Chain trouble

[pharos]

I was a cyclist about twenty years ago but got fed up with all the punctures and chain hassles.

Now, nearing forty i decided to give it another as i really needed to get in shape.

So i buy a decent road bike and thinking that in twenty years the industry might have invented wheels that didn`t puncture so easily and chains that didn`t come off at the drop of a hat i set off and started biking again.

How wrong could i be, two weeks in i have a puncture and the ****ing chain came off at the same time. Unreal, i`ve been driving cars for years and never have mechanical troubles - maybe the guys builing road bikes should get a grip and invent user friendly ones.

As for the title of the thread, i can`t bet my chain back on, and i feel like i`m 14 again.

 

[alfeng]

I was a cyclist about twenty years ago but got fed up with all the punctures and chain hassles.

Now, nearing forty i decided to give it another as i really needed to get in shape.

So i buy a decent road bike and thinking that in twenty years the industry might have invented wheels that didn`t puncture so easily and chains that didn`t come off at the drop of a hat i set off and started biking again.

How wrong could i be, two weeks in i have a puncture and the ****ing chain came off at the same time. Unreal, i`ve been driving cars for years and never have mechanical troubles - maybe the guys builing road bikes should get a grip and invent user friendly ones.

As for the title of the thread, i can`t bet my chain back on, and i feel like i`m 14 again.

What bike did you buy? You should have addressed your prior aggravation when you were speaking to the sales person at your bike shop ... and, they should have probably steered you toward a bike with INTERNAL gearing like the Shimano NEXUS hub.

Flats? The flat resistant tires ARE out there ... you generally can't go over road hazards with a lightweight tire.

If you can't get your chain back on, bring the bike to the shop and have them show you how to do it ... and, have them explain what you may have been doing wrong so they can indicate to you what you can do to mitigate the occurrence in the future.

 

[montreal5]

you can get slime tubes, tubes that have an annealing gum inside that seals punctures. you can also get thicker tires or tires with a heavier tread. Lastlym you should make sure your tires are inflated close to the max recommended psi (if youre on the road). Softer tires are more susceptible to flats.

I dont know what to say about the chain. Maybe you need the derailleurs adjusted.

 

[Dietmar]

How wrong could i be, two weeks in i have a puncture and the ****ing chain came off at the same time.

As others have said, it depends on what tires you have, and what roads you ride on. Some people have several flats a year on their cars...
There's quite a few recent threads on tires, you might want to look at these to find more puncture-resistant ones if that is what you need. Having said that, I had around 10,000 miles on my last road tires, without ever having a flat. YMMV, as they say.

As for the chain, it's not supposed to come off. Where did it come off, and how? Sounds like the store did not adjust your derailleurs properly. If that is the case, have them fix things, and properly this time. Yell at them if that makes you feel better.

As for the title of the thread, i can`t bet my chain back on

What is the problem?

 

[pharos]

What is the problem?

This

To reinstall the chain rivet:

a. Re-install chain on bike with protruding rivet facing toward mechanic.

b. Open empty outer plates slightly and insert inner plates. Push inner plates until hole aligns with chain rivet.

c. Back chain-tool-pin into tool body to make room for chain rivet.

d. Place roller into primary cradle with chain rivet facing chain tool pin.

e. Drive chain rivet back into chain, taking care to center rivet exactly between both outer plates. If more chain rivet appears oEn one side of outer plate than other, push rivet until it is evenlyspaced.

f. Inspect for tight links and repair as necessary

For the least mechanically minded person on this Earth (me) this is just double dutch.

 

[alfeng]

This


For the least mechanically minded person on this Earth (me) this is just double dutch.

I'm going to guess (well, there I go again!) that because your chain problems occurred at the same time everything else went akimbo that you do NOT have to "break" the chain by separating the links ...

Your chain has probably zig-zag folded over on itself, and you only have to GENTLY straighten out the links (it may be easier to do this with the wheel off because it will remove the tension on the chain ... but, you would have to put the wheel back on, later) & put the chain back onto the chainring AND ensure that it ON the jockey wheels as it threads through the rear derailleur and that the chain is also on a cog on the cassette ...

BUT, bring it back to the shop and let them do it ... you should have ONE YEAR of free tune-ups ...

 

[pharos]

I think the whole point of my post was the frustration that comes with biking. I`ve been driving cars for over a dozen years and never had mechanical trouble.

Also, i find all of the jargon so off putting, wtf is a jockey wheel?

All i need to know is how to put the chain rivet back, i cant even get as far as the picture, the thing wont stay in. Also, i flatly refuse to take it back to the dealer, i shouldn`t have to.

 

[alfeng]

I think the whole point of my post was the frustration that comes with biking. I`ve been driving cars for over a dozen years and never had mechanical trouble.

Also, i find all of the jargon so off putting, wtf is a jockey wheel?

All i need to know is how to put the chain rivet back, i cant even get as far as the picture, the thing wont stay in. Also, i flatly refuse to take it back to the dealer, i shouldn`t have to.

Well, I presume (?!?) you have a chain tool ... otherwise, I am clueless as to how you got the rivet to be 80% out of the chain.

No offense, but unless the shop is REALLY FAR AWAY, then just plan to stop by when you are in THAT part of town ... it should be FREE ... only your time (and, ego, I suppose) is involved ...

