I’ve had my bike for about 5 years with very minimal riding. I am determined to get back into it and am starting slow. I see many videos with people able to position their pedals by turning them back to get their foot in a good starting position. When I push my pedals back, the chain becomes loose. I am a newbie and hope this is an easy fix. Thanks.
by MambozMom
8 Comments
Can you post a better view of the rear derailleur? It could be that the chain is routed incorrectly through the pulley cage, but either way it looks like the problem is at the back
You sure you aren’t stuck between gears? Lift the back tire up off the ground and spin the pedals and see if it shifts up or down a gear. This will happen if you accidentally press the shift lever while the bike is stationary.
I’ve had this problem in the past. I think the screws for the jockey wheels could be too tight
My money is on the free hub being too tight, but it’s somewhere on the back wheel/derailleur for sure.
What happens when you’re going medium -fast and you coast? Can you backpedal then?
My troubleshooting steps in order
1. Check that your chain is on the gear the shifter is in, lift the rear wheel and do a couple of pedal strokes to set it into the right gear, this will fix it immediately q
2. Check the cable routing in the derailer, if it’s improperly routed it will catch on the cage, solution, reroute the chain
3. Spin the wheel and see if it creates significant slack similar to that shown in the video, if so, remove the wheel and check the back force of the freehub/freewheel ratchet, if it’s really high, probably time go visit a shop
Clean and lube the chain and derailleur.
After 5 years, and probably very little maintenance, everything is gunked up.
Get a bike repair shop to clean out and regrease the rear wheel hub.