UPDATE: Reviews section refreshed, redesigned, searchable: Go take a look
In the last 2 years I have been lucky enough to be able to afford 2 very expensive push bikes ie both have been £6k +
But the service Ive had with both has been appalling. This is the latest issue I am now stuck what to do.
I bought a new gravel bike maybe 6 weeks ago. Even during the bike setup (fit) the chain kept dropping. Shop owner just said the chain needed to 'wear in'.
5 weeks later and 300 miles, go back to the shop. Owner checks the SRAM Force setup and says it wasnt setup quite correctly from distributor and now the best he can do, anymore issues speak to the distributor as nothing more he can/will do.
This week, I speak to the distributor. Distributor says nothing they can do, the bike was setup by the shop (thats not what the shop said), speak to SRAM and put in a warranty claim. Yesterday I spoke to SRAM HO, knowing they dont take warranty claims from consumer. Chap was helpful and said things they can potentially do, ring back when consumer line opens today. Rang back today, spoke to a different SRAM person who was perfectly polite but basically said they wont do anything, very different from the call yesterday. He advised going to a different retailer which will cost me money, plus it isnt great turning up at another retailer that I was only a few weeks back looking at their bikes and then not buying.
Its no wonder the bike industry is failing if that is how it treats customers.
Moan over
Ps oh and the other bike. Well that was delayed for months. When it eventually came they said they had set it up tubeless and hadnt. They had also put some cheap shit dropper post in it that failed within weeks
Ps oh and the other bike. Well that was delayed for months. When it eventually came they said they had set it up tubeless and hadnt. They had also put some cheap shit dropper post in it that failed within weeks
weird that this one would annoy me far more.
months of delays when apparently the industry is struggling for sales, failure to set it up as they claimed, and if I'm reading it right, a spec substitution for an inferior component?
Can't really offer anything of use regarding your position, apart from my story to say they aren't ALL rubbish.
TF Tuned found my 14 month old AXS Reverb to be bent. JE James (who I didn't buy the bike or post from, but do use sometimes) kindly sent it off to SRAM for a small fee, with the correspondence from TFT. SRAM sent me a new (newer style) post
SRAM Force you say? Was it AXS? If so, dropping the chain seems to be a feature not a bug. Three different mechanics couldn't sort mine out.
I converted my 2x setup to 1x and problem no longer exists. Granted, this wasn't a cheap option but I'm not impressed by SRAM front derailleurs and wasn't inclined to waste my time or damage the bottom bracket area anymore
Bike shop should be handling it for you, it's with them you have a contract.
Name and shame?
SRAM Force you say? Was it AXS? If so, dropping the chain seems to be a feature not a bug. Three different mechanics couldn't sort mine out.
No its 1 x 13 XPLR. Some people have said its 'normal' Ive not ridden a bike in 40 years where its normal for the chain to drop down the cassette without forward pressure being applied. Also climbing its noisier than my ebike motor = something is wearing out very quickly!
What worries me most is that I am trying to get something sorted that cannot be sorted and is just shit design (ie the chain line is too extreme etc)
It's the shops responsibility to hand over to you a properly working bike.
+1
Don't let the shop misdirect you with how they want to handle it and how they think their warranty works.
Revert back to the basics. You bought a bike, from them, which doesn't work. They need to fix it.
I bought a new gravel bike maybe 6 weeks ago. Even during the bike setup (fit) the chain kept dropping. Shop owner just said the chain needed to 'wear in'.
I've heard this before from bike shops. It's code for "we have no idea how to fix it but hopefully you'll die before you get a chance to test the theory and bring it back".
Your contract is with the shop. That's it. They either fix it, replace it or refund you. It's not for you to be dealing with the distributor.
i try not to use bikes shops...... or bike gear other than the actual bike.
this week, needed some winter...ish shorts.
Altura had some on offer... perfect. bought em direct from them as i have done twice before.
in the account thing when buying, the address drop down was used. i selected my postcode and address.
all paid and done.
no messages or txts at all until yesterday morning with a txt from Evri say item delivered. obviously not as i was home.
emailed Altura........ quick response quoting the wrong address 3 streets away. and could i just walk round to ask the person who lives there for my shorts. which i did.
turns out the lady sees me quite often, and had a feeling the shorts were mine. a good honest person.
crap service from Altura. las item i shall purchase from them.
