Why is my bike chain skipping?

When you are trying to go for a relaxing ride and the first thing that happens when you turn the corner and accelerate is your bike chain skips. The first thought that you have is probably an expletive because you’ve been trying to fix this problem for a month. Your second thought is Why is my bike chain skipping?

When your bike chain skips while putting pressure on the chain and pedal it can be frustrating because you know that you’re not getting the amount of force out of the bike that you’re putting in. It is also frustrating because you feel it at seemingly random times.

You never know when it will happen – sort of like a fly buzzing around your face – when is it going to land? So although this is not a problem that affects your safety, it surely affect piece of mind.

There are a handful of reasons why your bike chain may be skipping. It is important to figure out why so that the problem is solved. Out of the handful, there is one specific reason why it may skip the most that typically has to do with the components and how they sync.

In this post, you will learn why your bicycle chain is skipping when you pedal hard. You will also learn about the different reasons why it is skipping and how do you fix a skipping bike chain.

Why does my bike chain skip under pressure?

Your bike chain skips under pressure usually when your components are not working well together. There are other reasons that we will list below.

However, have you oiled your bike chain lately? If you have not done this in a month or more, stop reading this publication, oil your chain and take a ride around the block.

There is a very good chance that oiling your bike chain will fix the problem. The reason why oiling your bike chain is important is that it allows the bicycle components to work together well.

The cassette, drive train, chain and derailleur are able to work together smoothly and transition between gear spokes easily and effortlessly. If you have not lubed your chain recently, then there is a large chance that this is a problem.

Components working together

Have you purchased a new chain for your bike because the old one is rusted? First, you could have removed the rust fairly easily. Second, when you replace a chain, you typically need to replace the cassette as well with the chain. The reason being is that the chain becomes married to the cassette and works with that specific cassette (flaws and all).

You’ll notice that when you replace the cassette with the chain, then many of the bike chain skipping problems will stop when your chain is under pressure.

Why is my bike chain skipping?

Your bike chain is skipping because there is something mechanically wrong with the way that the bicycle is interacting with the cassette, the crank, or the derailleur. There also could be a problem with the size of the chain and how the derailleur interacts with the chain.

How do you fix a skipping bike chain?

We listed these in order of most frequent to least frequent reasons why your bike chain is skipping.

Try to troubleshoot all of these, and then if all else fails, take it into a bicycle repair shop. You will be shocked by how quickly they can asses what is going on with your bicycle in person.

Lube your Chain

Lubing your bicycle chain often is one of the most important things that you can do for your bicycle. It will lengthen the lifetime of your bike and help you keep your bike in order when it is time for a tune up (If you want other items on your bike upkeep checklist, press here for a full guide).

Components

When you are working with components in your bicycle they will eventually wear out. Make sure that you replace them over time and you will notice that your bicycle will treat you well. The biggest change when changing older components is that your bicycle will feel more responsive. This includes the chain, the cassette and the chain ring.

Worn Chain

Eventually your chain will wear out. When your bike chain starts skipping, replace just your chain first and see if the ride fixes. You can go through a few chains before needing to replace your cassette. However, if you need to replace your cassette, you will need to replace your chain.

When you replace your chain, make sure to get the correct chain, and cut it to the correct length. The way to cut it to the correct length is to have a chain breaking tool, and lay the old chain on the ground alongside the new chain. Break the chain and then connect it at the master link.

Worn Cassette

As said previously before, when you need to replace your cassette, you should also replace the chain. Chains can work on older cassettes, but new cassettes can not work on old chains. The easiest way to tell a cassette is getting older is to look at the teeth of the cassette. Are they getting the kitchen knife look where they’ll cut you if you poke it?

This may mean it’s time to replace the cassette. After replacing the cassette and chain most of your problems should be solved.

Tip: The cog that you ride on the most will wear out fastest. In my earlier days of cycling, that would be the smallest cog because I spent a lot of time cranking up hills and speeding down hills.

When it was time to replace my cassette, I simply found that specific cog at a bicycle shop. Now as I have progressed as a cyclist, the largest cog on my cassette will be the one that will wear over time and that will need to be replaced as I spend more time spinning up hills rather than cranking.

Derailleur Tension

In some cases, your derailleur could need some adjustments. This is also good to know if your bike has a fall while riding, or the wind blows it over when you are taking a bathroom break and you have to readjust it while out.

Digital Derailleurs: Derailleurs like the Shimano Ultegra Di2 are push button derraileurs and are adjusted through micro .2 millimeter adjustments. Type into youtube “How to calibrate {Name of your derailleur] derailleur.” The video will be about 10 minutes long, and will take you about 30 minutes to make the adjustment.

Manual Derailleurs: The same goes for manual derailleurs, except you will do this with screw driver sets. Typically the set of small screw drivers that you have never used in your tool box except to poke small holes in your paper thin walls. Do the same and type into youtube “How to calibrate {Name of your derraileur] derraileur.”

Chain Ring is off

This is extremely rare, but your setting for your Chain Ring could be off as well. The instructions in the video will teach you to set your Chain Ring as well. For the most part, replacing an old Chain ring will give you more response from the bicycle and typically does not have any affect on the chain skipping – typically.

Conclusion

A skipping chain can be frustrating if you are looking to go for a long ride and can not figure out why your chain is skipping under pressure. For a commute, it is a way to start out your day with a mild annoyance if it is not fixed.

The easiest ways to fix it are to lube the chain, and if that fails, slowly move through replacing the chain and cassette. Check the derailleur settings, and finally if those fail in that order, go to a bicycle shop and speak with them.