Cycling UK Forum

I have experienced chainsuck where the chain jams between the big ring and small ring since changing components a couple of years back but this is now getting frequent (almost daily - 30miles) and seems to be worsening. The chain remains part on the big ring part on the small ring. I tried filing the burrs on the outer ring (the usual advice) this morning but still had one incident of chain suck.
The set up is as follows:
Giant speeder
big ring 53t fc5600 (shimano 105) - done about 10K, worn but not badly
small ring 40t original biopace (steel so not much wear)
chain is sram pc850 and near end of life (about 0.4% wear)
cassette 23-12 sram 8spd very worn but not skipping

Previously I ran a fc5700 chainring and HG40 chains with no problems but availability of these parts is getting more tricky (I know the FC5700 is nominally 10 spd) and the HG40 chains are made of cheese (the sram chains last at least 50% longer) I did try a stronglight ring a few years back but but this caused chainsuck straight away before I got as far as trying it on the road.

I am wondering if there is a set up issue.
The front mech is set up about 4mm above the big ring - this is where it has been from new but does look a bit high (2mm seems recommended).
The ring spacing is about 8mm teeth to teeth, there is a 1mm spacer on the small ring so removing these would make 7mm.
Are either of these potential causes/solutions?

It could be chain wear but I am not convinced as I have worn chains more than this in the past without problems. I am hoping to get to spring before replacing the chain and cassette.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated

I know this is an old "thread" but does anyone else have experience with removing the tab on the spacer between the locknut and adjusting nut on a 1" threaded steerer?
I have just re-adjusted my headset after it developed a small amount of play. Before adjusting it looked as if the locknut and tabbed washer were locked together and moving independent to the adjusting nut. I have a suspicion the tab is jamming in the threads preventing the locknut pushing down on the adjusting nut. I am considering filing off the tab to save damaging the threads and hopefully make adjustment easier.
I found the only way I could lock the nuts together was "undoing" the adjusting nut into the stationary locknut. Seems OK for now - no play and not too stiff but I am thinking of getting rid of the tab next time I disassemble.

They work for me. I have a thin pertex jacket which makes a big difference when the temperature drops, but you need to whip it off as soon as you feel you are getting hot. Todays ride between 5 and 6 degrees I didnt use it but when it drops below about 3 degrees I find it essential. It is also useful to carry in case of rain.
I go for the multi layer approach with up to 3 thin thermal layers with a cycling jacket over the top then windproof pertex if needed.

LancsGirl wrote: ↑20 Jan 2023, 10:28am

bluespeeder wrote: ↑13 Jan 2023, 5:40pm Regarding galvanic corrosion as both metals are predominately ferrous I am not sure this really applies ( although I cant back this up with evidence).

https://www.appmfg.com/blog/how-to-prev ... ak%20down.

Thanks for that, I'm coming to the conclusion stainless bearings may be a bad idea. I'll be using marine grease in future and trying to keep as much water out of the bearing as possible (although going through 6 inch deep flooded roads in the last week doesnt help!)

jb wrote: ↑18 Jan 2023, 8:35pm There's no sense in stainless ball bearings, they still need lubricating and if they are lubricated they don't rust. If on the other hand the rain gets in and washes away the lubricant stainless balls will wear along with the races that will also rust. Best to get some good water resistant grease and keep checking them to see there's plenty in there.

Stainless bearings were developed for things like boat cradles that are reversed into the salt water for a time but aren't used in anger for long periods and spend a lot of time being parked up next to the sea.

Consensus seems to be stainless bearings will not help. I am using molyslip grease which does not seem to wash away but does go a brownish colour from the rust. Is there a better grease for this application, any suggestions?

rogerzilla wrote: ↑19 Jan 2023, 6:35am If the balls are rusty, the races will almost always be pitted. You need a new headset, preferably with better sealing. Is it 1" or 1 1/8" size?

The headset is a shimano lx doeore 1". this has a cartridge bearing (no longer available) of which I have a few spare but I am trying to prolong the lifespan to avoid having to rip out the frame/fork fittings which have been there for about 25 years so are probably well rusted in place. The cartridges are serviceable and I find pitting on headset bearings less of a problem but brinneling can be an issue where the races wear in one position so you get indexed steering. I try to reagrease and rotate the bearings every few months to avoid this.