The shop should sort this...
But, what do you mean by, "The chain keeps dropping"? Is it coming of the chainring, over-running the cassette, falling off jockey wheels, etc?
In a bit more detail, what is the specific problem?
You have a 2 options to resolve this really.
option 1 cut your losses and take it to another shop. Pay them to sort it.
option 2 take the bike back to where you purchased it. Give them a set time period that’s reasonable such as 2 weeks and inform them if they can’t make the gears work properly then you want a full refund which you are legally entitled to.
I would favour option 2 personally.
this isn’t really a bike industry problem, just a shite bike shop.
One crap shop =\= a shit industry.
In any of the 4 larges cogs at the back, and you are not pedalling forward the chain roll backwards to mid cassette jamming everything up.
It makes steep hill starts near impossible as you cant turn the crank to the right position. If you get off the bike and go through a gate by the time you get to the other side of the gate or slightly roll the bike back to shut the gate it jumps down the cassette (with gear still in largest cog setting)
Climbing up steep hills its very loud, louder than the noise from my ebike motor
I think that's a consequence of mammoth rear cassettes and sticky freehubs, I used to be able to make my chain drop down the cassette when back-pedalling or even just stopping pedalling suddenly when going fast, the momentum of the large cassette (or the stickiness of the freehub) keeps it rotating forward a bit causing the chain to go slack.
Same think used to happen to Mark Cavendish apparently, a feature of his sprint (apart from the power) was when he sat up at the end he also back pedalled a bit which combined with the forward momentum of his drivetrain caused the chain to ship.
Have you thought about a nice chat with Trading Standards local to you and the shop? They seem to be perceived as "bad guys" but I have always found them to be really helpful and proactive if you approach them.
Perhaps explain the scenario, ask what they suggest, and make a few notes when they reference legal standards (as they probably will) and then you are better equipped to talk to the original supplier with whom you have a contract.
Good luck either way!
James
Yes I agree it’s most likely the freehub has too much drag. I had a similar issue on my hardtail. The freehub wasn’t installed correctly and kept shipping the chain. I couldn’t figure it for ages. Eventually got the freehub disassembled and refitted correctly and it works perfectly now. The drag of a sticky or incorrectly fitted freehub is enough to ship a chain, especially on modern 50 or 52 tooth cassettes.
My LBS are also very "mid" too.
A few years ago I had suspension bearings replaced on a frame. A few months later my shock self destructed. When I took it off to send it to be repaired I realised that it had been installed skew whiff with a washer on one side of the shock mounting but not the other. I was fairly certain (but not absolutely definite) that I hadn't removed it since the bearing service, so I think that was how it came back from the bike shop.
More recently I bought an e-bike from them, they installed the range extender incorrectly and had thrown away one of the retaining bolts rather than work out where it was meant to go. They'd also discarded a battery terminal cover that came with the bike and that is recommended for use when transporting.
They're ok. They're nice enough people. But now if i want something doing that I can do, I buy the tools and do it myself. It may take me hours, but at least I know it's done properly.
I'm repeating info from above, but this is solely a shop issue.
They should set up the bike for you at point of sale. That's everything, a full check, all bolts torqued properly, bars, saddle etc set to your fit, everything working perfectly.
If they haven't done that, they need to resolve it.
Likewise, any warranty issues is straight back to the shop and it's up to them to deal with suppliers, distributors etc.
Good luck getting it sorted!
https://youtube.com/shorts/19cVloLcTow?is=I0HvCgn42Xb1ekaI
Now obviously this the bike suspended on a wall and me turning the cranks backwards but it is the same out on the trail.
The rear mech is in the position to keep the gear in the largest sprocket. Yes I know a mech is a guide for forward movement, but the slightest back pedal does this
Ive wondered about a ‘sticky’ free hub. If you back pedal in a lower gear there is some rotation of the wheel.
But no way am i stripping a brand new freewheel on a brand new bike that should be working
Agree all leads back to the shop I bought it from
Shop owner just said the chain needed to 'wear in'.
