Originally Posted by
Honda_03
I went out to work on the bike and the chain length is limited. Tried putting it in the big sprocket in combination with the 3rd but the chain wasn't long enough. And tried putting it with the small sprocket and 7th that also didn't work, chain was too short.
6/7-speed chains are cheap. Buy a new one, stop faffing about.
Or hit some shops. Say you cut a chain too short. Ask if they have some links laying around.
Originally Posted by
Honda_03
It seems I can ride the bike for a good little bit with the combination of the small sprocket and the 5th but then it after awhile the back of the chain will want to lift into the 4th, at that point the chain is too stiff to peddle.
Chains, chainrings and sprockets on derailer bikes are made to derail easily.
To get it to stay in gear, it really need to be set up right.
Originally Posted by
Honda_03
I need to start reading more bicycle manuals to better understand all this.
There really isn't that much to it.
To give the chain a chance to stay voluntarily in one gear, the chain has to run parallel with the centerline of the bike.
That's why middle-middle is a good place to start.
Or spend some bucks on getting the derailer fixed. It'll be cheaper than doing a thorough SS conversion.