scarleton

I got my Ultegra 6800 bike this summer, with about 2500 miles on it. Yesterday the weather was outstanding in south western Ohio so I had the pleasure of being out in this beautiful day riding with my wonderful wife on our local bike trail. Unfortunately the ride came to an end when I turned up the power to allow someone else to pass and my lower chainring choose another route:



I must admit, I am a clydesdales coming in at 6'4" & 293lb, so I am wondering if this is normal for the Ultegra FC-6800, or a freak accident?

Looking at replacement parts, if it is just the smaller chainring, then it isn't too bad. But if the larger chainring had it's threads stripped, then I am looking at over a $150 repair. If this what I am to be expecting every 2500 miles, I am thinking I might want to downgrade to a less expensive (heavier and strong) crankset that will last a bit longer.

tarwheel 

That might be eligible for a warranty claim. A chain ring shouldn't bend like that unless a stick or such got stuck in it. Check with your bike shop.

scarleton

well, that thought had occurred to me. I looked into Shimano's warrantee and looks like they only have warranties on their Dura Ace components. And my LBS the bill my bike is closed on till Tuesday and I've got a ride on Thursday. I will call some other LBS and see if they can speak into this at all.

Barrettscv 

It looks like a chainring bolt either removed itself or was never installed. I'd seek a warranty claim. If the threads on the crank are damaged, insist on a replacement crank.

Andrew R Stewart 

If this was brought into my shop I'd suggest that it was no warranty, given the missing bolt and claim of lack of maintenance. But we'd take all apart and access the condition then estimate for repair. We'd also look at the chain stay as I see red paint on the bent ring. We'd then make a judgment as to who pays depending on if we sold it and had serviced it after the sale. We would also consider calling the distributor of the bike but that's even more a relationship call, on both counts. The shop and customer one as well as the distributer and shop one.

Is this normal. No way. Does it happen. Sure. Usually all it takes is a replacement ring and bolt but who ever fixes it will determine the real cost and approach. Andy.

FBinNY 

It' rare for chainring to bend this way. Keep in mind that pros power up serious alpine climbs using the same stuff and it has to built to handle that.

OTOH it's common for rings to bend this way when there's a missing chainring bolt. The ring simply isn't strong enough to span 144° unsupported. That's double the design span and it shouldn't surprise anyone when it fails.

BTW- it isn't necessary to inspect for loose chainring bolts. They usually announce themselves with clicking or creaking.

Jarrett2

So this thread made me go check my chain ring bolts for the first time. All but one of them were tight. The one that was loose, never fully tightened. It got harder and harder to turn, but never stopped as the others did. It appears it is stripped. Could this be the issue that the OP faced as well? A stripped chain ring bolt that popped out under pressure? I assume I need to get mine looked at now.

dsbrantjr

That doesn't sound like a stripped fastener. Make sure that the nut is not spinning with the bolt. Park make a tool for this: Park Tool Co. » CNW-2 : Chainring Nut Wrench : Crank Tools

scarleton

FWIW: if the chainring bolt did come loose and where hanging round for a bit, it did not announce itself.

The whole conversation has gotten me curious to see the actual state of the threads on the larger chainring, so here are some more pictures. The one thing I can say is that from what it looks like, the threads are clean and usable, though they do seem to be dirtier then I would expect if it had just come out. Your thoughts?

scarleton

Andy, please help me understand the process of a warranty claim...

When I take it back to the shop that build the bike and it where considered a warranty issue, would the LBS be responsible for covering the labor and the cost of the new crankset, or would Shimano covering the cost of the crankset so the LBS is just out laber?

Wanderer

I would venture a guess, that bolt was missing for a LONG time.

deacon mark

Being my own mechanic I would buy a new crankset on ebay now for $169 and then box the broken one to Shimano and make a warranty claim. If they replace then you just sell the crankset and basically you are close to even. If not then you simply are out $169 and if you ride a lot it is not a big deal.

Jiggle

Agree. I'd put another $20 chainring on it and ride on.

fietsbob

Let a Chainring Bolt fall out , A maintenance issue .. yea just buy a new chainring .. check the tension on the bolts more often ..

Andrew R Stewart 

To the customer the real issue is do they pay for any of the repairs.

