chain stuck

[drevil]

That’s called chainsuck. Among other things, it could happen from worn and/or gunky parts.

[streetsmarts]

@drevil 167651 wrote:

That’s called chainsuck. Among other things, it could happen from worn and/or gunky parts.

Thanks Drevil! I was reading about that this morning and not sure.

I feel like I don’t ride nearly as much as some of y’all. and come to think of it, I got a new chain and cassette … a month ago? strange.

[PeteD]

Dropped your chain, and then kept pedaling.

First solution is to try to not keep pedaling, and shift back into the big ring to see if you can get the chain to jump back onto the chainring. Takes a bit of effort and experience to know if it’ll work or you’re making the problem worse.

There are several chain drop catchters available out there… I’ve run the K-Edge on my road bike, but they’re not always reliable, and can easily be defeated by worn chains and chainrings, as drdevil pointed out. Usually it’s a trailing indicator that you:

1) Need to clean your chain.
2) You might need to replace your chainrings.
3) You might need to replace your chain.
4) You might need to replace your chainrings+chain+cassette.

From the look from your picture, I’d expect at a minimum #1, and #4 being highly probable: Your chainrings look well worn.

[streetsmarts]

More info:
New chain and cassette 9/13/17 (at about 2200 miles of riding)
Maybe 300 miles since then.
Huh.
Wouldn’t the shop look at the chain ring at that time to see if it needed to be changed?

Also, riding in the city – and shifting properly, and dropping the chain – I think I need some lessons re this . I do think part of it is operator error. Will google that later!

[Judd]

It’s probably from all the wattage you’re always putting out.

[EasyRider]

Did it just fall off while you were riding in the smaller chainring — like the chain climbed up the chainring and fell off? If that happened, I’d say uneven wear on parts.

If it happened when you shifted from the large to small chainring, I’d check the limit screw and see if the derailleur cage is on an angle to the centerline of the bike. Sometimes it’s necessary to position it like that to aid shifting, but doing so can also defeat the purpose of the limit screw, especially when shifting from a large chainring (50t) to the small chainring (34t) at speed.

When this happens to me it’s usually after I replace a front derailleur cable. Everything is fine in the workstand, but there’s usually some on-the-road fine-tuning on the first ride.

[Judd]

The other thing that I can think of is how you’re shifting. If you’re holding the shifter down for a long time when shifting, this can cause an overshift and a chain drop.

[hozn]

Just switch to 1x and you’ll never have this happen again.

I have run K-Edge chain catchers (and various other chain catchers). What is really terrible is when the chain drops off despite the chain catcher and then you have to loosen the FD bolt just to get the damn chain back on. Yeah, I was serious about 1x; front derailleurs really suck (pun unintended, but I’ll take it).

[mstone]

That looks more like chain drop than chain suck–lower chain looks like it got hooked while loose, rather than having the top surface of the lower chain stuck to the ring. It’s usually not impossible to drop a chain shifting from the big ring to the little ring while the chain is on the big cog. The best fix is to avoid that (among other things, it implies cross-chaining before the shift). To make it completely impossible for the chain to come off doing that, the front derailleur cage needs to be far enough outboard that it’ll rub sometimes. If it falls off a lot, or while making less dramatic shifts, then I’d check the limit screws, see if the FD is straight, etc. Messed up RD could also affect this, but you should have issues shifting in the rear or at least some nasty noise in that case.

[n18]

I carry pocket tissues all the time for such an occasion. Like others said, check the limit screws. If they are fine, then the chain could be of incorrect length for the gears that you are using, especially if you changed to a different cassette or chainrings with different number of teeth. In this case, cutting the new chain to the same size as the old one as commonly advised won’t work well in this case. There is a wiggle room, but if the chain is too long, it would slip causing it to derail. This online bicycle chain length calculator tells you the recommended chain length for the gears that you have now. The only issue with that calculator is that you need to multiply the number of links by 2 to get the correct number. It gives a result like “56 inches or 56 links”, the length in inches is correct, but chain links are 0.5″ long, so this means 56*2=112 Links.

[scoot]

@n18 167678 wrote:

I carry pocket tissues all the time for such an occasion.

Also: disposable latex or nitrile gloves

[streetsmarts]

Hi I don’t think we’ve met (?).
I’m relatively new at this. I know the purpose of the limit screws, and the cables, and have had basic classes in adjusting them (Thanks Phoenix and Bike House) – but I have not replaced a derailleur cable, and I don’t know how to make sure the cage is int he right place.
I go to the bike shop to make sure it’s good. And I was there last week, maybe, for adjustments to the shifters.
(see, I’m not sure exactly what they did).

It doesn’t happen on its own; last night, I was pedaling (not sure what gear), came to a light where I wasn’t sure where I was going (Vermont, Q , 11th, maybe) and decided to stop – something like that. Or the chain dropped as I was shifting, and I was in the middle of an intersection, in the dark – and just trying to either pedal or get off the road.

So…

[streetsmarts]

Had those with me. They got filthy. I admit my chain was really really dirty .

[streetsmarts]

You all seem to think I know more than I do. Regular commuter bike rider for 1.5 years. Not long. Taken a few very basic bike maintenance classes. (Thanks Phoenix, Spokes, Bike House).

I could learn a thing or two about shifting but basically, in city riding, I start off from stops in one gear (easy) and when I am cruising (like down 11th street ) I may make it a harder gear .

Then, of course, I come to a stop, I shift to an easier gear, while pedaling, before I stop (If possible).

I still can’t wrap my brain around which is a bigger gear, smaller ring, etc. – the words to describe what I do.

* But my question stands : Should I try to undo this stuck chain, or take to a bike shop?
Would I have to do anything other than pull the chain, maybe give it some slack ? If I could damage things, which I think I could, I think I’ll rush home and then go to a bike shop.”

It’s been stuck before (friends can attest)- but this time is especially bad.

[streetsmarts]

[This was supposed to be a reply to easy rider I think. Still learning to use the Forum!]

Hi I don’t think we’ve met (?).
I’m relatively new at this. I know the purpose of the limit screws, and the cables, and have had basic classes in adjusting them (Thanks Phoenix and Bike House) – but I have not replaced a derailleur cable, and I don’t know how to make sure the cage is int he right place.
I go to the bike shop to make sure it’s good. And I was there last week, maybe, for adjustments to the shifters.
(see, I’m not sure exactly what they did).

It doesn’t happen on its own; last night, I was pedaling (not sure what gear), came to a light where I wasn’t sure where I was going (Vermont, Q , 11th, maybe) and decided to stop – something like that. Or the chain dropped as I was shifting, and I was in the middle of an intersection, in the dark – and just trying to either pedal or get off the road.

So…

[Author]

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