Gears skipping

[Giff]

Is this cassette worn ?
I have fitted a new chain as my old one was at 100% wear. It is skipping the middle gears now. I am not sure if the cassette is worn or just out of adjustment. It has done 1300km (800miles). Can anyone with more experience tell from this picture? Thanks

 

[paquo]

yea, but if you put the old chain back on it may well work ok for a few hundred miles if it worked before

 

[Mteam]

Look at the shape of the teeth on those middle gears compared to the teeth on the largest gear, the middle gears look like shark fins, theres not much left of them,no wonder its skipping.

Youre supposed to change the chain at 50% wear for 12 speed , or 70%wear for 10/11speed.

 

[JimBo]

Looks like you spend a lot of ride time going pretty fast - at least more so than me! Then again, the trail off my backyard hits >10% gradients a couple times in the first mile...

I generally replace chains at 0.5% "stretch," but might start doing it sooner now that I finally got a Park Tools CC-2. Basic chain checkers only tell you after a chain's hit 0.5% (or 0.75%), this one's already telling me I'm real close - like 0.45% - on my current chain. I hope it helps my "new" cassette last a wee bit longer - cassettes can cost up to 20X what chains do!

My last worn eMTB cassette -SRAM's XG-899 after about 1200 mi on a Haibike Allmtn - skipped on 1st gear only. Yours looks like 6 & 7 are the likely skippers.

Below are the top 5 single-block cut gears of my old XG-899

 

[DrStupid]

Agree with above. You went too far with original chain. I've done it.

Your miles are decent though, and I'd not be complaining too much if I could go so far.

Side note. If you dont mind... What's your gearing, and what type of riding, generally neat or sloppy mess, slope, etc..

 

[DrStupid]

Jesus man. What’s the point of the large gears if you don’t use them?!?
You like to shift under load I see.

How can you tell about the shifting under load? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[JimBo]

Agree with above. You went too far with original chain. I've done it.

Your miles are decent though, and I'd not be complaining too much if I could go so far.

Side note. If you dont mind... What's your gearing, and what type of riding, generally neat or sloppy mess, slope, etc..

Are you asking me or the OP?

 

[DrStupid]

Are you asking me or the OP?

Sorry OP.

 

[JimBo]

yea, but if you put the old chain back on it may well work ok for a few hundred miles if it worked before

Then again, it might only last <50...

 

[DrStupid]

Are you asking me or the OP?

Apparently we were all 3 typing at the same time. Lol

 

[Giff]

Thanks for all the replies......I think the concensus is it’s stuffed.

A point on changing under load though. After reading on here ( @Gary I think) last year about this I have consciously stopped pedalling before shifting on this bike since new. Perhaps a couple if lapses but not often.

I have been riding in a lot of mud (UK forest and trails)...and it is quite flat here so even in Eco I’d look like Roadrunner if i used the low gears all the time.

 

[DrStupid]

I shift under load all the time. The cost in wear and tear are worth the trade to me.

Watching the ews-e riders, they certainly do it.

Once I retire (meaning fixed income) I may change my mind.

 

[DrStupid]

You can always run a side business. Selling your body to the night like @Zimmerframe

That ticket got punched long ago.

 

[mak]

Thanks for all the replies......I think the concensus is it’s stuffed.

A point on changing under load though. After reading on here ( @Gary I think) last year about this I have consciously stopped pedalling before shifting on this bike since new. Perhaps a couple if lapses but not often.

You still need to pedal but off load, click a cog but don't apply load on your crank just pedal behind the speed of the drive. Honestly i cant think of anything worse than clicking a cog or 2 under load

 

[Gary]

A point on changing under load though. After reading on here ( @Gary I think) last year about this I have consciously stopped pedalling before shifting on this bike since new

You don't have to stop pedalling at all. Simply ease off before and during gear changes.
Exactly the same us true of normal bikes to achieve smooth shifting.

 

[Gary]

I shift under load all the time. The cost in wear and tear are worth the trade to me.

Watching the ews-e riders, they certainly do it.

Are you racing for a world title?
I don't see any other trade off worth mashing your drivetrain for.

 

[DrStupid]

Are you racing for a world title?
I don't see any other trade off worth mashing your drivetrain for.

I treat my shifter the same way I would a clutch on my dirtbike. It's a tool to be consumed as I see fit. Obviously there is a point beyond prudence, but generally my bikes shift reasonable well, under reasonable load, and I am quite content to change the cassette at 600 miles.

 

[Gary]

Fair enough. It's your money.
But seeing as your EMTB does not have a clutch or a motorcycle gearbox do you realise its not even slightly comparable. Shifting a derailleur gearing system while under high load and blindly crunching through the procedure clumsily your chain will be changing from one sprocket to the next no quicker than a smooth planned shift under next to no load?

