Hello everyone.

I own a bickerton 1909 junction seen here (can't post links)
however the pedal snapped off very early and after waiting weeks for a replacement part, Halfords without asking replaced the custom FSA vero 55 t chain set with this one (f gimondi 130mm crankset) which I didn't think looked as good as the original nor wanted for warranty reasons however I needed the bike to travel to work so took it home.

Since then I have had to change gears individually in order to prevent the chain from falling off. This never happened with the original crank/chain set (I apologise for not being 100% on the terminology) but I was able to use the bike. After a year the chain snapped and was replaced and since then I cannot go into top gear (9th) without the chain slipping and falling off. If I try to pedal fast or put any strain on the chain it also 'slips' and falls off, as it does if I go into the upper gears (1-3).

I took the bike to a repair shop who advised that due to wear and tear a new chain set would be needed. I can take photos if necessary as it doesn't look worn at all. The original shimano cassette would need to be replaced also as it is worn. I understand the cassette needing changed however the crank set does not seem worn however I have started searching for alternatives to fix the issue.

My problem is when search for a 55t fsa vero chain set I am unable to find any. Would 54t or lower suffice? I would like the chain to be as tight as it was originally and if I have to pay £100 or so I would rather have the original chainset put on it, but I cannot find it anywhere. I have found an outer ring that would suit but it does not have a crank arm or inner ring, I don't know what to search for to complete this or even if having an outer ring alone will suffice.

Does anyone have any ideas? What do I need to search for to complete the outer ring? Does 1 year seem short for a £100 chain ring to be worn out? Can I search for something with 54t as an alternative? Should I try and change the cassette before the chainset to see if that resolves the issue?

Any advice or tips people may have would be much appreciated. I am new to this forum and will post this under general discussion to get as much opinions as possible. Thanks for reading.

Welcome aboard. If you go to the intro section and say hello to 8 of your new friends, you can post pix and we can give you a better response.

But I'll clue in on one thing you said: Your chain snapped after a year, and since replacement you can't get it onto the smallest sprocket/largest gear without the chain falling off.

Was the new chain sized to the old one before installation, or was it run full length out of the box? If it wasn't sized properly - and it was much longer than the original - it could produce exactly what you're describing. So it might be something as simple as removing a few links to match the original chain length. Don't know if the bike shop considered this.

You also state that a pedal snapped off early on. There is the possibility that the pedal threads could be re-tapped to accept a new pedal instead of a crankset replacement. Surprised that wasn't done, as it's not that difficult, unless the defect created by the snapped pedal was too severe. That way, the original crank could be saved at minimal expense & bother. Since you're dealing with Halfords, they might not have considered this, preferring instead complete replacement.

Since the Bickerton is a folder, the question might fit better in the Folding Bikes forum, where specialists (not me!) might have a better handle on foibles particular to folders.

The ring is bolted to the spider/crank arm via (usually) 5 bolts. The diameter of the circle these bolts are positioned with is called the "bolt pattern" (think lug bolt circle if it was a car wheel). You need to know this dimension as well as the number of ring bolts. I suspect you'll have a 130mm bolt pattern with 5 bolts as that's a very common spec.


Once you know this spec you can search for any other ring that matches that spec AND has the same tooth width (as in 8 or 9 or 10 speeds or 1/8" width, whichever your drivetrain has). In theory any one brands of ring that matches all the specs will interchange with your brand crankset. There are exceptions though. This is why those who don't know how to figure this all out are often better served by working with a LBS to source and maybe mount the new ring.


Which leads me to further comments. Why were you unable to use a der. to shift after installing the "warranty" ring a year (?) ago. Why didn't you get help then from a shop or other experienced person? This problem might have been a small adjustment to fix. That you were unwilling to get that problem fixed I find interesting...


As to chain/cog/ring wear rates- Yes a ring can wear out in a year of use. You don't say how many miles/K's you ride, whether you are an all weather rider, whether the roads you ride on are gritty/salty/muddy, whether you care for the drive train by cleaning it periodically, whether you lube things, whether you tend to ride on one ring a lot (and having to shift by hand certainly supports this possibility). How quickly a bike wears has far less to do with age and far more to do with the use conditions and cycles of use.


I have at times suggested much what the shop has. Replace all the wear items to re base line the drivetrain with good parts well installed and well adjusted. Generally piecemeal replacement of parts that are installed by inexperienced people and not well adjusted results in less then usual life spans and sometimes results in other problems. Andy.