Brand new Haibike, two broken chains in first 35 miles, and other problems, advice needed

I picked up my brand new Haibike SDuro AllMtn 6.0 on Saturday. The bike is fantastic but I'm having some problems which I need to some advice on.

 

The chain broke after only 15 miles. I wasn't riding the bike hard, it is brand new after all and I'm the sort of person that really takes care of my things, and I was being very careful to ease off when shifting to avoid damaging the drivetrain. I put this down to bad luck or perhaps a faulty chain and I did a 100 mile round trip back to the bike shop to get it fixed. The shop replaced the chain free of charge and the guy in the shop explained that the Yamaha motor kicks in very fast and to take care when setting off from a standing start, ideally setting off with assistance switched off. He also explained that the replacement chains are quite expensive at around £40. I took his advice on board but I have to say, given how careful I had been I found it very difficult to believe that the chain breaking was because of anything that I had done.

 

So I just took the bike out again today, and the chain has broken again! This time after 20 miles leaving me stranded in the middle nowhere 10 miles from home - luckily I was able to get a friend to pick me up in the car. Again I hadn't been riding the bike hard, I had been taking it easy and being careful to ease off when shifting and when setting off I had assistance completely switched off.

 

Surely ebike chains cannot possibly be this fragile so what could be the problem here? The drivetrain is Shimano XT and the guy in the shop pointed out that there is a switch on the rear derailleur which adds extra tension and reduces chain slap for going over rough terrain. I've just noticed that it has been in the on position (that's how it left the shop and I assumed it was ok to leave it like that). Could that be the issue?

 

 

More generally I've had some other issues with the set up of the bike -

 

 

• The front brake disc was rubbing slightly. Had this looked at when the bike was in the shop to have the chain replaced. Still rubbing slightly but less than it was before and the guy at the shop said it should sort itself out once the pads have worn in. But there is now intermittent noise from the front brake calliper area (not just rubbing) which doesn't sound right. And having removed and replaced the wheel to get the bike in the car I can now barely get the disc in between the pads and the wheel doesn't spin freely. I took care to insert a spacer between the pads when the wheel was removed and I didn't touch the front brake lever, so I'm not sure why the gap between the pads is smaller than it was. When I look at the pads I can see that one of them isn't straight and they're wobbling side to side inside the calliper. Surely that can't be right?
  

• Front derailleur wasn't indexed properly resulting in chain coming off when shifting from small to large chain ring. This was fixed when I had the chain replaced.
  

• Having now had the opportunity to put a few more miles on the bike I've noticed that the rear derailleur isn't indexed properly either. Sometimes I have to double shift and occasionally it will change gear without shifting.
  

 

The chain breaking for a second time and the rear derailleur not being indexed properly has changed my mood from disappointed to annoyed. Surely the latter is really basic stuff that any bike shop would set up properly before the customer collects the bike? I'm now left wondering whether I wouldn't have been better off buying the bike locally from Evans rather than a specialist ebike shop 50 miles away as it's a major PIA, not to mention costly, having to doing a 100 mile round trip to the bike shop to get all this stuff fixed.

 

 

Am I right to be annoyed or is this normal with ebikes? Any advice would be gratefully received.

sounds like it was not set up right from the start and the chain could be to tight but it wont help at all if the indexing is screwed up aswell.

 

id watch some you tube vids and fix it ur self as will save you a fortune in bike shop fees.

 

any chain should do you dont need a 40 quid ebike one

 

Get back to the shop and get it all fixed.

 

I start mine in High, Standard or what ever. Over 1100 miles not a problem.

 

Your bike is brand new, take it back and scream until you get it fixed.

 

The brake thing DO NOT ACCEPT for a start.

 

It is brand new, the dealer sounds like a dodgy second hand car dealer.

 

Be ANNOYED, how much did it cost ???

 

Get it all perfect before you leave the dealer.

Forgot to say I am a very happy Haibike sDuro owner.

 

But your bike is a lot more expensive than mine.

 

Oh and if no luck, give the dealer a shout out on here.

Edited April 13, 20179 yr by IR772

The bike with accessories was the best part of £3800 so we're certainly talking about a premium product.

 

It's a specialist ebike shop which has been in business for many years and by all accounts has a decent reputation (going by google reviews) and they've always been helpful which is why I was reluctant to go in all guns blazing when the chain broke the first time. Some minor teething troubles are to be expected of course but now I just get the feeling that bike hasn't been set up correctly from the start. I mean if the gears aren't indexed correctly, which is really basic stuff, you begin to wonder what else hasn't been set up properly.

You are right expecting the bike to be perfect, it should be.

 

The bike should just put a smile on your face.

 

Gears, brakes and chain, all should be set up, not need a bit or wearing in !!

 

Like me you need an expert to get these right for you. You will love the bike once it's right.

 

You are doing it the right way by giving them a chance, but do not accept second best.

 

This time do not leave until it is all right. I think SW is right about your gears not being correct, but they should be.

 

This starting off with no or low power that is a joke normally used by another German manufacturer.

 

Give them one more chance to get it right then ask for your money back and see how it goes.

 

Best of luck, sorry you have a lemon not Lemonade.

Edited April 13, 20179 yr by IR772

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to contact the shop, list all the problems and demand that they're fixed once and for all.

