I''m in Nigeria. Lagos.
I'm on a world tour. African bicycle mechanics and ingenuity is built upon making due with what you've got… And Lord knows, that's what we're doing.
I have no idea anymore what works with what or who tells me the truth or what… I have a Giant Escape 2 …. Originally, everything was 2*8… Now, it isn't. In Morocco, my Aldus 8 speed derailleur broke and all I could get was a Deore … 10 speed or something? I don't even remember anymore. That's been going from there to Nigeria.
I have 8 speed micro shifters up front. I have a 9 speed chain and cassette. For some reason, in Abidjan, they put on a 3 ring chainring up front… Everything was replaced in Abidjan, 900 km ago.
Apparently, the drivetrain was used. 900 km now in Lagos, my chain is skipping painfully whenever I put heavy weight onto it. Only my highest gears aka when I'm going my fastest… So it's really jarring and dangerous at that speed for the chain to just let go. My question is… Why? 900 km should not already cause this amount of wear on my cassette… Could replacing the chain work? I'm trying to go back to an 8 speed cassette and chain but parts are impossible to find and people just want to keep up create a Frankenstein bike… Where do I even begin
by phieralph
2 Comments
Chain and cassette would be my first move. That derailleur is a 9 speed btw, and those chainrings look pretty used for only 900km.
Unfortunately it looks like whoever did the work 900km didn’t do right by you, and used parts that were already likely worn out.
Try and get a new 8 SPD cassette and chain
The derailleur will look funny but should (???) shift what you need (it’s literally just a series of pulleys that your shifter is manipulating so it really shouldn’t matter)