Bicycle Mechanics - chain installation screw-up

I finally finished the rebuild of my Pinarello with a mixture of Chorus and Record parts. The one thing that I brought the bike to the LBS for was the chain installation- I did not have a chain tool that would work on a Record Ultra-narrow chain. They put it on and I have now taken the bike on 2 shake-down rides (total of about 50 miles). It rode beautifully and needed some adjustment of the rear derailleur (not jumping to the biggest cog easily) and my impression is that it was significantly noisier than my old NR setup. I put the bike up on the stand to look at the rear- was it rubbing on the cage?- and was surprised to find that the LBS had threaded the chain on the outside of the little tab on the inside of the cage by the upper jockey pulley (see picture). Inspecting the cage shows that there is some scoring where the chain was rubbing. The chain looks ok, but (1) how can I tell if the chain has been damaged and (2) is the scoring and slight burring of the cage a potential problem?

Unless you lost severe amount of metal from the cage, I would not worry about the chain or the cage. It couldn't hurt to clean the chain though to remove any shavings that might have deposited themselves in the lube though. I'd also let the LBS do all of this since it's their sloppy screw up.

And get the LBS to pay for a replacement cage plate! This is a really AMATEUR mistake - and they can't have checked it properly before handing the bike back to you. It's the sort of thing I've done myself in the past - but only ever once - checked the bike over before riding it, sorted the error and learned my lesson for future occasions. I wouldn't expect a professional to pass a bike over to their customer in this condition, but if they did - and it's a busy time of year, we're all human and therefore fallible - I'd expect them to replace all damaged parts free of charge and offer a complimentary service at a future date to help retain the customer.

I agree the LBS should make this right and that it's an amaturish mistake. The mistake wasn't in threading the chain wrong (yes, I've done it too) but in not inspecting the work before releasing the bike to you.

However, if taking the bike back to the LBS is too far or too time consuming, you can fix the problem without breaking the chain.

Remove the bolt holding the lower pulley in place and remove the pulley. Then "sissor" the inner and outer cage plate apart using the upper pulley bolt as the pivot. That will give you clearance to move the chain to the proper side of the tab. Realign the cage plates and reinstall the lower pulley, tightening both pivot bolts firmly.

I agree that damage to the chain is very unlikely and damage to the derailleur cage is only cosmetic.

Thanks, everyone!

Riding the bike for 50-miles like that could have scraped the chrome-plating off the cage-plate. I'd clean the little tab where the chain rode over instead of under and inspect that area carefully before choosing to fix it yourself or have the shop replace the plate for you.

I took the bike back to the LBS today; they were very apologetic (and not a small bit embarrassed) and fixed things right away. We looked at the cage, and all it had were some very minor scratches on it, so I decided not to press the matter.

One thing that the shop guy mentioned is that I could put a Wipperman removable link in the chain to make it easy to remove it for cleaning (he was all out of them or he would have done it for me). What are people's experiences with these on Campy ultranarrow chains? Any problems? I currently use one of those little chambers with brushes in them for cleaning the chain on the bike. What is a better option?

:notamused::notamused:wow--- if they did that on my piny--- did the fo0l give you the right length?--- go to a campy guy next time that takes pride in road bike work..... wow.... I' m pissed more than you!:eek:

:notamused::notamused:wow--- if they did that on my piny--- did the fo0l give you the right length?--- go to a campy guy next time that takes pride in road bike work..... wow.... I' m pissed more than you!:eek:
Let he who has never made a similar mistake cast the first..... You get the picture. :)

The LBS didn't deny responsibility and was suitably appologetic. I agree with the OP, no harm, no foul.

I don't have experience with Wippermann Conex links on Campy chains but I have had excellent service with them on Wippermann's own chains. However, I have heard they work well on both Shimano and Campy chains.

Reason why I loath have any third party doing my mechanical stuff... pay them good $ and can't do it right.

A Forster Super Link will outlast a few chains and can be ordered to fit a Campy chain. Google it.