Brand new garbage chain

[AlBaker]

I bought an Electra cruiser a few months ago. Trek imports them so I expected a bit better quality than box store bikes. From day one the 7-speed derailleur has been a bit 'crunchy' when changing gears, and sometimes I hear a click as the chain seems to have a link not engage with a cog tooth. They said not to clean and lube the chain for 200 miles, so I didn't, thinking it might wear in. It didn't, and I have not been able to tune it to make gear changes quieter and smoother.

Today, with 340 miles on it I put a Park CC-2 chain checker on it. the reading was .5, okay, but several inches further along it read .80, totally shot. Going around the chain it continued with good and bad sections. I just happened to have a new Shimano chain on hand so I put that on, and the difference is incredible. It's smooth and quiet like it ought to be.

I had already dealt with wheel bearings that were so tight they were grinding. I haven't been able to notify Trek about these issues. I'm just disappointed that even bike shop quality bikes suffer from inferior parts and assembly. It got me wondering how a machine can make a chain with good and bad sections the whole length. Perhaps the machine was worn out.

 

[steveindenmark]

Was it new or a demonstration model?

 

[teeonethousand]

I bought a new Giant Revolt from local LBS about a year ago. The gear change was never smooth and I had it back there a couple of times for tweaking. After about 700 miles it was back again as the chain was lumpy and they declared the chain knackered so I fitted a new Shimano one (bought from same lbs).

Night and day...been brilliant ever since.

LBS said not unusual to wear chain in that mileage...which I found hard to believe and lo and behold the replacement chain is now on over 2K and fine.

Lesson learned..factory fit parts not necessarily good quality.

 

[88robb]

That's a classic bad chain from the factory. It's frustrating, but manufacturing defects like inconsistent links do happen. Definitely contact Trek about it. Glad a simple chain swap fixed the issue.

 

[silva]

Since it was from day 1 usage, it isn't wear related.
Pens are cut and side plates stamped, only rollers are machined to diameter, and despite there is an ANSI standard for chain specs, bicycle #40, 5/16" roller diameter, but different brands/models chose different, on the upside, bigger diameters, normal is 7.63-7.65 mm, but SRAM was found to make models close to 7.70 and also a 7.90 model - same brand - different models (groupset).
Maybe the rollers of the problem chain were a mix of different brands/models, some leftovers from previous production run other model.

Aside comment: salesmen label all wear "normal", said out of experience.
It's only after you start to try things out, that you discover the reason proving that the normal was abnormal.
Trying things out saved me quite some bucks and from reoccuring misery, and still does so.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

I have seen this on brand new bikes as well. In fact, I work with a guy who loves checking brand new Shimano chains on the new bikes we build at our shop, or newly installed chains which aren’t shifting smoothly on a bike he’s servicing. It’s amazing how many measure as 50% ( or more! ) worn right out of the box. The problems seems more prevalent on the lower end stuff, but we do see it on the occasional new 105 or better equipped road bikes.

I think Shimano’s comfortable perch on the top of the component supplier pile has caused them to get a bit complacent.

and don’t get me started on “Cues”.

 

[AlBaker]

Was it new or a demonstration model?

It was new. The bike shop stocks about 200 bikes. I had bought the same model four years ago, sold it after two years, and regretted selling it. So I recently called them on the phone, told them I want fenders on it, and put a deposit on it. The next day they called to say I could pick it up. So I guess it must have been in stock.

The Electra I bought four years ago, at 600 miles the wheels started to crunch so I checked the bearings, Hardly a smear of grease, and they were too tight. So I put new ball bearings in. Then on this new Electra, I decided to check the wheels. They seemed okay but when I took them out, the axle was too tight and I could feel slight crunching. Again, just a quick smear of grease, insufficient for the job.

It seems to me that Trek is importing some bikes with bad assembly and defective parts. I can't contact Trek so I contacted the bike shop on their website. They never responded. If I took it back to them under the warranty, it's a 30-miles round trip in race track traffic. I can do whatever needs to be done, myself, so it's not worth asking them to fix things.

 

[AlBaker]

I bought a new Giant Revolt from local LBS about a year ago. The gear change was never smooth and I had it back there a couple of times for tweaking. After about 700 miles it was back again as the chain was lumpy and they declared the chain knackered so I fitted a new Shimano one (bought from same lbs).

Night and day...been brilliant ever since.

LBS said not unusual to wear chain in that mileage...which I found hard to believe and lo and behold the replacement chain is now on over 2K and fine.

Lesson learned..factory fit parts not necessarily good quality.

I had a new cruiser from a different bike shop. At 600 miles I took it to them for tuning it up. They put a chain checker on the chain and said it was shot. I asked, "What, at only 600 miles?" They said I was lucky to get that much out of it; "chains don't normally last that long." I stopped dealing with that shop after three new bikes, and seven botch jobs. This is what got me started on learning to do my own repairs. I began to collect tools as needed, and watched videos on YouTube. I've saved a bunch of money by not having to keep taking bikes for repairs.

