I bought my kid a new bike (aluminum Giant MTB) a couple of months ago and yesterday I noticed that the chain stay on the chain side only has a ton of chips in the paint. If I shift to highest gear (small/small sprockets), there is only a tiny bit of clearance from the chain to the chains day. If I backpedal slightly to create a little slack, then the chain touches. It seems like the paint damage must’ve been done by the chain.
Am I wrong and thinking that this is a big deal? I bought it from a LBS and I’m planning to take it over there to have them look at it, but I’m wondering what I should say about it or expect them to do about it.
by shadfc
11 Comments
Get on the ole goolger and type in “chainstay protector.” Buy one, stick it on there, move on with life.
when you buy a new bike, there always is a tiny protection film on there. Did you remove it?
That’s why you usually wrap a tube or something around it
Every single bike in existence will get that damage without some type of chain stay protector (unless you are riding on perfectly smooth terrain and never hit a bump). Part of that rattling around you are hearing on the bike is the chain hitting the chain stay.
If you want a cheap/free hack to fix that, cut an old inner tube up and wrap it around the chain stay, secure with zip ties/electrical tape. Just be mindful of any external cable routing and ensure you don’t obstruct that. You could also look into chain stay protectors, there are probably a few options that look better than a cut up tube and probably do a better job of cutting down on noise levels.
So from the first few comments, this is just to be expected and prevented with a cover, huh?
If you reduce chain length or increase b tension, the chain will bounce and hit your chainstay less
They make cheap stick on chainstay protectors that you can get for a couple bucks on Amazon, several different designs that look pretty cool. Alternatively you can get some self fusing silicone grip tape and wrap it around the chain stay, or even use an old inner tube and some zip ties.
Basically you just want something there to protect the chainstay from being slapped by the chain when shifting or bouncing over rough terrain.
Also if his rear derailleur has a clutch, make sure it’s enabled, it’ll keep the chain under tension, resulting in less chain slap, a quieter ride, and lower the chances of the chain falling off.
I got clear 1/2” tubing at hardware store, cut it in half lengthwise and secured with a couple zip ties.
Lizard Skins are an easy fix.
https://www.lizardskins.com/product-details?h=neoprene-chainstay-protector-blue&c=bike_protection&t=chainstay_protector&v=0
Also, “small-small” is not a combo you should use, same with “big-big” (i assume you have a triple in the front)
Your LBS can’t do anything about it
Higher end bikes have derailires with a clutch. It adds tension to the cage, preventing chain slap. So for a lot of people it’s a non issue these days.
But before this, super common. Cheapest option is an old inner tube, wrapped around and taped at each end. You can get frame protective film. It will need replacing regularly though