BTW. Did you pay as much for your car as for your bike, or vice-versa? That's only a half-serious question ...

But, how much maintenance do you do on your car? Do you change the fan belt on your car, yourself?

Do you change the tires & balance the wheels, yourself?

The beauty of a bicycle is that almost everything you need to be concerned with IS out in the open ... oh sure, there are some things which can't be worked on without special tools, but you need special tools for almost everything.

I do think that almost everyone should know how to do basic maintenance (change tires & chains ... your immediate concerns) on a bike ... the more you can do, the more you know whether it is worth your time, or not, to perform a repair or maintenance.

I should have said "pulley" wheels -- sorry -- the same thing ... just a different name, BTW.

Most of what sounds like "jargon" really isn't ... sailing, for example, has MORE jargon which really isn't if one is familiar with ARCHAIC English!?!

More than you care to know about can be located at: http://sheldonbrown.com/glossary.html

BTW2. You will NEED the installation tool for these tires: http://www.airfreetires.com/SalesFolder/SalePage.html

FWIW. To put the RIVET back into the chain (again, this will be easier if the wheel is OUT of the frame and the chain is not tensioned), you put the chain tool on the opposite side of the chain that it was on when you pushed the rivet through the links.

So, without tension on the chain, put the links together ... set the chain in the tool with the rivet on the threaded BOLT side of the tool ... the threaded bolt with the smaller diameter tip must be "backed out" of the tool so that the tip can engage the rivet.

When you "tighten the bolt" on the chain tool, it will push the rivet back into the chain.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you don't push the rivet too far ... BUT, you must push it in far enough ... when you have *finished*, the two adjacent links which were re-joined should be able to move freely ... if they don't, then you have to put the chain tool on the OTHER side and push the rivet back a fraction of a millimeter ... REPEAT until the adjacent links move freely.

 

[Dietmar]

I think the whole point of my post was the frustration that comes with biking. I`ve been driving cars for over a dozen years and never had mechanical trouble.

What I have been trying to tell you is that such frustration is not the kind of thing "that comes with biking". Look, if I add up the miles for myself and the guys in my club that we have ridden together this year, that comes to quite a few thousand miles. So far, neither I nor any of the people riding with me have had a flat, or even dropped a chain. That gives you some idea of the kind of reliability you can expect. I myself haven't had a flat over the last 10,000 miles at least, although I sometimes do manage to throw my chain off the front rings when I am shifting to the small ring at the exact moment I am going through a pothole. Happens maybe once or twice a year, I'd say.

That you had this problem (whatever it was, we're still not clear about that) after such a short time is unfortunate, but it is not typical, nor indicative of the sport as a whole.

Also, i find all of the jargon so off putting, wtf is a jockey wheel?

The little wheel on the rear derailleur (the thingamajig at the very rear of your bicycle frame that moves the chain to the different cogs on your rear wheel when you shift gears) that is closest to the cogs.

All i need to know is how to put the chain rivet back, i cant even get as far as the picture, the thing wont stay in.

How come the chain is now apart anyway? Did you take it apart? If not, what the hell happened here? If yes, why? Also, in that case you must have used a chain tool, right? So, all you would have to do is move the link on the left in the picture you showed into the link on the right, such that all the holes line up, and push the little rivet back in. You do need a chain tool to do this, otherwise this will be difficult. By the way, what is the "thing" that won't "stay in"? The rivet, or the roller?

Also, i flatly refuse to take it back to the dealer, i shouldn`t have to.

I don't understand.

 

[Dietmar]

I think the whole point of my post was the frustration that comes with biking. I`ve been driving cars for over a dozen years and never had mechanical trouble.

What I have been trying to tell you is that such frustration is not the kind of thing "that comes with biking". Look, if I add up the miles for myself and the guys in my club that we have ridden together this year, that comes to quite a few thousand miles. So far, neither I nor any of the people riding with me have had a flat, or even dropped a chain. That gives you some idea of the kind of reliability you can expect. I myself haven't had a flat over the last 10,000 miles at least, although I sometimes do manage to throw my chain off the front rings when I am shifting to the small ring at the exact moment I am going through a pothole. Happens maybe once or twice a year, I'd say.

That you had this problem (whatever it was, we're still not clear about that) after such a short time is unfortunate, but it is not typical, nor indicative of the sport as a whole.

Also, i find all of the jargon so off putting, wtf is a jockey wheel?

The little wheel on the rear derailleur (the thingamajig at the very rear of your bicycle frame that moves the chain to the different cogs on your rear wheel when you shift gears) that is closest to the cogs.

All i need to know is how to put the chain rivet back, i cant even get as far as the picture, the thing wont stay in.

How come the chain is now apart anyway? Did you take it apart? If not, what the hell happened here? If yes, why? Also, in that case you must have used a chain tool, right? So, all you would have to do is move the link on the left in the picture you showed into the link on the right, such that all the holes line up, and push the little rivet back in. You do need a chain tool to do this, otherwise this will be difficult. By the way, what is the "thing" that won't "stay in"? The rivet, or the roller?

Also, i flatly refuse to take it back to the dealer, i shouldn`t have to.

I don't understand.