Hello all,
I received my rad runner about a week ago. One issue I'm trying to resolve is to figure out how to get the chain to stop slipping when I pedal hard.
Thanks!
My 'Runner 1 has a random "jump" when I get on the pedals. I think its the chain tensioner bouncing around and not responding quick enough. Its a Sturmey-Archer if I recall, and I would love to find a better quality one. But the "jump" decreased as I got some miles on it so I'm not really worried about to now. But if anyone finds a better tensioner that works on a "Runner 1 please share!
@scooter - did you manage to resolve the issue? I've opened a ticket with Rad support regarding the same and wondered how it ended for you. I'll post an update when hear back from Rad, so far they've asked me for a video of the chain in motion.
Nope. I just put it down to the chain bouncing and the tension arm not reacting fast enough. So far my chain hasn't jumped off so its not a big concern, safety or reliability.
Thanks! And has the OP? @brandt?
My first few days, I thought the chain jumped occasionally. Then I noticed that while it happened only when I pedaled hard, it happened only at minimum torque: top dead center.
That's when i switch from pressing with my low foot to pressing with my high foot. When I pedal enthusiastically, my timing may be a little off, slowing the crank for a few milliseconds. Then my high foot drives the crankshaft forward, taking up the slack. The freewheel engages in increments that happen to be about the same as one link in the chain, so it can feel as if the chain jumped a link.
I had a tensioner alignment problem. Chain slips were resolved after aligning.
Lack of chain lubricant can also cause this to happen. Can't hurt to use a dry silicon lubricant on the chain and see if it helps the problem.
Purchased a Rad professionally assembled new Radrunner a week ago and am having the same issue. >:(
I've had a "clunking/slipping" feature when "tundra weather" finally left Iowa. I received my RW4 in late 12/2020. Our peak -30F weather. It sat in the porch until mid-April. The Battery stayed in my room.
I was frustrated with poor shifting. I'm an RTFM "Read the fine manual" kind of person. Videos are tedious. As I read & re-read the manuals, I came to find the "derailer cage" was very bent, in shipping. I didn't see a drawing showing the position of the cage. Mine was bent in about 30 degrees, which was why I only had 2.5 gear changes.
Once I got that fixed, with a big Channel-lock plyers (the blue handled 16" model). I quit buying cheap tools a long time ago. Once I got the shifter fully adjusted & set, I discovered in that process I badly bent one link in my chain. It was deformed nicely. UGGGG.
I found my chain breaker, found & marked the bent link, removed the pins. I was quite surprised the chain has no splice link. That's kind of a PIA to do chain repair!!! I was able to flatten the links on my anvil. Found the pin that decided to hide under the tire (SH.t). I mentioned this whole ordeal to one of the support staff. I just noticed literally TODAY, there is a replacement chain, in my "order queue". I don't recall being notified, but it's cool this was a warranty issue.
Just a thing to watch for is the derailer cage, which can be bent badly in shipping. I'd like to ask RPB to add this NOTIFICATION, in the assembly instructions. Oh, one more thing, they need to include that the chain should go UNDER the stand!
I was having the same issue. The chain guide wasn't out of alignment, so messing w/ that just made it worse. In the end, Rad Support told me to remove 3 chain links and replace with 1 master link. Hope this helps someone having the same issue in the future
Mine did the JUMP too. The bike is essentially "between gears" when it's jumping.
All you have to do is adjust the small adjustment wheel where the shift cable goes into the shift mechanism at the rear wheel. Back it out 1/2 turn or tighten is 1/2 turn. Try both and see what works.
After 1 week and 74 miles I had the same issue. Kept fiddling with the rear deraillure adjustment and it finally is working as advertized!
The chain is skipping the rear cog on my brand new Radrunner as well. Happens under moderate to strong pedaling forces. My wife managed to get a video where one of the video frames clearly shows the chain lifting off the rear cog teeth and skipping over the the next valley. The chain tensioner is not bent and is properly aligned to the plane of the chain. Rather disappointing to have this happen on a new bicycle. Its not like chain drive is a new thing and people are still figuring it out.
