Chain fell off to the right!

"PreciousBbird" skrev...

Quoted message said:

I was doing a loop of some favorite trails on my adorable HepCat and suddenly, without warning -
my chain fell off the big ring in the front! When my chain has gotten obnoxious before, it always
fell to the left and I was able to pedal gently and get it back on. This was hopeless. It even
tried to get past the crank and get off the bike completely.

Luckily, a walker whom I had passed earlier came along and assisted me in getting the chain back
on (150 mosquito bites later). My question is
- what did I do wrong so as to cause this to happen???

A bump will do that to me if im not pedalling so the chain is slack. Mostly it hops left onto the
small ring but I have had it jump right too. Chainguard might help.

M.

PreciousBbird said:

When my chain has gotten obnoxious before, it always fell to the left and I was able to pedal
gently and get it back on. This was hopeless.

Turn the pedals slowly and change to the middle ring, it normally goes back on, and then you can
change up again. Works for me anyway. It seems to happen if you hit a bump at the wrong moment while
shifting; once I learned to fix it on the fly I stopped worrying :-)

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ [currently
offline awaiting ADSL transfer to new ISP]

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I was doing a loop of some favorite trails on my adorable HepCat and suddenly, without warning -
my chain fell off the big ring in the front! When my chain has gotten obnoxious before, it always
fell to the left and I was able to pedal gently and get it back on. This was hopeless. It even
tried to get past the crank and get off the bike completely.

Luckily, a walker whom I had passed earlier came along and assisted me in getting the chain back
on (150 mosquito bites later). My question is
- what did I do wrong so as to cause this to happen???

Sorry that you had to humble yourself to take help from a pedestrian.

If the front derailleur is properly adjusted, the chain will not fall off either side. Usually your
LBS will recommend bringing the bike back for a tune up after a few hundred miles. You should have
done this just to get the cables re adjusted since they do stretch until they are well used. Even
then you probably should check brake and derailleur cables for slack every time you lube your chain.
If you are not handy with tools, then a trip to the LBS every few months should be in order. After a
few hundred $$$ at your LBS, you will probably learn to do this yourself.

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Cletus Lee
Even
then you probably should check brake and derailleur cables for slack every time you lube your chain.

uh oh....How often should I be lubing the chain? I thought I was doing well because I was keeping the tires filled. I have some lube, but I thought using it too often was bad. So I haven't used it. I just got the bike in April and have only a few hundred miles on it.

Thank you.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Cletus Lee said:

Even then you probably should check brake and derailleur cables for slack every time you lube
your chain.

uh oh....How often should I be lubing the chain? I thought I was doing well because I was keeping
the tires filled. I have some lube, but I thought using it too often was bad. So I haven't used
it. I just got the bike in April and have only a few hundred miles on it.

I was afraid that statement might 'bite back'. My rule of thumb - Every 500 miles or after
every rainy ride. That translates for me into about once a month and more often if I ride home
in the rain.

If you have not had your cables adjusted since you got the bike, you are due if not overdue.

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Cletus Lee
If you have not had your cables adjusted since you got the bike, you are due if not overdue.

Thank you for the excellent advice. I just packed up the bike and I am headed for Calhoun Cycle right now. Just have to wait a few minutes for the traffic to subside.

Thanks again! I'll report back later!javascript:smilie('🙂'😉

Your front derailleur may need to be tightened up on its high end adjustment. On the derailleur,
there are two small phillips screws, one marked "H" and the other "L". Turn the "H" screw just a
little bit clockwise and this will restrict how far the guide will allow the chain to move to
the right. If you turn it too far, the chain may not jump up to the large chainring or do it
quickly enough.

Despite how well I have my derailleurs adjusted, about once a week, a combination of things
that happen in certain sequences, cause my chain to pop off the outside of the chainring. It
seems inevitable that most bikes will have this happen occasionally. There are containment
rings that can be mounted between the crank arm and the large chainring. These are larger in
diameter than the chainring and prevent the chain from moving farther out and falling off.
Some setups have such containment rings on the inside and the outside. But, they add weight
and may not fit within the space available on some chainring sets. They also indicate that you
do not entertain any illusions of being mistaken for a high-performance rider.

Steve McDonald

Quoted message said:

assisted in getting the chain back on (150 mosquito bites later).

Quoted message said:

My question is - what did I do wrong so as to cause this to happen???

Well, lots of walkers will stop to assist.. I doubt anything you did had anything special to do with
it. Unless you stood there looking pitiful and helpless, of course. :-)

Oh! You mean the mosquitos. Well, too, that is pretty common when you stop where they live.

GeoB

This happens on my Limbo every now and then - I haven't coorelated it with a shifting/pedaling
pattern, but it only happens during a shift.

I just shift down and pedal - pulling it back on the chain rings. No need to get my fingers dirty,
and not long enough to let the mosquitos find me.

mike

PreciousBbird said:

I was doing a loop of some favorite trails on my adorable HepCat and suddenly, without warning -
my chain fell off the big ring in the front! When my chain has gotten obnoxious before, it always
fell to the left and I was able to pedal gently and get it back on. This was hopeless. It even
tried to get past the crank and get off the bike completely.

Luckily, a walker whom I had passed earlier came along and assisted me in getting the chain back
on (150 mosquito bites later). My question is
- what did I do wrong so as to cause this to happen???

Thank you.

--

Quoted message said:

--------------------------<

Posted via cyclingforums.com cyclingforums.comcyclingforums.comOpen ↗

--
Michael Vore, W3CCV M-ASA [Ka8]; WHIRL, ABC; CAW, CW, AAW mike.vorefamily.netohmywoodnessOpen ↗
<-Custom Woodworking mike.vorefamily.netthewoodenradioOpen ↗ <-The weblog

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Mike Vore
This happens on my Limbo every now and then - I haven't coorelated it with a shifting/pedaling
pattern, but it only happens during a shift.

