Chain snapped in 3 month old bike?

cymruchris

From the day you had it to the day it snapped - had you lubricated the chain? And if so, with what, and how often?

Was the bike kept indoors or outdoors?

Do you still have the old chain to take a photograph to show the snapped area?

35har1old

Danwilderspin said:

So I bought an ebike from Evans at the end of January.
i had it a month and it failed the battery died. I took it back they had it a month and ended up giving me a new bike.
new bike lots better been giving it a good go… anyway two weeks ago I was riding and the chain snapped! 

I spoke to the manager he said bring the old chain they will be able to sort out a replacement. So I went in and they want to charge me saying it’s a wear and tear consumable item… it’s done about 60miles.. is this right it doesn’t seem it for £2k worth of bike?

Did it come apart at the join?

vacheron

Danwilderspin said:

Just checked the replacement chain they sold me… it’s the wrong size! 

Is it the wrong size (width) or the wrong length? 

Bike chains are sold long and then reduced down in length when fitted to suit each individual bike. (Different frame sizes and gearing layouts require different length chains).

born_again

Danwilderspin said:

Baldytyke88 said:

Danwilderspin said:

… anyway two weeks ago I was riding and the chain snapped! 

I spoke to the manager he said bring the old chain they will be able to sort out a replacement. So I went in and they want to charge me saying it’s a wear and tear consumable item… it’s done about 60miles.. is this right it doesn’t seem it for £2k worth of bike?

Had you been checking the bike over every day before you used it, how did it break?

Good question - not every other day as I haven’t ridden that much with the weather but the chain club I have bought said to reapply and inspect every fourth journey and I’ve been doing exactly that.

So how did it happen? I have a hill outside my front door I had it on full assist mode for max power and standing on the bike to get a bit more the chain appeared to come off and it looke like one side of a link had broken off

Sheds a slightly different light on it. Was the tension correct?
If chain came off than unlike a normal bike, where you simply stop peddling, with electric the motor will keep going. So if chain gets stuck it will break at the weakest point.

Keep_pedalling

Danwilderspin said:

Baldytyke88 said:

Danwilderspin said:

… anyway two weeks ago I was riding and the chain snapped! 

I spoke to the manager he said bring the old chain they will be able to sort out a replacement. So I went in and they want to charge me saying it’s a wear and tear consumable item… it’s done about 60miles.. is this right it doesn’t seem it for £2k worth of bike?

Had you been checking the bike over every day before you used it, how did it break?

Good question - not every other day as I haven’t ridden that much with the weather but the chain club I have bought said to reapply and inspect every fourth journey and I’ve been doing exactly that.

So how did it happen? I have a hill outside my front door I had it on full assist mode for max power and standing on the bike to get a bit more the chain appeared to come off and it looke like one side of a link had broken off

That puts a massiive strain on the chain especially if you are in the wrong gear or trying to change gear. In all my years of riding bikes the few chain breaks I have had, have all happened on hill climbs. 

Keep_pedalling

If it is the length that is wrong you need a chain splitter to remove the excess links. Unless you bike is single gear with no tensioner your original chain could be repaired with one of those as well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaker-Splitter-Bicycle-Missing-Professional/dp/B07SM4LDHL/ref=asc_df_B07SM4LDHL?mcid=edca163d186233f9b1ca09082fd7c37b&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697209126664&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=932461496002369985&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9050375&hvtargid=pla-788739360616&psc=1&gad_source=1

Wyndham

born_again said:

Danwilderspin said:

Baldytyke88 said:

Danwilderspin said:

… anyway two weeks ago I was riding and the chain snapped! 

I spoke to the manager he said bring the old chain they will be able to sort out a replacement. So I went in and they want to charge me saying it’s a wear and tear consumable item… it’s done about 60miles.. is this right it doesn’t seem it for £2k worth of bike?

Had you been checking the bike over every day before you used it, how did it break?

Good question - not every other day as I haven’t ridden that much with the weather but the chain club I have bought said to reapply and inspect every fourth journey and I’ve been doing exactly that.

So how did it happen? I have a hill outside my front door I had it on full assist mode for max power and standing on the bike to get a bit more the chain appeared to come off and it looke like one side of a link had broken off

Sheds a slightly different light on it. Was the tension correct?
If chain came off than unlike a normal bike, where you simply stop peddling, with electric the motor will keep going. So if chain gets stuck it will break at the weakest point.

Actually no - on an ebike the motor only works when you are peddling. If you stop, the motor stops.

Unless it's an illegially modified ebike of course (and I've seen more of those than I'd care to count!)

OP - I know from talking to my local bike shop that eBikes do cause more wear and tear on the chain than 'normal' bikes. But I'd done 1000 miles before I replaced mine. 60 miles sounds more like a manufacturing fault. I think it's worth fighting your corner.

Danwilderspin

Lots of questions - so yes I used chain line every fourth trip as the container says on it.
it is stored in the house in our utility room.
its like the edge of the link was out and the pin the. Pulled and bent.

cheers

EnPointe

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Jenni_D said:

As it's an e-Bike I assume no mileage deduction is allowable? (i.e. it is normal goods rather than a vehicle).

Even so, at 60 miles any deduction would be negligible.

Good thinking

A motor vehicle, in relation to Great Britain, has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Act 1988 (see sections 185 to 194 of that Act)

I’m too lazy to check what that is to confirm if it covers e-bikes. 

EAPCs are not  motor vehicles from a legal point of view , hence not  requiring registration, VED   a driving licence or a  Motorcycle spec  crash helmet 

This is alsowhere the stuff with  E-Scooters and 'throttle' E-bikes  causes  problems with the hard of thinking ,  as the nearest / most appopriate  classification of the latter two groups is moped or small motorcylcve depending on power/ speed    and  then  requrining  registrtation / VED/ motor insurance/ a Motorcycle standard  Crash Helment 

sinar

Is it a mid drive? Does it have high torque? If so these are much more demanding on chains than hub drives, I have a Bosch performance line CX motor and it goes through chains much quicker than my hub drive, even when using ebike specific chains.