Anyone know anything about mountain bikes?

[Roy]

I have a Giant Rincon that's probably 6-7 years old. I ride it pretty much every day when I walk my dog. Lately it seems to "skip" when I am peddling. Its like the peddles spin without any resistance for just a split second and then it hooks up again and I can peddle normally.

I ride it often, but only for a couple of miles at most and never very hard. I rarely go off road and if so its just on walking trails and stuff like that. I tried switching gears and that didn't seem to make any difference.

Anyone know what might be wrong?

[marmoset]

It could be several things. Listed from most likely to least.

1. Sticky chain. Comes from neglect. Clean then lube profusely and work any truly stuck links.

2. Worn chain/rings/cassette. Check chain with a chain checker or ruler, check cog teeth for consistent radius.

3. Misadjusted rear derailleur.

This link should be able to help explain any repairs you need and it has lots of pictures. If you need further help just PM me.

[Jesse B 707]

im gonna say your derailer needs adjusting or replacing, head to your local bike shop and ask

[Roy]

Thanks, I'll check the link.

I have never done any maintanence other than cleaning and WD-40'ing the gears and chain.

[Roy]

im gonna say your derailer needs adjusting or replacing, head to your local bike shop and ask

Hmmm. That was my first guess, but I don't really know anything about bikes and wanted to troubleshoot some things first.

[uNicedmeMan]

Thanks, I'll check the link.

I have never done any maintanence other than cleaning and WD-40'ing the gears and chain.

You may want to stop by the LBS (Local Bike Store) and grab some chain lube. I've read that wd-40 attracts dirt and is not the best chain loob. Chains aren't really expensive and if you haven't replaced it for 6-7 years now could be a good time.

[marmoset]

Thank you, uNicedmeMan.
WD-40 is not the best for your chain. It is better than nothing but there are much better alternatives out there. Did the Park tool link help?

There's a 95% chance that replacing the rear derailleur will NOT solve anything. It might need to be adjusted but the gunky chain or the worn chain and gears is a much more likely culprit.