I just shift down and pedal - pulling it back on the chain rings. No need to get my fingers dirty,

Great advice, except the chain fell off to the right - to the outside of the big ring! No way down shifting could catch it. But that's neither here nor there, because the news is:

I took it to Calhoun Cycle (where I got it) and they fixed it in about 5-10 minutes. Loose cables, just like Mr. Cletus Lee said. Then he lubed the chain and pronounced it done. And it is PERFECT! It is really quiet again and shifted great all thru its 27 gears. I just got back from a nice ride and I am so happy.

There's a Customer Appreciation Event this Sunday and I can't wait to go see all the fun bents.

Thanks for the responses!

PreciousBbird <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I was doing a loop of some favorite trails on my adorable HepCat and suddenly, without warning -
my chain fell off the big ring in the front! When my chain has gotten obnoxious before, it always
fell to the left and I was able to pedal gently and get it back on. This was hopeless. It even
tried to get past the crank and get off the bike completely.

Luckily, a walker whom I had passed earlier came along and assisted me in getting the chain back
on (150 mosquito bites later). My question is
- what did I do wrong so as to cause this to happen???

Thank you.

If your front derailleur is adjusted properly, the chain should NEVER do this while you're
pedalling. It might come off, however, if you hit a bumpy stretch of road while not pedaling. The
return-side idler on the HepCat is positioned too far back to prevent this. Here's a tip: buy a box
of latex examination gloves at the drug store (they're relatively cheap) and stick one or two pair
in your tool bag. Then the next time you have to mess with your chain, use the gloves. When
finished, take them off, turning them inside-out. Now your chain's fixed and your hands are still
clean to finish your ride ;-)

Never re-lube a dirty gritty chain before you clean it. To learn all you need to know about bike
drivetrain maintenance, go here: sheldonbrown.comchains.htmlOpen ↗

Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 SWB OSS Lubbock, TX, USA

I have never had a chain drop off to the right. I do not think this should ever happen with proper
vertical and horizontal adjustment of the FR. I have had chains drop off the small ring due to too
much slack--e.g. hitting a bump while NOT pedaling. I advise a Third-Eye chain watcher (in addition
to a properly adjusted derailleur) for all recumbents due to their long chains stretching the limits
of RD springs.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Loose cables, just like Mr. Cletus Lee said.

Since Jude is "Wheel Doctor" and Bill Patterson is "Lord of the Chainring", Can I be Dr. Chainring?
--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

How about Dr. PullChain? Chief technologist for Thomas Crapper, Inc.

Gator Bob Siegel "Cletus Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Loose cables, just like Mr. Cletus Lee said.

Since Jude is "Wheel Doctor" and Bill Patterson is "Lord of the

Chainring", Can I be Dr.

Quoted message said:

Chainring?
--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Most large chainrings I have seen have a pin near the crank arm designed to lift the chain back up
so that the derailer can put it back on the rings. If you are still moving and you pedal slow this
usually works, (I've had to do it a couple of times after some hard bumps). It is possible your ring
doesn't have this in which case you just have to do it manually next time it happens. Still it
should be a rare occurance. Craig

PreciousBbird <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Mike Vore said:

This happens on my Limbo every now and then - I haven't coorelated it with a shifting/pedaling
pattern, but it only happens during a shift. I just shift down and pedal - pulling it back on
the chain rings. No need to get my fingers dirty,

Great advice, except the chain fell off to the right - to the outside of the big ring! No way down
shifting could catch it. But that's neither here nor there, because the news is:

I took it to Calhoun Cycle (where I got it) and they fixed it in about 5-10 minutes. Loose cables,
just like Mr. Cletus Lee said. Then he lubed the chain and pronounced it done. And it is PERFECT!
It is really quiet again and shifted great all thru its 27 gears. I just got back from a nice ride
and I am so happy.

There's a Customer Appreciation Event this Sunday and I can't wait to go see all the fun bents.

Thanks for the responses!

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Most large chainrings I have seen have a pin near the crank arm designed to lift the chain back up
so that the derailer can put it back on the rings. If you are still moving and you pedal slow this
usually works, (I've had to do it a couple of times after some hard bumps). It is possible your
ring doesn't have this in which case you just have to do it manually next time it happens. Still
it should be a rare occurance. Craig

I believe the pin is on the left. According to the Subject the chain fell off to the right. How is
the pin going to help?

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"Cletus Lee" skrev

Quoted message said:

I believe the pin is on the left. According to the Subject the chain fell off to the right. How is
the pin going to help?

Nope its on the right against the crankarm on my Ultegra.

M.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Cletus Lee" skrev

Quoted message said:

I believe the pin is on the left. According to the Subject the chain fell off to the right. How
is the pin going to help?

Nope its on the right against the crankarm on my Ultegra.

M.

Well, there is that one... :-0 But then I only saw it as a 'stop gap' to keep the chain from
wedging so tightly that it would never come out. I don't think it will help get the chain back on
the big ring.
--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Yep it does a good job of picking the chain back up high enough to give the derailer a chance to put
the chain back on. I have used atleast a couple of times myself. It surprised me the first time that
it went back on without much trouble. Craig

Cletus Lee <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Cletus Lee" skrev

Quoted message said:

I believe the pin is on the left. According to the Subject the chain fell off to the right.
How is the pin going to help?

Nope its on the right against the crankarm on my Ultegra.

M.

Well, there is that one... :-0 But then I only saw it as a 'stop gap' to keep the chain from
wedging so tightly that it would never come out. I don't think it will help get the chain back on
the big ring.