worn chain, or worn derailleur spring?
08-27-07, 05:17 PM
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worn chain, or worn derailleur spring?
Recently my chain has been going insane, smacking around and making a bunch of noise. I have lizard skins on my chainstay so it is not just normal noise. This happens even when going over small changes in elevation, say in the sidewalk. I thought it was just due to lateral chain travel, and the chain getting hooked on the knobs of my tires (new panaracer fr's, which are 2.4s versus the 2.2's I used to run). However, I did a quick check of my chain wear by measuring 12 links, and I think it's over the recomended length by 1/8th which probably means I should replace it. Buuut, could the slapping be caused by a worn out spring in my derailleur? I would hate to buy a chain when I can simply replace a spring, although I should anyway I suppose. The bike is about 1.5 years old, with a good solid year of riding everyday to class, and also a fair amount of trail use maybe 1-2 weekly. Generally how long does it take a stock chain to wear out?
08-27-07, 06:00 PM
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Remove a few links? Maybe it'll help. Or adjust the Z-screw to tighten it.
08-27-07, 06:42 PM
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well if theres that much chain wear, get a new chain. some can be pretty cheap. if thats not the problem then deal with the deraileur. if u think about it, $20-$30 isnt that much to waste on something you need to replace sooner or later any way. also, a bike shop might be able to identify the problem. and theres always taking the chain of an old bike that works fine to see if its the problem, that way u dont waste any money. good luck!
08-28-07, 07:55 AM
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With that much riding, I wouldn't be surprised if it was your chain stretching. Measure it to find out.
08-28-07, 10:14 AM
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Sound like chain suck on the rings. Old chain, dirty chain and rings. Much more likely to be this that a worn derailleur spring. The springs don't weaken much, they just break when worn out.
08-28-07, 01:18 PM
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Yeah, the chain was 1/8" longer than 12 inches for 12 links. I just got a new sram chain which the lbs said is pretty good. so we'll see if that's what it is (hopefully it is) thanks for the help
08-28-07, 01:42 PM
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The only other thing, if it keeps happening is you may need a new cassette too. Once a chain gets too worn, the chain will start wearing away the cassette a bit. This could cause certain problems. IIRC, 1/8 is within the recommended change interval and the cassette is most likely okay. Try the new chain and see if you have any more issues. If so, look there. If not, ride on... 
