Dropped Chain CF Frame damage

[Lookrider]

Place called CARBON REINCARNATION may be very helpful on a repair

I had a similar episode on relatively new bike ...however mine was specced by me with help from the shop on compatibility etc
The manufacturer was happy to take the frame back to inspect at my costs ...
But after my first reactions of despair settled down...
I took it to several shops who all agreed it was superficial damage and not structural
Me and the bike shop had a few mails and photos to the manufacture about components used etc and if they were compatible for chain line chain rings etc ..the manuffacture said that component selection is entirely the responsibility of the shop
I know your bike was built from tbe manufacture so it's a slight different scenario to mine
But don't despair call REINCARNATION and speak to them

 

[HMS_Dave]

It can be fixed im sure. I would take the advice of the LBS you brought it from. Whether the manufacturer replace it or not is dependent on the T&C's and what they deem to have caused the damage. I would expect they would repair it. But the very worst case scenario is that you get it repaired at a specialist...

 

[Chislenko]

Same happened to my Orca but I put it down to my poor choice of shifting (trying to change down front mech whilst negotiating a 180 turn uphill)

£300 carbon repair later I did exactly what someone has previously suggested, a chain catcher.

I now have one on all my bikes, for the cost of them to me it's a no brainer.

And to be fair you can be the best bike mechanic in the world and set your mech up to a thousand of a millimeter but a "perfect storm" like I had could still pull your chain off.

 

[Boopop]

Same happened to my Orca but I put it down to my poor choice of shifting (trying to change down front mech whilst negotiating a 180 turn uphill)

£300 carbon repair later I did exactly what someone has previously suggested, a chain catcher.

I now have one on all my bikes, for the cost of them to me it's a no brainer.

And to be fair you can be the best bike mechanic in the world and set your mech up to a thousand of a millimeter but a "perfect storm" like I had could still pull your chain off.

If it's still safe to ride, and it comes down to no help from anyone else, perhaps I'll get a chain catcher for now and then get it fixed over the winter. Thanks for the input (and (almost) everyone else too) £300 isn't *that* bad.

 

[Chislenko]

If it's still safe to ride, and it comes down to no help from anyone else, perhaps I'll get a chain catcher for now and then get it fixed over the winter. Thanks for the input (and (almost) everyone else too) £300 isn't *that* bad.

Don't know where you are located by I got mine done by these people

https://www.targetcomposites.co.uk/

Obviously you have to strip down (he only wants the frame) and then rebuild.

 

[Milkfloat]

I would be chatting to the LBS, that is whom you have a contract with and that is whom would have been responsible for the bike setup, not the manufacturer. However, it could be a tricky conversation if he truly is a friend, plus there is no proof that you did not fiddle with it yourself. Not great news I am afraid.

 

[Boopop]

I would be chatting to the LBS, that is whom you have a contract with and that is whom would have been responsible for the bike setup, not the manufacturer. However, it could be a tricky conversation if he truly is a friend, plus there is no proof that you did not fiddle with it yourself. Not great news I am afraid.

Yeah, he is a friend, so it'll be an awkward conversation indeed

SRAM chain spotter ordered. Regardless of whether I've fixed the chain suck problem, this'll give me piece of mind. Of course I wish I'd done so after the first time!

 

[si_c]

Oof, frustrating, the first mark on a frame always hurts the most regardless of the cost of the bike.

My initial suggestion would be to contact Orbea via the LBS - just to see what they suggest, I doubt the damage is sufficient to cause structural issues at this point but you would definitely want to stop further damage - helicopter tape is nice and thick and would prevent chain impacts from damaging the frame further.

I would think that your friend at the LBS would be motivated to get this sorted, given the lack of frame availability it may well be that Orbea would be willing to cover the cost of / contribute towards getting the damage repaired properly. They of course could offer an immediate replacement, but continuing to ride the bike now that you are aware of the damage may cause some issues if they decided that you contributed to the damage by so doing.

I'd stop riding it now and await a response from them.

