Brand new Haibike, two broken chains in first 35 miles, and other problems, advice needed
- Thread starter 2Lazy
- Start date
you should wright a complaint to the manager as with 2 expensive ebike chains braking either buy poor setup or the wrong way round and then the 3rd time to get a chain specific to the cassette you have and put it on the wrong way round again should be fired as that is unacceptable with the cost of the bike in the first place.
its even on the green label inside the box in the chain bag
its even on the green label inside the box in the chain bag
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I see you are in M.K, I hope it's not John's Shop as that would be a very big disappointment esp on this forum.
No it's definitely not John's shop! My other ebike is an Ezee Forza which I bought from John and the set up and after sales service for that bike has been exemplary.
The shop I bought the Haibike from isn't in Milton Keynes. There aren't any Haibike dealers in MK except for Evans so I was forced to look further afield.
2Lazy, sorry to go off topic but I am very interested to hear how you compare the Forza to the Haibike.
Very different bikes, each good in their own way, but for different use cases.
The Forza as you may be aware is a hybrid commuter style bike with rear hub motor, cadence sensor and throttle. It has 26" wheels and wide-ish tyres and while Ezee do sell an off road variant it's probably not suitable for anything more than perhaps very light off road use. It's a heavy bike even by ebike standards and is much more suited to roads, cycle paths and canal towpaths etc. And the riding experience is typical of that you find on hub motored bikes i.e., it's much like riding a low powered motor scooter. I ride it mostly on cycle paths for commuting to and from work and it's perfect for that.
The Haibike by contrast is a Yamaha powered full suss 27"+ all mountain bike. The bike is lighter and much more nimble than the Forza but as it's a crank drive it also requires more effort from the rider. It's a much more active riding experience which is what I personally want from an off road ebike. The suspension and Plus sized tyres on the Haibike makes for a really smooth and sure footed ride. It just eats up the bumps so much so that at times it feels like riding a magic carpet. Although it's obviously designed primarily for off road it also makes riding the cycle paths in MK, many of which are badly in need of resurfacing, a much more pleasant experience as it soaks up all the ruts and bumps. I've only done a little bit of off road work on the Haibike but I was really impressed with it. You just get the feeling you could ride through anything and the bike wouldn't bat an eyelid. The build quality and design is also really impressive, it looks and feels like a very well made peice of precision German engineering.
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Thanks for this. The shop have confirmed that the chain they've just fitted is asymmetrical and that it has been fitted incorrectly. But they've also said that it should be fine as long as the gears shift ok as the direction doesn't affect strength. However based on your experience I'm not going to ride the bike until the chain is put on the correct way as evidently the direction does affect strength and given that I've already had two broken chains it would be tempting fate to ride it.
The shop have said they don't usually use Shimano chains and this is the reason they missed the fact that it is directional. Make of that what you will. They have apologised and they're now arranging for a mobile bike machanic to visit me to rectify the problem.
I am amazed. If they don't often use that chain, why do they use you as a guinea pig?
This is now getting farcical. So the mobile bike mechanic has visited me and immediately spotted, just on a quick visual inspection, that the chain is too short. He shifted through all the gears and as he suspected when using the big cog at the front the two biggest cogs on the back are unreachable due to the chain being too short. The mobile mechanic didn't have a suitable chain with him so he's flipped it around but has recommended a second visit to fit a chain of the correct length. I am now waiting to hear what the bike shop have to say about this.
Yes, I wonder how many people have a chain that is too short for the lowest gear.
I matched new chain against old original, assume it was right length. Not sure if I checked direction when fitting.
Yes I've asked the shop to send the independent bike mechanic (who thankfully seems to know his stuff) back to fit a new chain. A second visit is required in any case as I've just ridden the bike for the first time since picking it up and the gears are STILL not indexed correctly. Gears 6 to 10 when on the small front cog do not always shift correctly and occasionally jump (phantom shifts). As such the bike is basically unridable as I don't want to potentially damage the drivetrain with a phantom shift under heavy load. There's also a regular clipping sound from the drivetrain / chain when the chain moves around.
I now strongly suspect that all the problems I've had have been a result of quite basic errors when the bike was set up and subsequently repaired.
i think they just took it out the box and put the bits on it and just sold it to you pmsl.
you just cant do that as 9 times out of 10 something will be out of wack gears wise.
i think with all the chains fitted all was to small thus why all broke so fast.
you just cant do that as 9 times out of 10 something will be out of wack gears wise.
i think with all the chains fitted all was to small thus why all broke so fast.
I once had a short chain on a high level toilet cistern, some bailing twine sorted that out. Mind I was only about three or four years old.
I'm beginning to change my mind about naming the dealer, for the sole reason of me not wanting to steer anyone in that direction. The company/bike shop is a complete shambles.
Also contrary to what I last said about not passing comment, I would visually inspect the whole chainstay area, looking for any marks or damage that might have been caused to the paintwork whilst these various chains have been fitted and snapped.
You must be one very nice, patient guy, and to date this shop have been very lucky that you are.
.
Also contrary to what I last said about not passing comment, I would visually inspect the whole chainstay area, looking for any marks or damage that might have been caused to the paintwork whilst these various chains have been fitted and snapped.
You must be one very nice, patient guy, and to date this shop have been very lucky that you are.
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The only chain I have ever snapped in riding over 5k miles/ year for the last 10 years or so was when a bike shop helpfully shortened the chain during a free first service! It was the only time a bike shop has done any work on any of my bikes and I only took it back for the first service because it needed some warranty work.
As far as changing multiple gears at once is concerned that is normal practice and should not cause any problems. If it was likely to cause a problem they wouldn't make shifters that would do it and we'd still all be riding around with Rapidfire shifters.
As far as changing multiple gears at once is concerned that is normal practice and should not cause any problems. If it was likely to cause a problem they wouldn't make shifters that would do it and we'd still all be riding around with Rapidfire shifters.
This post has made me angry, we cannot improve the customer service if we collectively put up with bungling incompetence, we have the power to improve the suppliers of goods and services by naming and shaming them
this will prevent others going through what you have been through, with a bit of luck naming and shaming will kick em up the arse, or if that doesn't do the trick close them down.
You are a better man than me gunga din, I would have shaken them warmly by the throat by now, obviously I would have been no further forward but I would have felt better
this will prevent others going through what you have been through, with a bit of luck naming and shaming will kick em up the arse, or if that doesn't do the trick close them down.
You are a better man than me gunga din, I would have shaken them warmly by the throat
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