Had the worst shift ever at the shop last Thursday - three major chain failures in one day

So last Thursday was just a total nightmare at the bike shop I work at here in Portland. First thing in the morning, a guy rolls in with a chain snapped clean in half mid-ride on a brand new gravel bike he just got from us two weeks ago. Then around lunch, another customer comes back furious because his e-bike chain stretched out and derailed on his commute after only like 60 miles. And to top it off, a kid brought in his mountain bike with a chain so rusted and twisted it looked like it had been underwater for months. I spent the whole day re-routing drivetrains and replacing chains instead of doing any real diagnostics or builds. Has anyone else had a day where the chain gods just cursed you with back-to-back failures like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

val_wilson9d ago

Oh my goodness, that sounds like an absolutely brutal day. I actually just read an article from a mechanics forum that said a lot of new chains are failing because riders are using the wrong lube for their local grit - here in the Pacific Northwest it's mostly about wet conditions. You might want to check if those e-bike and gravel bike customers were using a heavy wet lube instead of something that could keep the salt and dirt out.

christopher59411d ago

Flip the question around and wonder if the shop's chain lube or cleaning process is the issue. Honestly, I've seen shops use a bulk degreaser that's way too harsh and strips the factory grease from new chains, making them snap or stretch faster. Maybe that first guy's gravel bike got hosed down with that stuff before it left the floor. Ngl, it's worth checking what y'all are using in the back.