new derailleur, gears slipping

[KateK]

Well, it seems to be sorted: it was the shimano chain, which should have worked with a 6 speed shimano block...but didn't (!). My LBS has changed the derailleur anyway because it looks better with a sachs huret but said that it was only when he changed the chain as well that it actually started to change gear properly.Tried the gears out on the way home and they were sweet, hope they're sorted for good. He's put a cheap chain on for now but is ordering a SRAM for me.. I wanted to try a better quality chain because the cheap ones only last 4 months (about 2000 miles) and I once had a shimano one that lasted 10 (OK it was 200 per cent worn, but it didn't break!) Will be nice to be able to change gear easily again, came off the road coming downhill yesterday whilst trying to see what the gears were doing..Memo to self: DON'T check gears at 25 miles an hour it is STUPID. Anyway, realised just in time and miraculously avoided ending up headfirst in hedge, don't know how, the mud was just facing the right way to put me back on the road...lucky or what.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Unless you are riding through mud on a daily basis KateK, I think your chains should last longer than they are doing so I guess the big question is.....................................................................................................................................do you Mickle?

 

[young Ed]

Unless you are riding through mud on a daily basis KateK, I think your chains should last longer than they are doing so I guess the big question is.....................................................................................................................................do you Mickle?

i mickled today! my chain looked all clean and nice when i had whiped lots and lots and then i applied the oil and just made a big mess! and a rebuilt the jockey wheels
Cheers Ed

 

[KateK]

I wipe the chain clean after every ride (40-50 miles) and then oil it (currently with wet weather lube). I also wipe clean the derailleur pulley wheels and the chain rings. When it's very muddy weather I clean the cogset too. Very occasionally I clean the chain with cleaner. I've just bought a parktool chain cleaner but didn't use it on the old chain because it was rubbish and not long for this life: put it this way, the bike shop (not my LBS) put on a block that costs £4 trade price and fell to bits after 2 months so the chain they used was never going to be a laster. When I took the bike back the mechanic looked at my bike suspiciously and said "Have you been cleaning your chain?" "yeees?" I said. "Well," he said "that's why your bike's making a clacking sound, you should never clean a bicycle chain!"
Luckily(?) you could wobble the individual sprockets around and he couldn't argue with that....he gave me a replacement useless block for nothing...and had his revenge by setting up so it wouldn't go into bottom gear, this was less bad than the previous time when they left the brakes set permanently on and I didn't realise till I'd cycled all the way home. Still, as a result, I can now adjust my own derailleur screws.
How often do people properly clean a chain?

 

[young Ed]

I wipe the chain clean after every ride (40-50 miles) and then oil it (currently with wet weather lube). I also wipe clean the derailleur pulley wheels and the chain rings. When it's very muddy weather I clean the cogset too. Very occasionally I clean the chain with cleaner. I've just bought a parktool chain cleaner but didn't use it on the old chain because it was rubbish and not long for this life: put it this way, the bike shop (not my LBS) put on a block that costs £4 trade price and fell to bits after 2 months so the chain they used was never going to be a laster. When I took the bike back the mechanic looked at my bike suspiciously and said "Have you been cleaning your chain?" "yeees?" I said. "Well," he said "that's why your bike's making a clacking sound, you should never clean a bicycle chain!"
Luckily(?) you could wobble the individual sprockets around and he couldn't argue with that....he gave me a replacement useless block for nothing...and had his revenge by setting up so it wouldn't go into bottom gear, this was less bad than the previous time when they left the brakes set permanently on and I didn't realise till I'd cycled all the way home. Still, as a result, I can now adjust my own derailleur screws.
How often do people properly clean a chain?

don't visit that bike shop all it is doing is making your bike worse instead visit CC and youtube and do it yourself!

i mickle every few rides or once a week
Cheers Ed

 

[KateK]

It's not my usual shop, that's great, it's just the bottom bracket needed work and my guy doesn't stock parts for old bikes and thought they would do a reasonable job, which they did, replacing the bearings...unfortunately the chain etc needed changing too and I thought I could kill two birds with one stone.
I'm only a beginner at this mickling lark...managing to replace a rear tube in the snow is my finest hour so far...and then it took me 20 minutes to undo the nuts and 1/4 hour upside down to get the chain back on the right way round. Still, it was only low grade hypothermia, my brain came back to life after only about 20 minutes cycling... My next target is to practice joining a chain: my LBS guy saved my last chain and gave me a quick tutorial. My husband assures me he has a tool somewhere. (that sounds bad doesn't it, better stop before I make it worse)