grantman18

Over the weekend I removed my cassette and chainrings for cleaning. After degreasing, I replaced them in the original order and cleaned/lubed the chain and it was ready to go. The next time I rode I experienced a good amount of skipping/slipping along with a loud "clank" when I put a lot of torgue on the pedals when climbing/sprinting. Also, if I was coasting for a while and then began to pedal, I would notice the "clanking" sounds again.

I brought my bike to my LBS and they said the chain had worn too much (only about 1300 miles on the bike) and it needed to be replaced, and the only reason I wasn't experiencing the skip/click before was because the dirt was basically keeping it functional. They also recommended replacing the cassette because the chain was so worn. I replaced the chain and cassette last night (first timer) and when I rode this morning the skipping was reduced, but it still occurred every now and then when I got out of the saddle, and it still made that sound that makes me cringe every time

Could this be a BB issue? Maybe degreaser seeped into the bottom bracket and is causing friction? The noise isn't consistent, it only happens when I feel the skipping. A couple months ago my crank bolt was loose and the crank arms had a bit of play in them, which stripped the bolt. That was replaced and I haven't had any problems since.

Any thoughts are appreciated, I feel like I just wasted $100 on a drivetrain because it didn't fix the problem.

Thanks,
Andrew

neil0502

After the replacement, cleaning, and lubrication, who--if anybody--checked the adjustment of your rear derailleur?

I think the odds of degreaser materially affecting your bb are pretty slim. All of your problems could be explained by an improperly adjusted RD.

Look here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer...ment.html#rear

Good luck!

grantman18

After I replaced everything I tightened the RD cable, set the limits, and adjusted the indexing and it was shifting pretty well. The mechanic at the shop mentioned that I could use new cables I just haven't had time to install them, could this be part of the problem? I only thought of the BB being the problem because of other threads with similar descriptions...I'm new at this

vpiuva

Welcome to BF. I agree with Neil that it sounds like a RD adjustment issue. Install those new cables and adjust it up.

grantman18

Thanks for the advice...I should probably also mention that the skipping occurs in pretty much every gear combination (front and back). I can't really tell with the naked eye, but maybe the hanger is bent? Also, do you have any recommendations for keeping the cable taut when tightening the bolt on the derailleur? I don't have one of those nifty cable stretchers.

Bottomfeeder

Make sure to check that your cassette is on nice and tight in addition to checking the rear derailleur. I recently had a strange clicking sound from the rear wheel. And when I took the cassette off to lube the bearings I was surprised that it had loosened up in the couple months since the build.

DanO

vpiuva

I hang a pair of vise-grips on the end of the cable. Keep 'em loose, they don't have to be tight enough to fray the cable.

cny-bikeman

I know it seems strange, but I saw enough occurences of skipping caused by chain wear showing up after cleaning to agree with the original diagnosis. Although some here have disdain for LBS mechanics, most are both knowledgable and conscientious, and can literally see hundreds of bicycles and thousands of problems in a single year. This is probably not a case of a loopy diagnosis but likely one of "I've seen this dozens of times before." If it were an adjustment issue then it is very unlikely that it would occur both on the deraillueur limits and in middle gears.

grantman18

Ok here's an update...

On my way home from work I stopped at my LBS and told them the cassette/chain replacement didn't help. We both agreed that my derailleur hanger was bent, so they straightened it, readjusted the derailleur, lubed the cable, and I took it for a ride...but with no luck.

Then the mechanic took of my crank arm and re-greased inside the BB (without actually taking it out), he suspected that the area between the BB and frame (aluminum) had dried out. This seemed to help a little bit, but I still noticed the sound/skip when the pedals were under load, so I left it there for tonight/tomorrow and they're gonna take a look at it.

I miss my baby

cny-bikeman

On your next trip to the LBS have them actually measure the chain wear, either with a tool made for it or by putting the chain under pressure and measuring 20 links (10"). It should be obvious if the chain is worn - the rivet will be beyond the 10" mark, how far being a measure of how worn the chain is. Miles can be low with some chains, for stompers rather than spinners and if you ride in a lot of grit.