Rider (not yet determined whether rider is previous customer of shop) brings bike to a shop, describes situation (problem, purchase data, desired outcome). Shop does initial assessment of problem, relationship with rider and possible outcomes.

Sometimes the problem is an adjustment only, usually done on the spot or ASAP. Sometimes the problem is the rider's technique (front shifting is a common example), usually instruction and or coaching is done on the spot, sometimes rider is invited to ride with shop person to further coach/teach. Sometimes the problem is from wear/use. No warranty is usually offered but sometimes there is a "consideration" in the replacement cost. Some times the problem is from a broken part. Then the question is why/how it broke (rear der hangers can break after an initial bending wasn't dealt with), when did the part beak and what happened after.

If the shop had also sold the bike and there is a preexisting relationship then usually the shop deals with the lower cost problems on their own and might, or not, seek a credit from the distributor, separate and after the rider is made happy. If the shop didn't sell the bike then they will usually offer a fix at the customer's expense or offer to contact the distributor before doing any repairs, but the shop's desire to gain a customer might motivate them to act differently. If the problem is with a proprietary part on a brand that the shop doesn't sell then the shop usually refers the rider to a shop that sells that brand as a first choice but also might offer to repair (if possible) at a cost to the rider.

If the problem is a costly one to take care of (say a frame breakage or high end wheel failure) then the shop will usually want to contact the distributor before going much further. But the shop might try to keep the rider on the road with a loaner, again relationship determined. Sometimes this contact and warranty "claim' with the next level is quick (approval over the phone to do what is needed) sometimes they want to see the problem first and this could take up to a week+ of shipping and in warranty department time.

This is where the secondary costs come into play, the cost to take apart the bike, pack and ship the offending part (usually the distributor only wants to see the broken part) and then the return shipping and reassembly cost. All this isn't the responsibility of the shop, usually stated in the warranty that it's the customer's, but again the relationship comes into play here.

So there is no simple answer as to how any one possible warranty problem is dealt with. Some companies (and shops) don't print their policies out so that they can respond as they wish and not be obligated to a set standard. I never liked that approach. I like to be up front before there's any problem about how things will be dealt with. Andy.

scarleton

Andy, while there is no simple answer, I do thank you for providing very good coverage of many of the different scenario, it gives me a good idea of what I will be walking into when I take my bike in Tuesday.

Wilfred Laurier

OP:

You said you got the bike this summer with 2500 miles on it. Do you mean to say it was a used bike? Because if it was used, there is no manufacturers warranty, as that is good only for the original owner. If you bought it used from a bike shop they might offer somee type of warranty, but these are generally on the neighborhood of a couple months. Also, how many miles have you ridden the bike?

scarleton

Nope, I got it new this summer and I put the 2500 miles on it

professorbob

I think it's clear that the bolt came loose and fell off. Same thing happened to me on the granny ring on my tandem. Btw, there was no squeaking to announce the failure. So now I just check the bolts when I do the occasional once-over.

Jarrett2

Picked one up today and some other tools using a $15 customer gift card. Thanks for the tip. I'll add this to my routine checks now.

dsbrantjr

Were you able to tighten that spinning bolt?

hueyhoolihan

ya, really.

Bezalel

Thr LBS is never loses on the labor unless they are providing the warranty. If it is covered by the Shimano warranty, you will be responsible for the labor. If it is covered by the bike manufacturer's warranty, it may also cover the labor.

Andrew R Stewart 

AS my lengthy post described warranty coverage is not black and white. I have never worked in a shop which followed any written warranty to the letter every time. The relationship that shops have with their customers provides a motivation that transcends the written requirements. While I really like such responsibilities to be in writing most actual warranty claims have a lot of "gray" to their being resolved.

This is one of the big reasons to shop at a LBS. Where one can look the other in the eye during such discussions, where there is a high motivation to maintain the relationship (because the cost of getting new customers is far greater then that of retaining current ones). At the LBS the customer is one of, maybe, 1000 people the shop deals with a number of times each year. On line customers have a greater dilution of this influence on the interweb retailer. Andy.

trailangel

Hey, sorry to see that.
Here is an idea for everybody.
Just say NO to chainsets with 4 spiders instead of 5.
Another 'innovation' being pushed at us from the manufactures.
Ugliest cranks I've every seen........