If that's what you were told .. its bollocks and you were being fobbed off. Bikes either work perfectly at PDI stage in the shop or there is something wrong.
Now obviously this the bike suspended on a wall and me turning the cranks backwards but it is the same out on the trail
It can happen off the largest sprocket on bikes with short chainstays that create a bad chainline in that gear. A stiff freehub creating chain slack can makes it worse.
It can happen off the largest sprocket
It does it on the top 4 !
That's shit and in no way fit for purpose.
Google tells me that is a chain line issue. When you are pedalling forward it is fine because the mech guides the chain onto the cassette on the right sprocket. However, when pedaling backwards the chain is guided on in a straight line from the front sprocket. In this case it looks like that angle is too severe so dropping down.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/comments/1eydoxp/chain_falling_down_to_smaller_cogs_when/
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/chain-falling-to-smaller-cogs-when-backpedaling.1197756/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic
I don't know if there is any option to alter the chain line at the cranks. Move it inward so it "favours" the larger sprockets at the back.
In any case, that shouldn't be happening. They should fix it or provide an acceptable solution. My guess is they are dragging their feet because they don't know what to do and don't want to take the bike back.
^ that is rubbish .. the wider and larger the cassette and the shorter the chainstay the more common it is. Some will say 'just don't back-pedal' but it was a PITA on my bike when climbing anything ratchety and steppy (1x10 on an old bike with a short stay 135mm rear end, not a new bike). The problem seems to be there's nothing you can do with mech set up that stops it, you can only move the chainring across a bit to reduce it. Maybe there's a top mechanic's tip to be had from someone.
In any case, that shouldn't be happening. They should fix it or provide an acceptable solution. My guess is they are dragging their feet because they don't know what to do and don't want to take the bike back.
Everything that @jonba said above but especially ^^.
I suspect someone somewhere has fitted the wrong BB or put some spacers in the wrong way around and the chainline is off. I suppose there's a very slim chance that the frame itself is out of alignment but whatever it's not fit for purpose.
If the shop you bought it from won't / can't deal with it, take it to a reputable workshop then see the options for it being covered under warranty or charged back to the original shop.
I have found that a 52 tooth cog, particularly with shorter chainstays, doesn't like back peddling. I've returned to/stuck with 50 tooth cassettes and had no problems.
Not gonna solve your LBS issues I realise, but it has been my experience.
What's the chain line like ? Other question, is the correct chain installed. Definitely a shop responsibility, but I wonder if other 13 speed mechs are presenting with that issue (and on that model of Willier) with the slightest back pedal.
I suppose there's a very slim chance that the frame itself is out of alignment
Good call, unlikely if it's carbon but worth checking if the chainline is correct.
I have found that a 52 tooth cog, particularly with shorter chainstays, doesn't like back peddling. I've returned to/stuck with 50 tooth cassettes and had no problems.
Not gonna solve your LBS issues I realise, but it has been my experience.
Also a good point - I had fewer chaindrop issues on that old bike with a Deore 11-46 compared to a Microshift 11-48.
I find this all to often, then bike retailers complain about how tough life is when they are competing against direct to market or internet only shops. When will they realise that how they treat their customers is their only USP and they should be doing everything they can to exploit that. I
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZYHW2gkygpo?is=bImCnSvX3VaWo83L
The vid is in the correct ‘setup’ cog. Back pedal turns the rear wheel and feels lumpy
I have no idea how you look at chain line , but the front ring could not be moved further in board (photo) prob 2mm clearance
It’s a KMC flattop chain. Now of course SRAM told me that it should be using a SRAM. Apparently it came out of the box with the KMC
Taking it further, how would a brand new bike be bent (carbon) also why would wilier design a frame with too extreme a chain angle and then spec with a groupset that doesn’t work. Hence me think it has to be a setup issue
It’s a KMC flattop chain. Now of course SRAM told me that it should be using a SRAM. Apparently it came out of the box with the KMC
I've got a KMC flattop on a SRAM Force 1x12 AXS and it's been perfect. They work fine but obviously SRAM will say it needs a full Force groupset including chain.
It'll be a cost cutting measure, I'm sure if the manufacturer are buying 10,000 chains, it'll all add up.
