Hi everyone – really pulling my hair out with this one.
As the title suggests I’m having a consistent problem with the chain getting stuck between the two chain rings only on downshifting and only when in the higher gears on the rear.
This bike has been recently fully overhauled and all the original parts have been cleaned and replaced (including the original chain as it was not worn) leading me to suspect that it is not a comparability issue.
Having seen similar issues online I have adjusted the front derailleur multiple times now trying to get it as close to chain as possible to aid in a clean down shift – but to no avail.
All the current online advice is regarding much more modern bikes so I wondering if there’s any secret tricks I’m missing.
Thanks in advance!
by mylesmerckel
3 Comments
A couple of things come to mind. Is there a washer/spacer installed at the wrong place at the chainring bolts? Or maybe the small chainring needs to be flipped (sometimes the teeth are slightly off-center/to the side). I was going to suggest the chain may be too narrow, but if it’s original to the bike and worked before, as you say, it’s not a compatibility issue.
That seat looks awful
Has your front derailleur adjustment included the limit screws? I’m stretching here but it sounds like letting the lower limit out a bit so the front derailleur can come further inboard may help. I’ve been looking into some of the older Simplexes and it looks like some have two travel limit screws and others may only have a high limit screw, so this may be a bit more complicated than I make it out to be.