Conference noted::bicycle

    Assuming that you've fiddled enough with the adjustment screws on
    the derailleur, I suggest replacing the chain.  You didn't say how
    old it was, but I know that when I replaced a chain it made a big
    difference when shifting.
    
    Phil

    	The derailer is probably bent out of alignment. Try realigning
    it.

    
    	or it may be worn out 'jockey' wheels in your deraillure.  
    Too much gunk on the chain could also be a factor.
    
    	but really, .2 is probably right about it being bent.   Mine's
    been acting up since I got a stick caught in it the other day...
    
    		Alan.

    I was wondering about my own shifting so I tried reading on how
    to check if your chain is worn:
    
    Sloan : Measure the length of 24 links of chain on your bike. It's
		worn if the length is more than 12 1/16 in.
    
    Rob van der Plas : See if you can pull your chain more than 1/8
		in. off the chain-ring (pull at 3 o'clock in the plane
		of the chain-ring).

    
    I guess I fiddled and diddled the derailuer adjustments enough.
    
    Hmmm.  Interesting idea that it could be bent.  I doubt it since
    I havn't had an accident [fallen] etc.  And a new chain is a $$$
    I can afford.  It is quite old.  Several years for sure.  
    
    There is no worse feeling than flying a down hill and shifting up
    to hyper-speed and here/feel you chain hit the rear fork!
    
    Bill

                         -<  Beware though   >-
    
    It is a very bad idea to instal a new chain on gears that are
    probable quite worn. A recipe for loads of problems!
    
    I do, however, agree that wear is most likely the cause of the
    problem. The freewheel sprockets should have fairly sharp corners
    on the teeth, and it is these corners that grab the chain links,
    and help to engage the chain. When the corners get worn, each
    link slips back down as it tries to ride-up to the wider sprocket.
    The result is a lot of noise, and no changeing. Until the derailleur
    is pulling so far sideways that the chain jumps onto the gear, and
    straight over it to . . . nothing.
    
    If you are mechanically minded, here's how to prolong the life of
    your beast. Remove the freewheel from the hub. Dismantle the sprockets.
    This usually requires a special tool and a lot of strength. Pay
    close attention to the sprocket orientation and turn the offending
    ones round, so that the face that was on the inside is now facing
    outward. This results in what was the trailing tooth corners to
    now become the leading corners. -  Reassemble.
    
    Good luck.
    
    Val.
    

	RE: .-1

	Does this work on modern freewheels (turning worn cogs over)?
	Typically, the cogs have an angled facing on one side, planar on
	the other.  Moreover, the teeth (e.g., on Suntour Winner Pro)
	are bevelled on one side, presumably for ease of shifting.
	I'd especialy be reluctant to reverse cogs on an ultra freewheel...
	comments?   -john

    
    RE: last few,
    
    	Some newer freewheels (like my suntour!)  can't be *fully* rebuilt 
    with  teeth reversed, since the spacers are a part of the cog.  (when you 
    flip it, the spacer is on the wrong side.)   On my freewheel, only
    the two largest cogs can be reversed.   *But*, the largest ones
    are the ones I wear out chugging up the hills.   Actually though,
    it's not that expensive to replace a cog or two...
    
    						Alan.

    Not strictly related to .0, but a subtlety I think is worth noting.
    
    Couldnt get into the smallest cog.  Period.  After much fiddling,
    blue language, etc, discovered that the end of the cable had taken
    a "set" from having been left in the next to smallest gear.  This
    was enough (on the derailleur in question) to keep it from travelling
    all the way out...

    thanks
    dave pierson

General tips on dealing with worn freewheels and chains:

Do not put a fresh chain on a worn freewheel.  What you will get is a 
chain that tends to ride up on the teeth and POP! from one tooth to the
next when you put some muscle in it, especially on the smaller cogs. 

The best way to identify a worn feeewheel cog is to look at the profile 
of the teeth.  A normal tooth looks sort of like this, as seen from 
beside the bike:

			    .--.
			   /    \
			--'      `--


A worn tooth looks like this - the difference is greatly exaggerated in 
this picture, but this is what to look for:

			    .--.
			    )   \
			---'     `--

The first signs of this wear are a polishing of the part of the tooth 
that I show as worn.

You can't flip a cog that has a difference between its faces.  Sun Tour 
cogs, with their bevel on the inner (hub) side, won't shift worth a 
damn if they're flipped.

If you can't measure your chain with a ruler, hold it up against a new 
(or newer) one.  If yours is badly worn, you can see the length 
difference clearly.

- Dick

    	I'm rather new to biking.  I haven't really been on a bicycle
    	since I got my drivers license in 1976.  But I decided that I
    	should get one for those short trips that seem a sin to use a
    	car for, if you know what I mean.
    
    	A neighbor was selling a standard 10-speed bike and I decided to
    	take him up on it.  It's about 10 years old.  After regaining
    	my bicycling legs (It's true -- you never really forget how to
    	ride a bike!)  I have been taking it and myself over longer and
    	more hilly routes.  I found out that when I shift into lowest
    	gear, it won't stay there for very long.  It wants to pop back
    	onto the 4th gear.  I first discovered this when I was really
    	pumping up a steep hill.  I was standing up trying to get to the
    	top when suddenly the chain slipped and I nearly fell off the
    	bike.  Anyway, it doesn't have a problem staying on the 4th
    	gear, but will eventually slip from the 5th to the 4th within
    	100 yards or so.
    
    	I'm not very technical in my understanding of the workings of
    	all the stuff on that back wheel, although I've looked at it
    	and studied it for quite awhile.  Before taking it to a bike
    	shop, I thought I'd see if there was a bicycling notesfile on
    	the net.  I was pleasantly surprised to find this and the
    	sophisticated biking participants in here.  One thing I did notice
    	was thet the two screws to limit the range of the deraileur
    	are not the problem.  There is still a hair of room when the 
    	chain is on the 5th gear.
    
    	Also, are there shift levers that have notches for positions
    	one thru five?  Mine glides smoothly for the entire range.  
    	Perhaps if there was a notch to hold it in place then it wouldn't
    	slip down a notch...
    
    	I'd appreciate any suggestions (short of not trying to get it
    	onto the 5th gear.)
    
    	Joe Oppelt  DTN 592-4560

>... I found out that when I shift into lowest
> gear, it won't stay there for very long....

Try tightening the levers.  Tightening the screw that holds the
lever to the down tube will put a bit more friction in the system.
(I assume that you have the down-tube kind of lever.)

>... One thing I did notice
> was thet the two screws to limit the range of the deraileur
> are not the problem.  There is still a hair of room when the 
> chain is on the 5th gear.

Good. ( You can't really be a beginner.)

> Also, are there shift levers that have notches for positions
> one thru five?  Mine glides smoothly for the entire range.

The only way your going to get indexed shifting is by replacing the
whole drive train.  It's not worth it.

-Jeff Bell

    	> Try tightening the levers.
    
    	That worked.  Thanks.
    
    	Joe Oppelt