Difficulty pedaling

[eggraid101]

I saw a similar thread on this, and read it, but I tried everything that guy did and still can't figure the problem out.

I was on a ride on my mtn bike, and suddenly had difficulty moving the pedals. In the granny gear, I can move the pedals and the bike goes forward, but in the middle chain ring or higher up the cassette, it becomes very difficult to impossible to pedal. The chain is fine, the wheel spins freely when I remove it and hold it in my hands. I thought it was maybe the bottom bracket, so I replaced it with a new one, but still have the same problem.

Any ideas on where to look next? There is more resistance in larger gears, and I am stumped!

[cyclerUK]

Do both front and back wheels spin freely?
Do the pedals themselves spin freely?
If you flick the cranks backwards they should carry on and spin maybe a couple of turns?
Is there any "unusual" noises
Does the back wheel pull over to one side when pedaling hard? (tire could rub on chainstay)

[eggraid101]

I'll double check that stuff tonight, but I don't think any of that is the problem. I checked the rear wheel to make sure it wasn't rubbing on the brake pads, but I didn't check the chainstay.

[cyclerUK]

If the either wheel was causing problems then they wouldn't spin for long. A good wheel should basically turn under it's own weight. The heavy side (usually the valve) should fall to the bottom if positioned at the top.

[Bill]

Also eg, can you take a picture or two of your Cassette in the middle or one of the higher gears from the back of the bike? Something else I just want to make sure, are you talking about the gears on the rear wheel or the front crank? (I know this may sound like a dumb question, but terminology can easily get mixed, as I do it sometimes.)

[eggraid101]

(04-07-2010, 05:51 PM)Bill Wrote:  Also eg, can you take a picture or two of your Cassette in the middle or one of the higher gears from the back of the bike? Something else I just want to make sure, are you talking about the gears on the rear wheel or the front crank? (I know this may sound like a dumb question, but terminology can easily get mixed, as I do it sometimes.)

Bill, I was referring to the front chain rings, I get things mixed up frequently, too. I notice the difficulty increases as I shift into more difficult gears in the rear (cassette), too, but the change in difficulty is more pronounced switching in the front because it's a bigger change.

For the picture, do you want me to have the chain in the middle chain ring in front and the middle of the cassette in back?

I've got a 7 speed SRAM deraillier (I don't remember exactly which one) and I think an XT front deraillier in case you were wondering. It's a 7 speed chain. Before this problem arose I rode it for about 3 years with no issues.

cycler UK, I will double check the wheels, but if I remember they spin well in at least one direction. If it was a hub issue, would they spin well in one direction (backwards) but not the other way (forwards)? Before I switched out the bottom bracket I took the rear wheel out and held the skewers and it spun well. The front and rear hubs are both about 3 years old, they are Shimano XT as well.

[cyclerUK]

Eggraid, it sounds like the wheels are O.K.
It's only the back wheel that will spin one way - due to the freehub.
Try - Move the front derailleur to the small ring and drop the chain onto the bottom bracket shell.
Now the cranks should spin very freely.
Put the chain back on and, with the back lifted, turn the cranks and it should be easy by hand. Move the gears and try each one in turn.

[eggraid101]

So, remove the chain from the front chain rings, the cranks will spin freely, or they did when I installed the bottom bracket.

Then, hold the chain with my hand and work it through the gears starting in the gear with the most teeth and move up from there? I'll give that a try tonight. Thanks!

[cyclerUK]

(04-08-2010, 12:02 PM)eggraid101 Wrote:  Then, hold the chain with my hand and work it through the gears starting in the gear with the most teeth and move up from there? I'll give that a try tonight. Thanks!

No don't hold the chain in your hand.
Just put it back on each chainring in turn and go through each gear combinations while turning the cranks with the back wheel of the ground.
Obviously as the gears get higher they will be a bit harder to turn. But with wheel of the ground there should not be a lot of difference between bottom and top?
You are looking for anything that could cause the problem that you have.

[eggraid101]

Well, I got impatient and took it into the shop last night. The cassette was loose. They charged 5.50 to fix it, and I had them overhaul my fork, too. Thanks for all your help, cyclerUK and Bill!

[jr14]

Glad I could help! Oh wait...Nevermind...

[Bill]

Your welcome and 5.00 aint bad at all!