New bike issues

CliffyG

CliffyG

CliffyG

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
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Location
Cambridge
My wife got me a Carrera Crossfire 2 for Christas. She got it from Halfords and I ended up taking to Rutlands to service after a few rides as it wasn't put together very well. One of the issues was that the chain was slipping occasionally when in 24th gear and quite a bit when going up hills in 8th gear. This issue still occurs after the service.
I rang them up about it and the bloke said my sprocket would be worn. I've ridden it 11 times in total, around 13k each time. I ride 99% of the time in 24th, 1% in 8th. He said I need to change gears more. Surely this can't be a thing? Virtually brand new and although not expensive it's not a cheap bike. My last bike was awful and I never had the chain slip once even though I used the same gears.
 
A quick look at https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybr...-bike-2020---black---s-m-l-frames-345886.html suggests it's a 3x8 drivetrain, but what do you mean by 24th gear? Biggest chainring (48) with smallest sprocket (11)?

How often have you put fresh oil on the chain? Was it a "wet" oil or "dry" oil?

Do you only ride on dry roads?

I commuted on a new Voodoo Wazoo fatbike in 2016 in all weathers, applying some Progold Prolink oil every month or so. In less than six months and <500 miles, I was getting gear "skipping" that remained after fitting a new chain, so I changed the cassette too. I then discovered said oil was a "dry" oil, which would have quickly disappeared in wet weather, so my poor re-lubing frequency caused excessive drivetrain wear.
I use "wet" lube these days on the commuter (Voodoo Marasa) and monthly re-lubing is fine, getting ~2000+ miles per chain and at least two chains per cassette.
 
I meant highest gear (but your description sounds right). I only ever change the front gears, back one remains in the same place.

I haven't oiled it at all yet as it was recently serviced and I've barely used it.
 
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No way a Chain or cassette should be worn at 144km.
Even on an Ebike putting crazy torque through the chain they should last for 400-600miles before the chains links are stretched enough that it should need changing.
On a normal bike chains usually last for around 1000miles if you oil the chain every 100 miles or so, but for the first 200 miles or so the chain wax they apply at the factory should still be working good

Is the chain actually "slipping" or just skipping between rings on the cassette when going up hill like it's trying to change gear?
Could just be cable stretch and poorly indexed gears.


You should be changing gear more often though :P
 
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Change the gears down when climbing it sounds like your chain is slipping, I have the same thing going on atm. Could be you already wore out the cassette. Mine is a Halfords crossfire as well, they are cheap nasty bikes and not quality components so you may well have bent the teeth on the cassette, just like mine. I did it the same way too by climbing in high gears.
 
Hmm it's quite expensive for a cheap nasty bike. I thought Carrera were an ok brand. I'll have to drop it off at Rutland again and see if they can replace the faulty bits with something a bit more robust.
 
CliffyG said:
I meant highest gear (but your description sounds right). I only ever change the front gears, back one remains in the same place.

I haven't oiled it at all yet as it was recently serviced and I've barely used it.
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Shouldn't contribute so much wear in such short millage, but you're deffinatley not using your gears correctly.

On a 3x8 gear system I'd imagine youd spend 99% of the time on the middle front ring, using the rear gears accordingly. You'd only use the small and large front rings for steep hills and going at full speed/downhill respectivley.

EDIT: if you're putting an unnessesary amount or torque through the system by being in too high a gear, that will wear out cheaper chains and sprockets a lot faster.
 
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mattyfez said:
Shouldn't contribute so much wear in such short millage, but you're deffinatley not using your gears correctly.

On a 3x8 gear system I'd imagine youd spend 99% of the time on the middle front ring, using the rear gears accordingly. You'd only use the small and large front rings for steep hills and going at full speed/downhill respectivley.

EDIT: if you're putting an unnessesary amount or torque through the system by being in too high a gear, that will wear out cheaper chains and sprockets a lot faster.
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That makes sense, I always leave it in that gear so I work my legs as much as possible during my short rides. I hadn't considered it causing wear as it was fine on my older very cheap bike. I shall get it repaired and try riding it differently in future.
 
CliffyG said:
That makes sense, I always leave it in that gear so I work my legs as much as possible during my short rides. I hadn't considered it causing wear as it was fine on my older very cheap bike. I shall get it repaired and try riding it differently in future.
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It's worth looking into 'cadence' this is a random article I found but there is loadds of discussion on the subject. https://roadbikeaction.com/12-best-cadence-tips-2/

Pushing a high gear will work you legs out a little better, but spinning the pedals faster will be better cardio, ultimatley it's a balance depending on the terrain you are riding on, but you do have to consider a little mechanical sympathy to the bike components too.
 
Not just regular lubrication/clean and using the gears but you want your chain as straight as possible in the gears you use most. That may require some ratio changes but something to discuss with the bike shop.
 
You'll struggle to cross chain it on a 3x8 as long as you're sensible about being in an appropriate gear.
I. E you shouldn't be on the smallest cog front and smallest cog rear, you should have changed up to the front middle by that point to keep the chain from being pulled sideways.

wickwerks.com

Cross Chaining – WickWerks

Cross chaining is the condition where the chain is running across the drivetrain centerline — for example: From the BIG Front chain ring to Biggest Rear cassette cogs, or from the SMALL Front chain ring to the Smallest Rear cassette cogs.The diagram below shows the 2 different cross chaining...
wickwerks.com wickwerks.com
 
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CliffyG said:
I was always in the highest gear. Same as I rode my 2 previous bikes. Looks like the more modern more expensive one can't handle it.
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Not really... Older setups can be more tolerant as you might only have 7 cogs on the rear so the chain line remains relatively straight.

When you get onto bigger rear cassettes with more cogs (more gears) it becomes an issue.
 
mattyfez said:
Not really... Older setups can be more tolerant as you might only have 7 cogs on the rear so the chain line remains relatively straight.

When you get onto bigger rear cassettes with more cogs (more gears) it becomes an issue.
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My last one was a 24 gear one too. I rode that 99% of the time in the top gear. Not a single issue.
 
CliffyG said:
My last one was a 24 gear one too. I rode that 99% of the time in the top gear. Not a single issue.
Click to expand...

OK, you do you, but aside from excessive wear, it must have been an absolute pig to ride, getting going from a standstill or when you start going up a long hill :confused:
 
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