I've been experiencing chain skip on my smallest cog on the rear wheel. The only way I can prevent skipping in this gear is by lightly spinning the pedals, otherwise it skips. It's not a consistent skip either. It might skip multiple times in one revolution, or maybe go multiple revolutions without a skip.

I've tried a few steps:

1. I adjusted my cables to make sure the derailer was functioning at optimal capacity
2. I checked the chain for a stiff link (wasn't entirely sure what that would look like, but it appeared that all the links curved around the derailer when I checked them all)
3. Cleaned and lubed the chain
4. Checked the chain length. It was about 12 1/32" at 24 pins.
5. Inspected cog for broken or damaged teeth. They all appeared to be fine.

I'm a bit baffled by it because it's a pretty young drivetrain (bought the bike this May, probably 750-1000 miles on it), and I thought that chain skip problems caused by worn cassettes/chains take more miles than that.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.