Big gap between 2nd and 3rd cogs - is that normal?

[VenisonMogambi]

Hi,

I'd been having trouble shifting on my mountain bike and I took a look at the rear cassette. There's a gap between the 2nd and 3rd rings on the cassette. There 3rd cog is there, but it's snug up against the 4th cog. Not surprisingly, when I shift from 2nd to 3rd cog, it hangs up, then sort of half settles on that 3rd cog, then finally I have to shift again to get it up to the 4th cog. Is that normal, to have that big gap between the 2nd and 3rd cogs? I'm afraid I don't work on my bike enough to know if it was there when I bought the bike. I've attached a photo which shows it pretty clearly. You can see the 1st and 2nd cogs, then a gap, then the 3rd cog snug up against the 4th cog.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[Painkiller]

it appears someone has removed the cassette and stacked it incorrectly.flip the cog so all built in spacers face the hub. you did not wake one morning and your bike was like this. it was somewhere getting worked on and the cassette was removed and installed wrong.did you have a broken spoke replaced lately? you need a chain whip and cassette removal socket or take it back to the shop you failed to mention that serviced your bike last.

[VenisonMogambi]

Yes, I had a spoke replaced! Do they really have to take the cassette apart to replace a spoke? If so, that's pretty shoddy, to put the cassette back together like that. I've worked on cassettes before, so maybe I can fix this one.

Thanks for the advice, by the way.

[Painkiller]

(07-06-2012, 11:19 AM)VenisonMogambi Wrote:  Yes, I had a spoke replaced! Do they really have to take the cassette apart to replace a spoke? If so, that's pretty shoddy, to put the cassette back together like that. I've worked on cassettes before, so maybe I can fix this one.

Thanks for the advice, by the way.

Just call me a bicycle forensic specialist , I thought there may be more to the story.
It is quite common for the drive side spokes to fatigue first, and yes you have to remove the cassette to replace the spoke. simple fix if you have the correct tools. keep an eye out for it to happen again. if it does fairly soon you must replace or re lace the entire wheel as it will keep happening
rider safety and dependability negate this. Good luck, your welcome and welcome to biketutor

[Joe_W]

Yup, a spoke breaking on the drive side is usually caused by The Dreaded Chain Drop, when the chain falls off the large cog and is jammed between cassette and spokes. Those spoke protectors (the plastic discs you can still see on some lower end bikes) are butt-ugly but do indeed have a purpose! When taking off the cassette check for damaged spokes on the drive side. If there are any: replace. This might be a good opportunity to learn wheelbuilding: replace spokes one at a time and make the wheel nice and round again. Should not be too difficult assuming the wheel was more or less true from the beginning on.

Other reasons for spoke breakage are caused by bad build of the wheel: no proper stress relieving, tensioning or un-torsioning. Those also mean that more spokes are to follow.

[Bill]

(07-07-2012, 11:21 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Yup, a spoke breaking on the drive side is usually caused by The Dreaded Chain Drop, when the chain falls off the large cog and is jammed between cassette and spokes. Those spoke protectors (the plastic discs you can still see on some lower end bikes) are butt-ugly but do indeed have a purpose! When taking off the cassette check for damaged spokes on the drive side. If there are any: replace. This might be a good opportunity to learn wheelbuilding: replace spokes one at a time and make the wheel nice and round again. Should not be too difficult assuming the wheel was more or less true from the beginning on.

Other reasons for spoke breakage are caused by bad build of the wheel: no proper stress relieving, tensioning or un-torsioning. Those also mean that more spokes are to follow.

Although I would like to say ,"nah that would not happen." I agree TOTALLY with the above. Many times things like this have happen from time to time and this is what makes us smarter. .