I finally figured out why my chain keeps skipping on the stand after 8 months of frustration

Turns out I was clamping the frame too tight and flexing the dropouts on my old Raleigh at the shop on 5th Ave, has anyone else run into this with older steel frames?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_xena18d ago

80s Raleighs always seem to have one weird quirk that baffles you for months, @the_diana.

the_diana18d ago

Wait, you were clamping the frame tight enough to bend the dropouts? I've never once thought about that causing chain skips, that's wild.

daniel_martin17d ago

Yeah I messed around with an old Raleigh years ago and had the same thing. The dropout was just slightly out of true from the previous owner clamping it too hard. I ended up taking a file to the dropout slot just to clean up the burrs and that helped a bit but the real fix was getting a proper stand adapter that doesn't put pressure right on that spot. If your frame's got horizontal dropouts you gotta watch it even more because the chain tension pulls everything sideways. Also check your derailleur hanger alignment cause that can cause chain skipping too and people forget about it.