Bicycle chain skips when going up hill or under pressure. What can I do to fix it What is wrong?

My bike chain will not grip and "slips or skips " over the sprockets/ when I apply pressure to the pedal.

It works when I am on flat ground but when I go up hill or apply pressure to go faster it skips/slips.

The rear derailer looks lined up and I've replaced the sprocket and then the rear wheel but it still happens.

What could cause this to happen and what can I do to fix it on a very tight budget.

Hi there.

Typically this is a symptom caused by one of several things.

If your sprockets and chain rings are worn, they should be replaced, along with the chain at the same time. Replacing the sprockets in the rear or the chain rings alone will not solve the problem.

The chain wears at the same rate as the front and rear gearset, and therefore, the old chain will not work with the new gears, and the skipping will continue.

The other possibility is that your shifter cables have "stretched" and are in need of adjustment.

Hope this helps.

You mentioned 2 of the 3 things that normally cause this. The 3rd being a worn chain. A new chain will certainly solve your skipping if the gears are new and the alignment is good.

If you have recently replaced the rear cogs then its your chain causing the problem. A worn chain on new cogs will skip when pressure is applied. Double check your chain for stiff/damaged links

Lubricate your chain ... it is possible that a link or two is frozen. As you noted, it doesn't bother under light riding, but under pressure it skips. After lubricating, make sure that all the links flex freely on both ends of every link.

A lot of work, but it generally fixes the problem. Provided that all things once worked correctly ... and you haven't changed any of the equipment, indexing, etc.

- Freth :0)

Clean your gear cable,DON'T UN-SCREW ANY BOLTS.
1-put your chain on the largest cassette chain wheel on the rear wheel by using your gear shifters.
2-click down the gear without the rear wheel rotating round
3-the outer gear cable should now be free too pull out of there (sockets?).
3-pull the outer cable along the inner cable to reveal the inner cable,where the outer cable once was.
4-clean the inner cable with a clean cloth.
5-re-grease/oil the inner cable.
6-replace cable.Done
NOTE: when adjusting rear gear cable,and it is all in sync,1/4 of a turn should be anothe to calibrate.

As mentioned, this is a wear and tear issue. Check your chain length. If, when measuring 12 links, you get well over 12", say 12 and 1/8, it may be time to change your chain and rear sproket. You may also need to consider if your cables need adjusting. Check the tension and if needed, tighten/replace.

Unfortunately, although you have a tight budget, you may have to replace worn parts. You may try re-indexing you gears as well. Go to this web site, for the how to section on setting up front/rear derailiers.

www.parktool.com

Buy I would say that this is a case of worn parts.

Luck

As others have pointed out, chain and sprockets wear together and must be replaced together. D茅railleur alignment and adjustment are important to proper shifting.

To save money, you might find a bike co-op where you can do the work yourself and get advice from more experienced bicyclists.