On Mon, 5 Sep 2005 21:03:37 -0500, "RB" <
[email protected]>
wrote:
>I don't know zilch about bikes. My wife wanted to start riding around the
>neighborhood for exercise, so bought a bike. Also, with gas prices going
>sky high, it'll save us a few coins on short hauls.
>
>It's a Hermosa Huffy, and has 5 gear type sprockets.
>
>For some reason, the chain comes off everytime we turn around. I figure
>there's some simple adjustment or something maybe I can do to help stop that
>from happening.
>
>Thoughts and suggestions solicited.
As others will no doubt be quick to point out, Huffy's bikes are not
exactly the cream of the crop. (More like the stale moldy imitation
cheese of the crop, in fact.)
That aside, if the chain is jumping off, there are usually a limited
number of probable causes. Given that the Hermosa is most often sold
at Wal-Mart, and that the assembly skill applied to their bikes is
wildly variable, my first suspicion is that the derailleur adjustments
are out of whack. There's a basic primer on how to adjust the ders at
http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
which is a good place to start. There's also a possibility that the
chain is stiff from not being properly lubricated; oiling the chain
would probably address that issue. If the chain's jumping has become
worse with successive rides, and if it got jammed between the frame
and the rest of the components at some point, you may have some bent
bits contributing to the misbehavior, possibly including the chain
itself.
All of these issues can be addressed, and it's my opinion that with a
little patience and some fiddling with the adjustments, you'll
probably be able to get the Huffy to shift reliably...but bear in mind
that with this type of setup, it's wise to remember these points:
-- Never try to shift when you are not pedalling, regardless of
whether the bike is moving.
-- Avoid moving the shifter through more than one gear click at a
time; let the chain make one sprocket change before asking it to move
to another.
-- Change gears when pedalling, but NOT when pedalling while
standing up. The shifting system will work best when the gear change
occurs with the chain not under heavy load.
Hope that helps.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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