Edit: I know I'm giving contrary viewpoints to a degree here, but I think there are two options - tape it up, keep riding and get it fixed after summer and accept the frame damage for yourself, or contact the manufacturer and go through their process and accept that it may take some time.

 

[fossyant]

Doesn't the fact that carbon fibers are loose concern you? I'm concerned about the structural integrity of it.

Nope, not there. Carbon isn't fragile as you think. Get a stick on aluminium scratch protector. One of those things. Shoot happens.

 

[fossyant]

I spent a stupid amount of money on my race bike 30 years ago. Forks and 3/4 rear triangle was chromed because it would be in and out of a car and raced, also stopped paint damage as chrome is tougher. Paint chips... I better not show you the chain stay on my Boardman FS where you get chain suck - ripped all the paint off. That's a scrape.

Is the chain oiled properly - as it's new it will have the sticky crap on it, that could cause chain suck. You need to get the storage goop off new chains pronto.

More importantly, when changing down, were you on full power on the cranks - you are supposed to ease off.

 

[Boopop]

I spent a stupid amount of money on my race bike 30 years ago. Forks and 3/4 rear triangle was chromed because it would be in and out of a car and raced, also stopped paint damage as chrome is tougher. Paint chips... I better not show you the chain stay on my Boardman FS where you get chain suck - ripped all the paint off. That's a scrape.

Is the chain oiled properly - as it's new it will have the sticky crap on it, that could cause chain suck. You need to get the storage goop off new chains pronto.

More importantly, when changing down, were you on full power on the cranks - you are supposed to ease off.

I always try to soft-pedal when downshifting, especially if it's because I'm approaching a hill...so not that.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Bikes of that value should have some level of tolerance to accommodate minor tweaks. A second person had said the same thing. This suggests a design fault. I would go back via LBS and seek some resolution. I would not ride until a decision is made.

I saw this at the bottom of the attachment under warranty.

Thanks to monocoque construction, we can make sure that your frame will be flawless. And, if you happen to get a faulty frame, we take responsibility for it.

https://www.orbea.com/downloads/obook-en.pdf

 

[davidphilips]

Thats really bad luck, because its a new bike as others have said maybe best to take it to the bike shop and hope for the best, if it was an older bike i would remove the chainset and very lightly sand the damage, apply a sealer and a sticker over the damage and refit along with a chain catcher.

Only good news is when its repaired no one will ever notice but do get it sorted as carbon is best sealed against moisture.

Even if you do have to pay i think it wont cost very much and fingers and bikes crossed the bike shop may do it for free, good luck.

 

[cougie uk]

Harsh lesson to learn. Have you any close up pics of the damage ? I'd be amazed if the chain dropping off could damage CF ? It's not like you're powering the chain round at that point ?

 

[I like Skol]

Was it chainsuck or dropping the chain? I think it's important to know which if you are going to lodge a complaint against the shop or manufacturer.
Chainsuck on brand new components would be unusual and adjusting the mech is unlikely to be the fix so it could jeopardize your case if you tell the shop you continued to ride the bike with a known fault and attempted to fix the wrong thing to resolve it.
I would focus my attention on chain and chainrings. Is the chain the correct one, directional, any tight links etc? Are the chainrings straight, properly machined, free from burrs, spaced correctly, compatible with the rest of the drivetrain speed wise, etc? Is the chain length correct and the rear mech capacity matched to the tooth count spread? Does the gear change otherwise occur smoothly with no hesitancy or mech rubbing.

Unfortunately, the fact that you 'have had a go' absolves the supplier/manufacturer from most liability unless you have concrete proof that the bike was supplied in an unfit state (i.e, wrong chain or frame out of alignment etc).

Probably the way forward is to clean up the damage and carry on. Any frame manufacturer worth their salt is going to build in enough 'meat' in that location to allow for this kind of superficial damage as dropped chains etc are not unusual in the real world, especially as bikes get older and components wear and get badly adjusted. Word would soon get around if frames were being written off by a single chain drop incident.

Talk to the shop, get them to fix the fault, but I expect you will have to live with the cosmetic consequences.