My wife bought a Boardman Compfi over the weekend. Decided to go for a quick run tonight, so we gave it a check over this morning and all seemed fine.
Less than 800m along the road on the way to the local trials, while riding up the last hill before we hit the woods, she attempts to drop a gear and the chain comes off her bike. We stop and have a look. The chain has come off the front ring and jammed inbetween the small ring and the frame. I ease it out and see a nice big scratch right through the paint… nice start.
Its a struggle to get it back on the ring, so i follow it back and there’s something not right with the back hanger. It looks bent. I followed it round and I see one of the links has split, with the freed prong caught on the rear mech hanger. The chain link is bent open, the hanger is bent, along with the nice scratches around the frame at the BB.

So an interesting visit to Halfords in the morning. Does anyone have any opinions what happened here?

A link has split,happens all the time, although usually with not as catastrophic and poorly timed knock on effects.

I think they’ll probably give you a new chain, replace the hanger and send you on your way. If you’re lucky. The YTS lad might just grunt and tell you bad luck though

Sounds like the front mech was off.

You’ll have a job getting halfords to do anything about it, very easy to blame it on user error, chains do have a tendency to fall off.

either chain wasn’t connected correctly or gears weren’t set up right, either way get back to Halfords sharpish & get it replaced no way that should happen with a brand new bike unless if wasn’t set up properly.

I think knackered might be a bit OTT.

Don’t steam in demanding stuff.

Be polite, honest and see where that gets you.

A “less than great” down shift could have caused the chainsuck and the removal of the stuck chain could have damaged it and hence the further damage.

They’ll get the medium sized hammer out for that job

Yeh, let me rephrase.. my night on the dry, fast trials was knacked.
If I can get the chain and rear mech replaced I will be doing alright, by the sounds of it.

when a chain splays wide enough to start catching on things it’s never good news, I’d make sure they replace the chain entirelly.

A few years ago I snapped a hanger on a little flat section of singletrack, chain went too.

These things happen.

Do see new chains split now and then but mostly with out any issues like you had ,
Just one of those things that happens , there is no way of testing until the bike get ridden

We had a spate of ultegra chains cracking and splitting the other year

Halfords replaced a lad I work with’s bike as his brakes rattled it turned out it was the split pin after 4 bike’s be nice and they may even apologize for the inconvenience.

I’ll doctor the slit pin as well then, this should be easy. cheers.

Lot of advice regarding being nice. I’ve every intention of being calm, i don’t fancy making a tit of myself in the middle of a busy shop. Its cringe worthy, seeming someone kicking off without giving the shop a chance. I never surprised when the first response is to fob you off. I’ve found sticking to your guns and keeping calm, gets you far more help and you’re less likely to get red face if you have to go back in the shop again.

really bad luck, I have not broken a KMC chain. (yet)

I always find asking about some other expensive items you are considering buying improves the customer service 😉

thay’ll swap the chain. cost them nothing to do. just don’t be a prick.

I think that as trail hardened biking adoni we sometimes play down a lot of stuff as we’ve probably had it happen before, & for most of us it’s a simple fix.

But that’s not the point really. For a brand new bike to fail so quickly is pretty grim, & must have been bloody disappointing for your good lady.

On a plus note, we had the Bike-to-Work chap in yesterday, promoting the scheme…run through Halfords. 🙂

Just your standard failure curve in action, stuff’s never more likely to break than when it’s brand new or very old. They ought to put it right- my local Halfords would do, they’re better than your average LBS but ymmv. Good luck! Excellent choice of bike anyway.