 

[steve_sordy]

I treat my shifter the same way I would a clutch on my dirtbike. It's a tool to be consumed as I see fit. Obviously there is a point beyond prudence, but generally my bikes shift reasonable well, under reasonable load, and I am quite content to change the cassette at 600 miles.

I find myself physically, emotionally and intellectually incapable of shifting under load!
Too much mechanical sympathy.

It's a bit like shifting gears in the car without using the clutch pedal. I just can't bring myself do it!

 

[DrStupid]

I understand.

I have some old equipment that parts are hard to find, and some stuff that's just hard to work on, I treat these with a great deal of sympathy!

 

[DrStupid]

Fair enough. It's your money.
But seeing as your EMTB does not have a clutch or a motorcycle gearbox do you realise its not even slightly comparable. Shifting a derailleur gearing system while under high load and blindly crunching through the procedure clumsily your chain will be changing from one sprocket to the next no quicker than a smooth planned shift under next to no load?

My analogy is less than perfect.

On a small bore dirtbike the clutch is used to keep the motor in the sweet spot, but it only works within a reasonable range, else you fry it. On my emtb the shifter is the same. I don't dump 3 gears under full power or anything like that, mainly becuase it would break, but I click, click, click under reasonable power quite alot. I've noticed from vids, that many of the best riders I've seen are doing the same. That's all.

 

[Giff]

Just going back to the OP....has anyone compared the longevity of the SRAM 1299 (about £400) over the SRAM 1275 (about £200).
If damage is caused by power shifting on my SRAM 1275 (which I'm not convinced mine has) will the 1299, which is steel and is described
as being able to use when power shifting, a better option and may last 3 or 4 times longer ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

It's all comparable .. On xmas day I was invited into the local farm on my way back from my dog walk .. I had a great time and took the piss out of the farmer for being fat and it turned out he'd been looking for a cross trainer, so I said he could have mine. Today. I picked that up, dropped it off, got invited in for a drink .. got given Eau de Vie (which is a drink which is the opposite of what it really is). Walked home with the dog as I could barely walk, never mind drive.

Just woke up on the sofa in the cabin where it's almost 0c. Walked dog ... searched for wood. Felt sick. It just feels relative .. Look after your gears ... but will they really look after you ?? I guess with modern day metallurgy and gear design, even the most inept of us in life and riding (me) somehow make it through. I hated my SRAM gears but they took a lot of crap with my crap flat out everywhere riding style .. My Shimano setup I love (thanks @Gary for the advice) it's slicker and more compatible with my ineptitude. But ultimately .. for some of us, who ride to race ourselves ... things get hammered ... it's not just us though .. I'm sure 10 years ago if I'd had hulk legs and ridden an MTB the same way, my cassette would looks like a lovely polished lamp stand.

I had a go on this yesterday and wanted everyone to do boxing day race laps round a friend kitchen on it .. sadly , the transmission gears were worn and it would skip when you went for a corner .. MERD ! Still, it's good to know people have been enjoying the most of life for a long time and I'm sure it will soon be on @Bearing Man's portfolio ! ?

Oh crap I need some food ..

 

[Andrie]

It's a bit like shifting gears in the car without using the clutch pedal. I just can't bring myself do it!

I do this all the time now to practice. Much easier actually on the race track as we are trained to rev match when shifting gears. One time I didn’t even realized my clutch slave cylinder weren’t operating until I’m driving in the paddock.

 

[Tedgar]

When my gears skip it is because I let my chain go too long without changing the chain. Usually happens at 1/8" stretch over 1 foot. 1/16" over a foot is max wear. Easy to measure as each link is 1". Just measure 12" and see if pin falls between 12 1/16" and 12". Not sure what what you metric guys without a King James ruler will do. I have found an old chain will skip when 1/8" over and putting a new chain makes it worse. Meaning the cassette and maybe chainring need replaced. $$$

What I do to ease the burden on the wallet is use 3 chains and rotate them anytime I do a detailed cleaning of the bike. The cassette should last for 3 chains if you change it at or before the 1/16" wear point. By rotating the chains randomly they all wear at the same rate and I can get 3 chains to the 1/8" wear point before replacing the entire drivetrain. That is double life past the 1/16" point. Although the 1/16 to 1/18 seems to happen way faster. So double the life of those chains and increase the life of rest of drivetrain.

 

[Beekeeper]

I shift under load all the time. The cost in wear and tear are worth the trade to me.

Watching the ews-e riders, they certainly do it.

Once I retire (meaning fixed income) I may change my mind.

I shift under load all the time too ?

 

[gaba]

You still need to pedal but off load, click a cog but don't apply load on your crank just pedal behind the speed of the drive. Honestly i cant think of anything worse than clicking a cog or 2 under load

Agreed. Just the sound alone makes me cringe.

 

[High Rock Ruti]

High Rock Ruti

800 miles time for new cassette and chain. Although gear skipping or hunting could be something else, bent derailleur hanger for one, just sight the derailleur and bend by hand trailside.

Warm Regards Ruti