chain is also 8 speed. not that old either. i replaced it back in november and ive only ridden the bike a few hundred miles before i changed the rings. its definitely a problem in the back. either a hub issue i am overlooking or just a #%^d derailleur. or perhaps its just dirty as heck.....i blasted the whole backend with some wd-40 and let it soak for ahwhile. put it back in the stand and it seems to run much better. will try a road test tommorrow to see what happens...