bikecommuter13

In the rear cassette, when the chain is securely in gear, you can pedal under heavy load or slow cadence and it will work perfectly and securely. You can stand up or whatever.

Sometimes after shifting, If I have slow cadence/heavy load, when I pedal, I can feel the "soft spots" between the chain and the cassette. I can feel the chain is not secured and then need to shift out and shift back in to get it secured again.

Is there a term for this?

This problem happens most often when I am in the middle ring and the middle cogs.

Is this a misalignment problem or tension problem?

I have the bard end microshifter. Is it indexing problem?

IK_biker

Yes, there's a term for this.
It's called "neglected preventative maintenance".

You have either bent (slightly) the rear derailleur's hanger, or have not properly adjusted your cable tension, or perhaps the chain pins have worn out to the point that the chain is overdue for a replacement, and possibly you are past the stage where the cassette could still be reused "as is" with a new chain.

The right term could also be "user ignorance", but I would be hesitant to apply it as it seems you are already working on this aspect by asking questions here.

bikecommuter13

It's a brand new bike. The mechanic in the shop says everything is fine.

bikeman715

The term is skipping . But anyway sound like your derailleur need adjusting . You can do it yourself Rear Derailleur Adjustment | Park Tool , or have your shop do it for you .

bikecommuter13

The shop said things look fine. The thing is the bike works ok on the stand or casual riding. When I carry 30 lbs of stuff and going in and out of traffic going up and down hills things get wacky.

bikeman715

If this is the case I would still take it back to the shop and have them check out the rear axle , it maybe crack or broken . From what you saying I would say it crack ,and it need replacing .

WizardOfBoz

Yeah, if the derilleur's limit screws are adjusted properly, and the shift cable is tight in the most slack position, then rear axle bent/broken or derailleur hanger. We also had a discussion here recently about a freehub/wheel that was not concentric but I would think that would be rare.

What kind of bike?

SylvainG

Not sure if this could have an effect but is it possible you're bending the frame too much when pedaling under heavy load?

bikeman715

all frame flex under pressure , some more than others but they all do it . the OP problem is one of two or combine of them . From what I read it sound like a broken axle because it act up under stress , pedaling hard and going up a hill . He need to take it to a shop and have them test ride it and not just test it in the stand . the other problem most likely is the rear derailleur need adjusting .

AnkleWork

You can't pedal a heavy load if the chain is not fully engaged. There's no in-between soft engagement. Look down when you think that happens. You will see the chain either meshed with the chainring teeth, or not meshed at all. So, to answer your question, I'd say the term is "imagination."

bikecommuter13

It's Fuji Touring. The mechanic said the issue was due to the bar end shifting. He said after down shifting / pulling the up, I need to push it a little bit down to make sure it's at the end of shift.

I need to try different things out in the coming days on my commute route

SkyDog75

I hesitated to jump into this conversation because it's really difficult to troubleshoot without seeing, or without a better description. Nothing against the descriptions you've given... sometimes it's just difficult to find just the right words for your audience to know exactly what you're trying to convey, especially if you're unsure of what's going on yourself.

But about bar end shifting being the problem... No. You shouldn't have to fiddle with an indexed shifter to get securely into gear, whether it's a bar end shifter or not.

From what you've described, my guess (and it's only a guess without observing) is that there's a slight indexing problem. It could be something as simple as a quarter turn on a barrel adjuster. It could be a bent or misaligned derailleur hanger. If it happens mostly when shifting in one particular direction, it could be excess friction in the shift cable/housing.

Your mechanic should be aware that shifting well on the stand is a little different than shifting well on a ride. There's no load on the chain when the bike's on the workstand, so it may behave a little differently. If it works well on the stand, but acts up when riding, your mechanic should take it for a ride to observe.

FBinNY 

There's no specific term, except maybe "slipping".

However, other common terms include "auto shifting", when the chain moves to the next gear on it's own. Some also call this "ghost shifting".

Others refer to "skipping", but I prefer to limit that to when the chain slips forward a few links then renengages causing the cranks to slip forward 2-3", which is a nasty annoying surprise.

BITD we also had instances of the chain "running over the top" usually immediately. This meant that the chain would slip over the tops of the teeth and not drop in and engage. This doesn't happen so much since modern (hyperglide) tooth profiles seem to prevent it.

If asking for help, it's best not to focus on finding the exact right word, but instead provide a good description of what you see, hear or feel.

oberwl

A good mechanic will go through every conceivable piece that control the shifting. Process of elimination. Change out housing, cables, ferrules, make sure there is no kinks in cable. Set limit screws, B Screw, check derailleur alignment, Cassette lock ring tight or freewhell properly theaded. Chain line, Chain not stretched, cogs and chainrings in good condition.
Then tight cable, ajust middle gear shifting, and should be fine.

Also there are some derailluers with known manufacture issues. Early SRAM Red rear derailleur has some play that can't be fixed.

maddog34

from your description... it sounds like the bar end shifters are dragging and not returning to the correct position... loosen the drag on the shifter.... might be a screw isjust too tight... the one that holds the lever to the bar end casting... try lubing that shifter with a tiny bit of penetrant, then work the lever back and forth to get the oil into the mechanism, if there is no way to reduce the mechanical drag friction.

xiaoman1 

Your mechanic should be aware that shifting well on the stand is a little different than shifting well on a ride. There's no load on the chain when the bike's on the workstand, so it may behave a little differently. If it works well on the stand, but acts up when riding, your mechanic should take it for a ride to observe.[/QUOTE]

My 1st thought....my LBS would have taken a test ride not just do a "stand adjust" to isolate the problem.
Bring it back in and ask them to do this.

2manybikes

One is not supposed to shift with high pedal load and slow cassette rpm. Spin a little and relax the pressure on the pedals when you shift. Or, shift before starting the hill, this makes it easier to relax the pedal pressure when shifting.

Rowan

The shifters are in indexing mode, aren't they? If they are not, and are in friction mode, then the bike shop mechanic might be right... a simple little adjustment of the lever might be best. Otherwise, the bedding in of the inner cables on the outers might have changed the indexing enough to alter the position of the chain on the rear cogs.

But we don't know, because not all the information has been disclosed. A new bike should cancel out chain/chainring/cogset wear. Which really only leaves indexing/friction, or cable bed-in as the options.

OP, is there any rubbing, scraping or clicking noise associated with the issue?