[Trail Woman]

I love my TW but I've been getting a little tired of getting left in the dust and have been trying to pick up the pace with one big exception....loosing traction at high speed. Either bouncing or on loose uphill terrain the chain feels like it's getting chewed on the sprocket which is not only a bad feeling but starting to wear my teeth on a forward angle. I since cleaned up my sprocket and run the chain a little tighter but the only driving solution I've come up with is to give it a jolt of throttle before I loose traction and have to let off the throttle momentarily or risk chewing up my drive train. I've had it up over 80km on dirt but once I hit a bump or loose rocks on a hill I'm getting left behind...any suggestions other then that's a TW get used to it?

Also...any suggestions for a new sprocket? I don't mind spending more if it will last longer but I get mixed messages about sprocket materials. Best to ask another TDubber!

 

[TW-Brian]

Are you running the stock 14/50 gearing, or have you changed sprockets?

What bikes are leaving you in the dust, TW's or something else?

 

[Beeline]

Worn sprocket can indeed cause a 'crunching' feel and should be replaced. Loosing traction on a rough uphill most likely is a suspension problem especially since the TW is not making lots of 'rooster tail' spewing power. I have the same problem on washboard surfaces and I'm looking at getting a better rear shock with better rebound control.

 

[JerseyJeeper]

Just a few sugestions while we wait on the answers to the questions that Brian posed.

It sounds like your loosing traction due to the rear tire breaking loose because it's not following terrains when it gets rough. Lowering your rear tire pressure could help with this dramatically. If your running up around 25/30lbs pressure that's an issue.

Sprockets..? Actually it sounds like you have a chain problem that's destroying your sprockets. Get any major brand of sprockets as long as they are steel and not aluminum. BUT get an X-ring chain and replace both sprockets with the new chain at the same time. Don't use regular chain lube. Use a dry film lube or wax based lube that doesn't hold dirt, grit and sand. You'll get thousands of miles with no ajustment needed.

 

[Beeline]

Just a few sugestions while we wait on the answers to the questions that Brian posed.

It sounds like your loosing traction due to the rear tire breaking loose because it's not following terrains when it gets rough. Lowering your rear tire pressure could help with this dramatically. If your running up around 25/30lbs pressure that's an issue.

Sprockets..? Actually it sounds like you have a chain problem that's destroying your sprockets. Get any major brand of sprockets as long as they are steel and not aluminum. BUT get an X-ring chain and replace both sprockets with the new chain at the same time. Don't use regular chain lube. Use a dry film lube or wax based lube that doesn't hold dirt, grit and sand. You'll get thousands of miles with no ajustment needed.

Actually this sounds like a better idea than jumping to a new shock. Start with the easy stuff first then shock if that doesn't work.

 

[JerseyJeeper]

Actually this sounds like a better idea than jumping to a new shock. Start with the easy stuff first then shock if that doesn't work.

Actually our replies crossed. Your input is excellent as well. Lots of TW shocks are shot with only a few thousand miles and in the end are only fancy spring holders.

 

[Trail Woman]

Yes. More info....my bad.

Stock drive train, and suspension. Tire pressure roughly 12/18 psi. Including racks and other gear I'm still 20lbs under the stock suspension setting which I though might be a good idea for camping. After I posted last night it dawned on me that maybe it's my suspension needing adjustment. At the very least more response on the rebound would help. I thought my chain tension was holding till I removed my chain guard. The wear on the sprocket is minimal and I made sure to clean the grit out before lubing and tightening the chain to reduce wear.
I've changed standard chains several times before...is an x ring more difficult? I really know nothing about them yet.

Oh and I ride with an xr and a crf. Not that I try to hit the same speeds, but getting slowed down by bumps and loose hill climbs is aggravating.

 

[TW-Brian]

Oh and I ride with an xr and a crf.

Thanks for the additional information, but I am still curious.

Would that be an XR50, XR70, XR80, XR100, XR200, XR250, XR350, XR400, XR600, or XR650R, XR650L and a CRF50, CRF70, CRF80, CRF100, CRF150, CRF230, CRF250, CRF450 or something else?

 

[Trail Woman]

XR250L and CRF 250X

Oh and I looked up the x ring chain...the only diff I can see is that the rings block grit from getting into into the chain and reduce friction between the side panels that link the rollers. The x shape seems like it would allow better flow of lube then an o ring. I can't see any reason it wouldn't stretch like any other chain though.

 

[Trail Woman]

Thankfully someone filled me in on how the grit blocked by x and o rings would otherwise cause pin and hole wear that makes the chain appear to stretch. It doesn't appear to be much more difficult to install one.

Now if I can improve my suspension adjustment it would appear I'm on my way to reducing my drive train wear and loss of traction.

I'll look into how to adjust my suspension but feel free to give any other advice/experiences that might be helpful on this topic. I report back any results.

Thanks everyone