I just replaced my chain with what I thought was an identical one (Shimano CN-HG701).
Before installing, I cleaned and degreased both the cassette and the chainring. The chain was shortened to the same number of links as the old chain. The quick-link is installed in the correct direction. The whole drive has ~2500 miles on it at most.
The only thing I noticed was that my old chain didn't have a quick-link. Did I buy the wrong chain? What's happening here? Thanks in advance!
EDIT: Thanks for all your input! Looks like the chain is a fake and I'm today's sucker, but the upshot is that I'll have a sharper eye next time. Cheers!
New chain won't seat on chainring and jumps off when shifting
byu/DR3WSY inbikewrench
by DR3WSY
12 Comments
Do you have a bent tooth on your chainring?
Edit: not that, it’s happening in multiple places…
Could be a worn out chainring but 2500mi seems early.
Is the chain the right way round? Writing/details should be on the outside
My best guess is the chainring is worn out. 11 speed chains didn’t always come with quick links like they do now so nothing to worry about there.
These chains are directional so make sure it’s installed with the stamped number/letters facing outward but I wouldn’t expect a backwards chain to cause this issue.
That chain isn’t an CN-HG701. The newer 11 speed chains have much longer and skinnier links, that’s what your bike needs.
Those links are short and thick, appear more like older 7/8 speed chains. Did you get it new? Was it in box? Compare it to old chain, I would imagine it’s not the same
I have a bike that did this with a new chain. You’ll need a new chain ring.
Does it get better/worse when in the slowest/highest gear?
It should be working if it’s an HG701. Where did you buy it from? There’s lots of counterfeits out there.
Did you try to move the chain one tooth either direction? 1x crank has narrow/wide teeth and the wear pattern/behavior makes me think it is one tooth off.
Quick note,
Shimano Chains, they are never stamped that cleanly. Haven’t been in years. We buy ours from Shimano USA (I own a bike shop) and our chain links are not that cleanly stamped with the name and model number.
This is signs of a fake chain.
Throw in the packaging being wrong – listing 11, 10, 9 on this package, it’s fake. Plus Shimano never put’s “AUTHENTIC” stickers on their packaging.
You got a fake chain.
As the other users stated the chain might be counterfeit. I also find it strange that the chain tries to jump off to the left, despite being in the middle of the cassette. Is the chain line okay? You might need an offset chain ring in the front.
Make sure you are using the correct type of chain. Like don’t use a 10-speed chain with an 11-speed drivetrain.
Fake from china 🙁
This type of narrow-wide chainring works with very small tolerances. The teeth need to line up precisely with the chain links for the chain to sit fully down into the tooth profile.
Looking at the chainring, the area where the chain engages into the “U” shape between the teeth appears to be slightly worn towards the rear of the bike. Because of this, when the new chain tries to engage, the next chain link is slightly out of position compared with the tooth it needs to slide over.
As a result, instead of the chain dropping cleanly into place, it sits slightly on top of the teeth. This can cause rough running, clicking, or poor engagement under load.
For this reason, I would recommend replacing the chainring rather than only fitting a new chain.
2500miles is not a lot but it depends for how long you have used a worn out chain as lengthened chian used for an extended period will result into a quicker degradation of the surrounding components (cassette and chainring/s).
The chain could be potentially a counterfeit but the tollerances as as precise as OEM, I have been running non OEM chains since there are good one that are almost as good as OEM with the down side that are lasting slightly less but the differences still doesn’t justify the difference in price between OEM and not OEM.