Learned this the hard way today and yet I was very lucky.
I was doing about 10mph, it was raining, pavement was wet + light sand. My wheel just locks up. Luckily, because of the slippery conditions, I just skidded gently to a stop.
The chain slipped and got sort of wrapped on the rear hub, essentially locking it.
I slipped the the chain back in place (without tensioning it), it was still raining, figured I could probably make it home and do repairs there. I had about another 6 miles to go, so I decided to just go slower the rest of the way.
Well, along the way it stopped raining and I was back on dry pavement (Florida weather), about 10 minutes later. Chain slipped again but this time I did fall on my ass. Luckily, I was starting to pedal from a stop, so I was going very slow. A couple bruises and scratches but nothing to it.
Anyways, I then immediately decided to make adjustments. The chain had too much slack and the rain had rinsed away most of the oil. I always carry tools and a bit of oil, so I re-lubed the chain and adjusted the chain's tension.
I started riding fixed about a year ago and I now understand how important it is to routinely check the chain's condition, especially when riding fixed.
Wondering if anybody has had something similar happen to them? Does this happen often? I ride almost every day, average 6 miles a day, many times hands free. It did leave me thinking, had this happened at higher speeds and on dry pavement, that would've been a serious injury. I want to know if there's anything else I should be mindful of to prevent this from happening again.
Thanks!
Edit – some of the replies indicate this is not a common occurrence, which is a bit concerning. Worth noting the axle did not slip. The teeth seem fine although the chain I think might be a bit stretched. I'm including a photo and video, let me know what you think! In the video, you can hear the rear cog occasionally "popping" sounds louder in the video than in person. Is that normal? Any info welcomed.
Photo and video (imgur): https://imgur.com/gallery/OaTGDZ5
by zapembarcodes
6 Comments
Agree on checking chain maintenance, but your chain is likely too lose or your cog too worn if your dropping a chain.
Can I use the same chain checker as for other speed chains for this?
Or is it different for 1/8″ chains?
why would it slip after u adjusted it? is ur wheel nuts booty?
I’ve never dropped a chain on a fixed and I’ve had some times when I had too much slack. Could be worn down teeth, or maybe a loose cog.
Axle slipped in the dropouts. Keep that shit tight
i use chain tensioners as cheap insurance that my axle wont slip.. might be worth a shot if at least for piece of mind.. only time ive slipped a chain was when it broke putting down watttttss leaving a stoplight