(no subject)

[jack]

This morning, my bike pedals stopped going backward. They went forward fine, but when the wheel went forward, so did the pedals, and when the pedals went backward, so did the chain (for a fraction of a revolution, then it caught up with itself).

I deduced something wrong with the ratcheting mechanism, but didn't know enough to investigate further, other than poking at things. I wasn't sure if it would make sense to ride it, but as it seemed to go forward ok, I tried riding it carefully; and by the time I'd got to work the problem had mysteriously cleared up. So I probably won't do anything about it. But what was likely to have gone wrong? I thought maybe something frozen, but it was inside. Or from when the bike was mangled, but it seemed strange it had happened suddenly.

Comments

[gareth-rees.livejournal.com]

I agree with alextfish: it's most likely the chain getting jammed in the rear derailleur somewhere. Usually this just means that you need to clean and lubricate it. If it keeps happening, it may mean that your gear changer is misaligned, or (more likely) that it's time to replace the chain and sprockets.