adjustment advice

[Greg]

I understand you're wet behind the ears, green and the all the rest. But, my post wasn't meant to degrade anyone's riding ability, it was meant in the vein of....let me try and put this in a way you'll understand and can relate to......When you're on a bump run... in the groove ... your instincts take over. You're skiing by "feel" so to speak.... Your constantly making minor adjustments and small movements to take up the terrain, different bumps, some with more loose snow than others, whatever the case...but, when you're in the groove, correct me if I'm wrong, you're not thinking of those things....you're feeling it...skiing by instinct..in the moment.

I know exactly what you're saying, but like mountain biking, reaching that epiphany when skiing bumps takes a long time and only after a lot of practice. And even still I need to actively correct things on a bump run. Rarely does it just "happen" during an entire run, at least not for me. Anyway, I'm just saying that I think it's okay to break down some of the hows and whys when new to something.

 

[marcski]

I know exactly what you're saying, but like mountain biking, reaching that epiphany when skiing bumps takes a long time and only after a lot of practice. And even still I need to actively correct things on a bump run. Rarely does it just "happen" during an entire run, at least not for me. Anyway, I'm just saying that I think it's okay to break down some of the hows and whys when new to something.

I'm not saying its not ok. And, to an extent, its me, I personally tend to definitely go from the cuff probably more than I should.

Oh, and btw, you don't look like any newbie in your avatar, going down that roller.

 

[gmcunni]

Definitely true, a bent tooth, could do it as well.

i put my bike up on the workbench tonight and noticed a very slight bend on a tooth. not sure if it is significant enough to cause the chain to drop down or not. FWIW, the bend is towards the lower ring and the unwanted shift occurs under heavy pedaling.

derailleur cage seemed lined up correctly so i didn't make any adjustments.. i did "tap" the bent tooth with a hammer a little bit to see if i could straighten it.

 

[Greg]

Oh, and btw, you don't look like any newbie in your avatar, going down that roller.

:lol: There's a descent ladder ramp if you look closely... :lol:

 

[JD]

Definitely true, a bent tooth, could do it as well. I hear you about the chain line, but if you're able to pedal forward without it coming off, while it might be rougher backward, i would still think it shouldn't just pop off.QUOTE]

The difference is when you are pedaling forward the chain is under tension as it feed onto the chainring so it won't slap around laterally as much. As you back pedal, it feeds in from the bottom under no tension so it can jump off to the side and off. On my old proflex, my specialized enduro, my voo doo, my Surly...has nothing to do with the freewheel roughness. But all this seems moot if it drops down under heavy pedaling. What I am talking about ussally happens as you coast, throw a back pedal or two to switch lead feet, then go to pedal and "discover" your chain has dropped.
so my next question, how old is your drive train and did you just replace a chain or chain ring?

 

[marcski]

Definitely true, a bent tooth, could do it as well. I hear you about the chain line, but if you're able to pedal forward without it coming off, while it might be rougher backward, i would still think it shouldn't just pop off.QUOTE]

The difference is when you are pedaling forward the chain is under tension as it feed onto the chainring so it won't slap around laterally as much. As you back pedal, it feeds in from the bottom under no tension so it can jump off to the side and off. On my old proflex, my specialized enduro, my voo doo, my Surly...has nothing to do with the freewheel roughness. But all this seems moot if it drops down under heavy pedaling. What I am talking about ussally happens as you coast, throw a back pedal or two to switch lead feet, then go to pedal and "discover" your chain has dropped.

so my next question, how old is your drive train and did you just replace a chain or chain ring?

Are you one of those proflex guruheads? I knew a couple of them back in the day. Those guys practically slept with their bikes....

So now you just ride SS? I ride with a couple of guys that have at least one rig SS. One even runs SS on a 29er. It would help stop the sticks from ripping apart my derailleurs....

 

[gorgonzola]

:???: Perhaps for some of you guys that have been riding for a long time, shifting is truly intuitive. For a newby like me, it takes some time and experimentation to figure out the best front/rear combos for a given situation. Me thinks some of you guys forget what it was like starting out...

i just think things get way over analyzed, and this is coming from joe pedal masher. i'm trying to stay out of granny gear more and sometimes "single speed" , bascally not shift or at least down shift less (=speed) through more situations = bad chainlines and gear combos. i don't think the chain is popping - or shouldn't be anyway from terrain (roots?rocks? no effin way) or even bad shifts or chain lines - sounds more like the tune or something is amiss. this spring i couldn't get the drivetrain smooth no matter what, new hanger, 2 llbs's later until finally replacing the chain, chainring and cassette - shtuff just gets busted up! aaah i was having problems myself sunday and should be out in the garage now......

 

[JD]

Are you one of those proflex guruheads? I knew a couple of them back in the day. Those guys practically slept with their bikes....

So now you just ride SS? I ride with a couple of guys that have at least one rig SS. One even runs SS on a 29er. It would help stop the sticks from ripping apart my derailleurs....

Just a one speed. 36:18.
I had proflexes because they were cheap. They broke, but K2 would replace them. I think I tore 2 head tubes off. Riding a one speed Mtn bike might not be Ideal for every area, but for where I live and ride it is doable. Most well built climbs that are reasonably built by IMBA standards are perfect for 1 speeding. If I can't make it I hop off and walk or jog and can keep up with people spinning up in granny. I really love how quite they are, how reliable they are, and how affordable they are. Also, a nice burly rigid frame is ultra durable, and all Suspension bikes eventually break if you are riding them at a high level. That was the progression for me. Living next to a good shop and riding with them everyday shed some light on MTB design. I think there's a destroyed frame or two on the wall of shame behind us in the pic. Irie Cycles....a truely core shop.

 

[cbcbd]

i just think things get way over analyzed, and this is coming from joe pedal masher. i'm trying to stay out of granny gear more and sometimes "single speed" , bascally not shift or at least down shift less (=speed) through more situations = bad chainlines and gear combos. i don't think the chain is popping - or shouldn't be anyway from terrain (roots?rocks? no effin way) or even bad shifts or chain lines - sounds more like the tune or something is amiss. this spring i couldn't get the drivetrain smooth no matter what, new hanger, 2 llbs's later until finally replacing the chain, chainring and cassette - shtuff just gets busted up! aaah i was having problems myself sunday and should be out in the garage now......

I hear ya about the over analyzing but somethings not known at first can become lessons later.

I used to stick to my 1 chainring and 4-5-6 cogs for everything - would not downshift on uphills and would just torque out ascents pumping it out on 5. Doing this put a lot of strain on my chain and it broke after a while on one of these uphills. This also put a lot of uneven wear on my cogs where 4-5-6 were very worn out and were trash with the replacement chain (other gears were fine).
Now I try to use all my gears to go easier on my drivetrain and to even out the wear on the cogs. I also keep better track of chain wear so I don't have to keep buying new cogs when my chain goes.