531colin wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 6:24pm

bluespeeder wrote: ↑14 Jan 2023, 4:55pm Possibly a 7 spd shifter? My set up is 7spd shifter, 8 spd cassette, 9/10 spd rear mech which somehow works. I think the 7 spd shifter shifts more cable per click so the 9/10spd rear mech moves more than it would normally but this matches the 8spd cassette spacing.

Except that there is no such thing as a 9/10 speed mech., thats exactly what I would expect with Shimano.
Apart from some exotica, 7,8 and 9 speed rear mechs. have the same cable pull, so you can mix levers and mechs.
It wasn't until 10 speed that Shimano "improved" it all so that you couldn't mix them up.
.....and many or most 7 sp shifters have an extra click or an extra bit of travel which suits 8 speed.
7 and 8 sp. cassettes have spacing which is close enough to the same to be interchangeable in use.

My mistake, RD6500 mech is 9 spd. I seem to remember about 4% spacing difference (5mm to 4.8mm) between 7 and 8 spd cassette so you dont notice if it is set up correctly in the middle of the cassette. I assume a 9spd cassette would be incompatible at 4.35mm spacing?

Possibly a 7 spd shifter? My set up is 7spd shifter, 8 spd cassette, 9/10 spd rear mech which somehow works. I think the 7 spd shifter shifts more cable per click so the 9/10spd rear mech moves more than it would normally but this matches the 8spd cassette spacing.

I always leave what is left in the rivet and maybe file off any rough edges. I generally use steel rivets though and those look like aluminium. I would say if the pin comes out easily then remove it otherwise dont worry.

Regarding galvanic corrosion as both metals are predominately ferrous I am not sure this really applies ( although I cant back this up with evidence).
Good idea with inner tube although it will need to be a fatter tube than I use or maybe a piece of rubber and a zip tie would work.
I have also been looking at the sks sboard mudguard as a possibility. I struggle with standard full size mudguards as they interfere with my size 48 feet, plus the minimal clearance to the tyre causes mud buildup to rub on the tyre.
I am using molyslip grease which seems a bit more tenacious than lithium grease

Thanks for the links.
I have to admit my chemistry is also a bit rusty, but I would be surprised if stainless steel causes non-stainless to corrode more rapidly. I would expect the bearing surface is more likely to be damaged by rusty balls. One of the links does advocate using stainless ball bearings.
I have tried to reduce the spray hitting the bearing using electrical tape with limited success. The ideal would be some kind of rubber boot if it could be done without messing up the steering. Alternatively a stubby mudguard although I think the clearance is only about 8mm.

I am trying to keep an old shimano deore lx headset going as long as possible by replacing the ball bearings in the sealed cartridge (BC1) bearing. I have been using weldite bearings, 5/32" sold as headset bearings but these seem to be prone to rust.
These are grade 1000, AISI1010 according to the blurb and do not appear to be very resistant to rust. Would marine grade be a better bet, something like SS316 or would this be too soft for the headset?
I dont really have space for mudguards so the headset does get a lot of spray, I try to regrease every few months but still getting rusty balls.
Any advice appreciated.

I think the quality of the job depends largely on the equipment used. Recently the hedge was cut on the road outside our house by a modern machine with a blower on the back and skirts around the cutter to deflect debris into the hedge - the road was spotless. At the other end of the scale I see pre-war tractors dripping oil over the road with an exposed flail on the back distributing blackthorn far and wide relying on passing traffic to collect the debris.
I agree this an essential job but its nicer to see it done properly.

I find the M520 pedals get much looser with age.
I'm currently using lake MTB shoes and also took some of the rubber off the sole when new although this was to allow the shoe to rotate or float a bit. Without doing this my knees started complaining.
My previous shoes were shimano road shoes which allowed SPD cleats and I found they could jam with the front of the cleat under the front clamp of the pedal (I think they have stopped making them like that know). The most reliable way to unclip was make sure the heel moves outwards without pushing the toe inward. The present set up is much more forgiving.

The last few days seem to have been far worse than normal, thank you Schapps. It can be difficult to tell if it is ignorance or malice but I've been on the gravel at the edge of the road twice in the last couple of days. Things did seem to be improving once the dust had settled on the HC changes which seemed to annoy that small subset of motorists overcome by outrage and fury that they dont always have right of way. I wonder whether Schapps and Sunak have stirred the pot again with their recent pro motorist agenda.