 

Even with the problems, in the short time I've had available to ride it the bike has been fantastic. The suspension soaks up the bumps so well it feels like riding a magic carpet and off road it really comes to life. It just gives you that feeling that you could ride up and through anything without even breaking a sweat. Or rather it would do if I could get a bloody chain that lasted more than 15 miles!

Edited April 14, 20179 yr by 2Lazy

get a bike stand as there only 30 quid and then you can index the gears and sort the brakes out as if you dont the pads wont last long at all with them rubbing.

 

check the qr is tight and the wheel has no left right movement and check the cassette is also tight on the hub then index the gears you will soon get the hang of it.

 

 

get a bike stand as there only 30 quid and then you can index the gears and sort the brakes out as if you dont the pads wont last long at all with them rubbing.

 

check the qr is tight and the wheel has no left right movement and check the cassette is also tight on the hub then index the gears you will soon get the hang of it.

 

 

 

 

It is a £3800 ebike that the shop has not set up properly.

 

After 6 months fine with DIY, but it is brand new and they have been given a story and hope that the self healing nanobots are about to start working.

SW: thanks for the videos. I do have a bike stand and will in time learn how to maintain the gears and brakes myself (in fact indexing gears I can do already, disc brakes I'm not familiar with) but for the initial set up I'm going to pass it back to the experts.

its a 100 mile round trip its shit i know its just he will have to do it 1 day and the cost of a bike stand ect will be cheaper than the round trip.

 

i doubt they will pay for fuel lol less evans can take a look at it then invoice them for the service

disc brakes I'm not familiar with

It only takes a minute to find out what's wrong with your hydraulic brakes. First, spin the wheel and check that the rotor is flat, not warped at some point. If it is a little warped, you can push it back with your thumb,don't use force, just a little push. Next, check that the rotor runs in the middle of the opening in the caliper. If it doesn't, let us know. Next, check that the gap between the inside pad and the rotor is the same as the gap between the outside pad and the rotor. This is where most often a problem can be found. If the gaps are not equal, squeeze the brake lever slowly while you keep watching the pads moving. To be correct, they must move at the same speed and contact the rotor at the same time. Check also that the pads are parallel to the rotor, if they are not, tell us which pad and at which point (as on the clock) the pad contacts the rotor first.

Since I've got to take it back to the shop anyway to get the chain replaced I may as well get them to do the brakes and gears at the same time. I'd want them to do it anyway, just on a point of principle. The bike is brand new and was almost £4K, I shouldnt have to be messing about with it. If I bought a new car and the brakes and gearbox were faulty I wouldn't be popping down to Halfords to buy myself a Haynes manual I'd be taking it back to the dealership demanding that it be fixed under warranty. A bike is no different, especially one that costs nearly as much as a small car.

 

There are good local independent bike shops where I can get the bike serviced when it's out of warranty but for the time being and certainly while it's under warranty I'll have to take it back to the shop I bought it from.

Bear in mind that when you lie the bike on its side in the car or otherwise have to manhandle it in, it's possible to knock the rear derailleur out of line so that it needs to be adjusted.

I've noticed that some of the teeth on the large front chainring look shorter than and less 'pointy' than the others. Is that normal?

 

http://i64.tinypic.com/15mmn9d.jpg

SW, FSA make their chainrings that way.

In that case there has to be something wrong with the set up of the bike. I've only done 35 miles and most of that was gentle 10 to 12mph riding tarmac in eco+ or eco.

 

I'm really starting to think this shop has completely bodged the set up of the bike.

SW, FSA make their chainrings that way.

 

Thank god for that. That's one less thing to fix!

 

my bad looks ok from that

My chain broke three times, I replaced it and ok so far 3500 miles.

 

I suggested they may have had a duff bunch of chains but they were not having it. The replacement was the same make of chain, I forget the make, just three initials.

id get another chain and try it on the bike stand as you will see if it out of wack then if it is then adjust it index wise on the rear mech.

the chain could break because of a combination of chain load (big ring at the front and smallest cog at the rear) and 2Lazy has very strong legs. If it's the case, then 2Lazy needs a different chain.

Edited April 13, 20179 yr by Woosh

the chain could break because of a combination of chain load (big ring at the front and smallest cog at the rear) and 2Lazy has very strong legs. If it's the case, then 2Lazy needs a different chain.

 

The bike shop said they use especially strong chains, I'm not sure what brand / model but they did say they were expensive circa £40. I guess it has to be a chain load issue of some sort but I find it hard to believe that my riding style is part of it. If that were the case we'd have chains breaking left right and centre. I've been riding at a relatively gentle pace and while I'm quite a big guy (14 stone) I wouldn't say I'm super strong. The first time the chain broke I was doing about 4mph on flat tarmac, I had just left my house and was about to set off on a ride. Second time I was going up a tarmac incline in quite a high gear and highest asstance level but I was only doing about 12mph so it's not like I was really gunning it.

My chain broke three times, I replaced it and ok so far 3500 miles.

 

I suggested they may have had a duff bunch of chains but they were not having it. The replacement was the same make of chain, I forget the make, just three initials.

 

Interesting. I'm convinced it's either a defective part of the bike hasn't been set up properly, perhaps too much tension on the chain. It can't possibly be anything else. If it were my riding style then chains breaking on eMTBs would be a daily occurrence because it's not like I'm riding aggressively. If anything I've been riding very sedately.

The chain appears to be a KMC X10e.