Cassette/chain problems on a Windcheetah

[Daniel Towner]

Hi all,

I have a Windcheetah recumbent. Recently the chain started slipping on
the cassette, so I replaced the chain (3 lengths) and the cassette
(Shimano Ultegra 11-27). While I was at it, I took the derailleur
jockey wheels off and cleaned them up, took out the shifting cable and
relubricated it, and then put everything back together. Despite all
this attention, the chain won't run smoothly. It feels like it sits in
one gear for a while, and then, without warning, hops into another
gear. It does it most often under load. If I gently tick over, it
works fine. If I run the chain through in my workshop, it works fine.
If I accelerate hard, it starts spontaneously changing gear. Also,
when I do change gear, it is not the smooth change I used to get, but
has become very rough, with lots of crunching, and a bit of a lag
between moving the derailleur, and the chain moving to a new sprocket.
Its very difficult to see what the chain is actually doing, because on
a 'cheetah, the wheel is tucked in behind the seat, and if you're
accelerating hard, you can't look to see what's happening behind you!

I've checked the chain for stiff links (its an SRAM with powerlinks,
so the joints between the chains are OK). The shifting cable is not
very new but it appears to be in good condition. Might the cable have
stretched, or worn, and not be up to the job of moving the derailleur
properly? Perhaps I didn't put the jockey wheels back properly?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

thanks,

dan.

 

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Daniel Towner wrote:

> I've checked the chain for stiff links (its an SRAM with powerlinks,
> so the joints between the chains are OK). The shifting cable is not
> very new but it appears to be in good condition. Might the cable have
> stretched, or worn, and not be up to the job of moving the derailleur
> properly? Perhaps I didn't put the jockey wheels back properly?
>
> Any suggestions gratefully received.

I'd think that any problems with the cable would be apparent on the
workstand.

If you removed the pulleys and cleaned them, did you put the pulley
with the built-in sideplay (aka "Centeron") on the top position? This
could cause spontaneous shifting issues. You should check the alignment
of the derailleur mount. If it's loose or not aligned with the cogs,
you'll definitely have problems. Also check to make sure the cassette
lockring is tightened completely- a loose cassette would wobble under
pedaling pressure.

Jeff