Anyhow, my feeling that issue is a combination of insufficient chain wrap around the rear cog and too light of chain tension. Its easy enough to increase the tension by removing a chain link pair, but there is a finger on the chain tensioner mounting tab that prevents the amount of wrap being further increased past the current amount. I'm still waiting to hear back from RPB on what they suggest doing. With that said, I'm curious if anyone having this issue with a Radrunner or other single speed RPB have resolved this issue.
Quote from: mbt on September 03, 2021, 03:04:09 PM
The chain is skipping the rear cog on my brand new Radrunner as well. Happens under moderate to strong pedaling forces. My wife managed to get a video where one of the video frames clearly shows the chain lifting off the rear cog teeth and skipping over the the next valley. The chain tensioner is not bent and is properly aligned to the plane of the chain. Rather disappointing to have this happen on a new bicycle. Its not like chain drive is a new thing and people are still figuring it out.
Anyhow, my feeling that issue is a combination of insufficient chain wrap around the rear cog and too light of chain tension. Its easy enough to increase the tension by removing a chain link pair, but there is a finger on the chain tensioner mounting tab that prevents the amount of wrap being further increased past the current amount. I'm still waiting to hear back from RPB on what they suggest doing. With that said, I'm curious if anyone having this issue with a Radrunner or other single speed RPB have resolved this issue.
So, I almost fully resolved the issue by grinding tab on the chain tensioner mounting flange to increase the amount of chain wrap and by removing a link pair. Its not 100% fixed, but its pretty close. It skipped only once or twice under very heavy load. I'll probably grind the tab a little more to further maximize the amount of wrap.
I've decided that the root of the issue is the chain tensioner. The tensioner pulleys should be much closer to the rear sprocket. This would help greatly in keeping the rear chain pushed up against the sprocket.
So much easier to just adjust the tension on the derailleur. That will fix it.
I was pondering this issue again. It makes sense ( :o oops, oh no not logic! :o) that any "chain setup" as long as the RPW4 has, is usually designed with a tray, or tension idler. I have a background in farm equipment. That's how those applications have been designed for ~100+ years! Farther back on Steam Powered Equipment.
I just resolved the chain skipping issue on a brand new Radrunner single speed, thanks to MBTs post. Removing one chain link and grinding the aluminum tensioner tab down some provided more engagement between the chain and freewheel. My tensioner arm is now rotated counterclockwise about as close to the frame as it can get.
Same thing happening with my new radrunner single speed. I'd rather not grind anything on my brand new bike. Anyone know the best way to fix this? Remove links in the chain?
Hi all, new owner here with a chain skip. Having been a BMX and mountain bike racer in my youth I am very familiar with chain skip. Because Rad uses verticle rear dropouts you are unable to adjust chain tension. Hence, the separate chain tensioner. Because using a tensioner reduces the chain wrap around the rear cog you are in contact with fewer teeth which allows the chain to pop off at high torque levels. The freewheel that Rad uses is pretty poor quality and the teeth are not finely machined.
They have told me to fix the prob by removing 2 links from the chain but that is a bandaid fix. If the shorter chain solves the prob then why is that not done from the factory?
What it really needs is a high quality freewheel. They have told me that swapping the freewheel would limit warranty coverage for those parts, but I will just keep the old one handy.
This is a bit disconcerting because I bought a Rad bike based on the word of mouth reputation of eing well built. I guess an extra buck must be worth risking their reputation.
1. Started with the help line. She had several potential fixes but never did send the mobile support van out to my home. Given it was a brand new bike that had been pro assembled by RAD you would have thought that would be the least they could do. Eventually suggested I contact the IB service center where I purchased the bike.
2. John at the service center was quit patient. They kept the bike for a day. When I got it home it still jumped a little but not like before.
3. Yesterday we took it up several very steep hills where I had to get up on the peddles to make it to the top. No more jump :)
All's well that ends well, thank you RAD
Rad was going to send me new tensioner, but also suggested the link removal, which I tried first. Simply having my bike mechanic remove one link-pair from the chain completely fixed the problem for me. Took about five minutes in the shop.
I Had the same problem.. tried a quick fix myself and realized I did not have the right knowledge to adjust derailleur. I paid a local bike shop $20 for 15 min job and have had no problems for the last 550 miles.
I purchased two of the Rad Runners for Xmas and both had the chain hop problem. Rad sent me two new tensioners that have a slight different design to them. First the spring tension using a small scale on the old ones measured about 1.5 lbs of tension where as the new ones read about 4 lbs of tension, much strong tension on the chain.