Yes, some bike shops will fill your head with nonsense. The LBS where I bought three new bikes, did some diabolical things to them, and that was before I bought them. I guess it depends on who they hire as mechanics. Just one example: I bought a Sun fat bike from them and when I cleaned it, I found the rear brake caliper was not sitting flat on the bracket. It had a convex washer, used for rim brakes, as a packing piece between the caliper and the bracket. The reason was, the caliper was biting down on the disc and locking the wheel. I'm not a professional mechanic but I could see that the mounting bracket was adjustable, so I removed the convex washer, moved the bracket slightly, and put the caliper back on. Perfect!

I've learned not to trust any of them to fix my bikes. I'll accept their advice, but that's all.

 

[AlBaker]

I have seen this on brand new bikes as well. In fact, I work with a guy who loves checking brand new Shimano chains on the new bikes we build at our shop, or newly installed chains which aren’t shifting smoothly on a bike he’s servicing. It’s amazing how many measure as 50% ( or more! ) worn right out of the box. The problems seems more prevalent on the lower end stuff, but we do see it on the occasional new 105 or better equipped road bikes.

I think Shimano’s comfortable perch on the top of the component supplier pile has caused them to get a bit complacent.

and don’t get me started on “Cues”.

I once read that even new chains start at 25%, but this new Shimano I installed, was already at 50%. I haven't noticed that with KMC chains. One of KMC engineers started making his own chains. I bought one and it was good at 25%. I don't know if he's still making them. It's probably hard to compete with the mass-produced Shimanos.

My cruiser needs longer than standard chains, so I have to buy two, join them together, then cut where needed. At least next time I have to put a new chain on, I've already got plenty of chain to add to a new one.

 

[AlBaker]

That's a classic bad chain from the factory. It's frustrating, but manufacturing defects like inconsistent links do happen. Definitely contact Trek about it. Glad a simple chain swap fixed the issue.

I looked for a way to contact Trek, but their website doesn't provide a way. I wanted to contact them about wheel bearings lacking grease and being way too tight on new bikes. It happened on a new Electra four years ago, and I had to replace the wheel bearings at 600 miles. I sold that bike after two years, regretted selling it, then bought another one from the same LBS. Not really trusting that the wheel bearings were in good shape, I removed a wheel which seemed okay while it was mounted, but when I removed it, the axle was quite stiff to turn and I felt a slight crunching. So the tight bearings and the bad chain ought to be reported to Trek, but would they care?

 

[fossyant]

I had a cheap KMC 'Z8' chain on the commuter for a while (with dark grey links), but despite it changing fine it was a bit rumbly, especially if the chain was clean (had been put on with new cassette and chain ring). Replaced the lot recently, but with a mid range SRAM 850 chain and it's fine. Never had that issue before but must have been a slightly poor chain to start. The 'silver' KMC X8 chains are my goto usually.

 

[fossyant]

The issue with more budget bikes is you'll get cheap chains and cables (as well as other bits), but these are the parts that make a big difference. Cheap cables will become rough quickly - you need stainless and decent PTFE outers - standard Clarks will do for most applications upto 10 Speed.

 

[AlBaker]

I had a cheap KMC 'Z8' chain on the commuter for a while (with dark grey links), but despite it changing fine it was a bit rumbly, especially if the chain was clean (had been put on with new cassette and chain ring). Replaced the lot recently, but with a mid range SRAM 850 chain and it's fine. Never had that issue before but must have been a slightly poor chain to start. The 'silver' KMC X8 chains are my goto usually.

It's the luck of the draw. Perhaps the machines that assemble chains may wear and produce less than good chains.

 

[AlBaker]

The issue with more budget bikes is you'll get cheap chains and cables (as well as other bits), but these are the parts that make a big difference. Cheap cables will become rough quickly - you need stainless and decent PTFE outers - standard Clarks will do for most applications upto 10 Speed.

I've never had a problem with cables, other than the one I put a very light smear of petroleum-based grease on. The housing had some kind of plastic lining, and the grease caused it to swell so bad that I couldn't change gears, especially changing up where the spring couldn't move the cage. My 2-years old Izip step-through bike has 3,600 miles on it and the cables are like new. I don't ride in wet conditions, so that may be a factor in them being in good condition.

 

[88robb]

I looked for a way to contact Trek, but their website doesn't provide a way. I wanted to contact them about wheel bearings lacking grease and being way too tight on new bikes. It happened on a new Electra four years ago, and I had to replace the wheel bearings at 600 miles. I sold that bike after two years, regretted selling it, then bought another one from the same LBS. Not really trusting that the wheel bearings were in good shape, I removed a wheel which seemed okay while it was mounted, but when I removed it, the axle was quite stiff to turn and I felt a slight crunching. So the tight bearings and the bad chain ought to be reported to Trek, but would they care?

Go through your local bike shop. They can report the issue directly to their Trek representative. For faster results, leave a detailed review on the specific bike's product page on Trek's website. They pay close attention to public feedback.