Second the mounting bolt is fixed and causes the angle of the tensioner to be at a different angle (more forward away from rear cog) causing the chain to be further around the rear cog and at a stronger tension and just like magic the chain skipping problem is solved.
Yup, Rad came out with a replacement part to fix the issue. It should be covered under warranty.
I just contacted them with the same issue. They're sending a replacement tensioner under warranty.
Bicycle chains falling off (https://biketoworkday.us/why-does-my-bike-chain-keep-falling-off/) while cycling can be due to a number of reasons. A dirty chain may become clogged, leading to losing its grip on the cassette. When this happens, it may lead to the chain slipping on bike. Worn-out gears can also lead to a situation where the chain keeps coming off bike. This type of wear occurs from long periods of use due to the frequent movement of the chain, especially during shifting, the only solution is to have the cassette replaced.
Grinding/slipping are alignment issues. I had to do an "on the road" adjustment when I couldn't get into 1st gear. 1/4 turn on the bottom end adjuster & I was set. There are a nice set of RPB instruction documents on shifting adjustment. Look in their documents section.
Now, you've been banging that chain. It is not in-destructible!!! Check for bent, clawed, rough links...that is one thing that's a warranty item. Don't let them charge you for a new one!!!
JLH
Mine was doing it the first week but I haven't noticed it lately. I'll need to keep an eye on it. Seems like chain tensioner may be the solution
If your chain slips on the bike more frequently, your chain might be too loose/long or there may be a damaged link somewhere. You can fix a slipped bike chain if you shorten your chain to fit your gear or remove the damaged part.
Hi I have a new RadCity 4 that I think might be exhibiting this problem.
When pedaling, but not changing gears, it feels like there?s a bit of resistance, followed by a slipping/clicking feeling and sound, and then the pedaling becomes easier. It happened a few times on a short initial ride. It seemed to happen when I was changing incline and speed.
The bike fell over during assembly and maybe something was bent. It kind of looks like the chain is not evenly in the derailleur, but is grinding over the edge of it. I tried manually bending the derailleur outward so that the chain is seated cleanly inside, but I didn?t want to bend it too much since I don?t know what I?m doing and didn?t want to break it. And so it looks like it?s still misaligned.
Does it sound like this is the problem? Or is it something else? Is this something I could fix myself or do I need a repair shop?
Happy to provide any more info. This is my first geared bike.
Quote from: Palpable8468 on November 16, 2022, 03:22:10 PM
Hi I have a new RadCity 4 that I think might be exhibiting this problem.
When pedaling, but not changing gears, it feels like there?s a bit of resistance, followed by a slipping/clicking feeling and sound, and then the pedaling becomes easier. It happened a few times on a short initial ride. It seemed to happen when I was changing incline and speed.
The bike fell over during assembly and maybe something was bent. It kind of looks like the chain is not evenly in the derailleur, but is grinding over the edge of it. I tried manually bending the derailleur outward so that the chain is seated cleanly inside, but I didn?t want to bend it too much since I don?t know what I?m doing and didn?t want to break it. And so it looks like it?s still misaligned.
Does it sound like this is the problem? Or is it something else? Is this something I could fix myself or do I need a repair shop?
Happy to provide any more info. This is my first geared bike.
My only derailleur bike was a Six Three Zero that I shipped right back. There were two adjustments to keep it aligned through the gear shifts.
In your video, you're pedaling backward. I inverted my bike so I could see how the chain aligned pedaling forward.
Quote from: handlebar on November 30, 2022, 09:27:23 AM
Quote from: Palpable8468 on November 16, 2022, 03:22:10 PM
Does it sound like this is the problem? Or is it something else? Is this something I could fix myself or do I need a repair shop?
My only derailleur bike was a Six Three Zero that I shipped right back. There were two adjustments to keep it aligned through the gear shifts.
In your video, you're pedaling backward. I inverted my bike so I could see how the chain aligned pedaling forward.
Thanks. I ended up taking the bike to my local repair shop. They confirmed the derailleur needed to be adjusted. It cost $20 to fix, and I haven?t experienced the problem since they fixed it. They said if I?d kept riding like that it could have damaged the bike.
Send Rad a copy of the bill they might reimburse your money if under warranty. Contact them and ask it worked for me.
Quote from: rjp on November 30, 2022, 05:11:26 PM
Send Rad a copy of the bill they might reimburse your money if under warranty. Contact them and ask it worked for me.
Not a bad idea but in my case the derailleur was bent because I dropped it the bike during assembly!
Quote from: mbt on September 03, 2021, 10:57:30 PM
Quote from: mbt on September 03, 2021, 03:04:09 PM
The chain is skipping the rear cog on my brand new Radrunner as well. Happens under moderate to strong pedaling forces. My wife managed to get a video where one of the video frames clearly shows the chain lifting off the rear cog teeth and skipping over the the next valley. The chain tensioner is not bent and is properly aligned to the plane of the chain. Rather disappointing to have this happen on a new bicycle. Its not like chain drive is a new thing and people are still figuring it out.
Anyhow, my feeling that issue is a combination of insufficient chain wrap around the rear cog and too light of chain tension. Its easy enough to increase the tension by removing a chain link pair, but there is a finger on the chain tensioner mounting tab that prevents the amount of wrap being further increased past the current amount. I'm still waiting to hear back from RPB on what they suggest doing. With that said, I'm curious if anyone having this issue with a Radrunner or other single speed RPB have resolved this issue.
So, I almost fully resolved the issue by grinding tab on the chain tensioner mounting flange to increase the amount of chain wrap and by removing a link pair. Its not 100% fixed, but its pretty close. It skipped only once or twice under very heavy load. I'll probably grind the tab a little more to further maximize the amount of wrap.
I've decided that the root of the issue is the chain tensioner. The tensioner pulleys should be much closer to the rear sprocket. This would help greatly in keeping the rear chain pushed up against the sprocket.
Thanks for your story! I've never seen a chain tensioner/derailleur designed to be so far away from it's intended target. I may just replace the tensioner with an old derailleur.
Quote from: Sadrunner on December 10, 2022, 12:57:32 AM
Quote from: mbt on September 03, 2021, 10:57:30 PM
Quote from: mbt on September 03, 2021, 03:04:09 PM
The chain is skipping the rear cog on my brand new Radrunner as well. Happens under moderate to strong pedaling forces. My wife managed to get a video where one of the video frames clearly shows the chain lifting off the rear cog teeth and skipping over the the next valley. The chain tensioner is not bent and is properly aligned to the plane of the chain. Rather disappointing to have this happen on a new bicycle. Its not like chain drive is a new thing and people are still figuring it out.
Anyhow, my feeling that issue is a combination of insufficient chain wrap around the rear cog and too light of chain tension. Its easy enough to increase the tension by removing a chain link pair, but there is a finger on the chain tensioner mounting tab that prevents the amount of wrap being further increased past the current amount. I'm still waiting to hear back from RPB on what they suggest doing. With that said, I'm curious if anyone having this issue with a Radrunner or other single speed RPB have resolved this issue.
So, I almost fully resolved the issue by grinding tab on the chain tensioner mounting flange to increase the amount of chain wrap and by removing a link pair. Its not 100% fixed, but its pretty close. It skipped only once or twice under very heavy load. I'll probably grind the tab a little more to further maximize the amount of wrap.
I've decided that the root of the issue is the chain tensioner. The tensioner pulleys should be much closer to the rear sprocket. This would help greatly in keeping the rear chain pushed up against the sprocket.
Thanks for your story! I've never seen a chain tensioner/derailleur designed to be so far away from it's intended target. I may just replace the tensioner with an old derailleur.
Yes, somewhere in here I posted pics of doing that. You will need to tension the deraileur with a cable so it sits under the cog. Locking down the limit screw is not enough. Or you could call Rad and get the new idler they have now.
The section at the bike's rear cassette slipping is the reason why the bike chain slips (https://biketoworkday.us/bike-chain-slipping-when-pedaling-hard/) when pedaling hard. It could mean a problem with the rear derailleur's alignment, which needs to be adjusted. you will need to check the derailleur. if it is bent, you should straighten it into shape.
Mooree,
You have revived a really old thread and I don?t think you have quite read it all. There was a recall with the Rad Runner chain idler that had nothing to do with bent hangers or derailleur alignment. It was a poorly designed idler that is no longer sold for over a year.