Cerveli S3 owners please!
Discussion
Need an opinion on chain alignment, can someone drop me an email on pmonis@hotmail.com
Thanks
I'll put the question here and see if anyone has a thought as others may have experienced something similar.
In first gear, as the chain is pulled from the cassette to the chain ring, the chain gets to a link or so from the ring and then skips 0.5mm out to meet the chain ring which is obviously making a noise and going to quicken wear. It does this in 2nd and 3rd.
In 10 and 11, the chain is catching on the inside of the outer chain ring. Now I no crossing isn't best practice but it should be possible.
I've wound the limiters such that there is absolutely no way it's the front mech causing the issue. The mech can be dead centre of the chain line in first gear and it still skips a bit as described to correctly sit on the inner chainring.
When in 12, 13 or 14, in the outer chainring, this skip across in the chain line is even more pronounced as the distance is increased. I think the chain is too short so will address that and hope it improves the situation but as the issue is from the cassette to the chain ring rather than through the rear mech, it feels like something is misaligned rather than drive train related.
Any ideas? Would like to see another S3 to see if it happens on your bike too?!
Standard S3, mechanical ultegra, rotor3df chainset
Thanks
I'll put the question here and see if anyone has a thought as others may have experienced something similar.
In first gear, as the chain is pulled from the cassette to the chain ring, the chain gets to a link or so from the ring and then skips 0.5mm out to meet the chain ring which is obviously making a noise and going to quicken wear. It does this in 2nd and 3rd.
In 10 and 11, the chain is catching on the inside of the outer chain ring. Now I no crossing isn't best practice but it should be possible.
I've wound the limiters such that there is absolutely no way it's the front mech causing the issue. The mech can be dead centre of the chain line in first gear and it still skips a bit as described to correctly sit on the inner chainring.
When in 12, 13 or 14, in the outer chainring, this skip across in the chain line is even more pronounced as the distance is increased. I think the chain is too short so will address that and hope it improves the situation but as the issue is from the cassette to the chain ring rather than through the rear mech, it feels like something is misaligned rather than drive train related.
Any ideas? Would like to see another S3 to see if it happens on your bike too?!
Standard S3, mechanical ultegra, rotor3df chainset
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 27th December 16:24
Haven't had an opportunity to check but it's a good call. How would that affect the chain line from cassette to chain ring? There don't seem to be any issues from the chain rings back to the rear mechanism though as I'd assume if the hangar was misaligned it would be noticeable when the chain goes through the jockey wheels?
Are you diagnosing the noise with the bike in a work stand or simply picking up the noise in each gear as you cycle the bike? I know if the rear hanger is out there will be noises from the drive train, friend of mine had the same issue after assembling the bike post plane flight. We had checked everything else, limit screws hadn't been changed etc.
Have you fitted the chain and shortened it to the right length? Has the indexing ever worked?
I suppose rear hanger may not make a difference but I suppose it depends on how the alignment is front - rear from big ring to smallest cassette. One gear must be almost a straight alignment the others will have an element of sideways wear.
Have you removed the rear wheel and checked cassette is tight on hub, and the hub is ok?
Have you fitted the chain and shortened it to the right length? Has the indexing ever worked?
I suppose rear hanger may not make a difference but I suppose it depends on how the alignment is front - rear from big ring to smallest cassette. One gear must be almost a straight alignment the others will have an element of sideways wear.
Have you removed the rear wheel and checked cassette is tight on hub, and the hub is ok?
I started investigating it when shifting wasn't great on a commute, had it on the stand and noticed all the issues mentioned.
The bike is new, it's got about 15 miles on it so I appreciate you can argue I may need some time to bed in but I'd expect indexing etc to be faultless after so few miles.. Built by the shop and although the chain was on the wrong way round I've no reason to doubt their mechanics. I think most of the build assembly is in Taiwan anyway.
Here's a picture of the chain length, note the gear it's in and rear mech position
Now by the very nature of the design I accept that only a few gears will be a straight line from cassette to chainring and the others will distorted but I have never seen a chain get visibly dragged onto a chainring before. Nor have i seen a chain catch on the inner face of the outer chainring when in the small/small gears.
Taking it to the local cervelo dealer this week for them to have a look. I'll look at the cassette and hub but as its a new bike I've not considered that sort of thing.
The bike is new, it's got about 15 miles on it so I appreciate you can argue I may need some time to bed in but I'd expect indexing etc to be faultless after so few miles.. Built by the shop and although the chain was on the wrong way round I've no reason to doubt their mechanics. I think most of the build assembly is in Taiwan anyway.
Here's a picture of the chain length, note the gear it's in and rear mech position
Now by the very nature of the design I accept that only a few gears will be a straight line from cassette to chainring and the others will distorted but I have never seen a chain get visibly dragged onto a chainring before. Nor have i seen a chain catch on the inner face of the outer chainring when in the small/small gears.
Taking it to the local cervelo dealer this week for them to have a look. I'll look at the cassette and hub but as its a new bike I've not considered that sort of thing.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 27th December 19:13
Ok so the bike is brand new and should be perfect, can you capture the chain on the inside of the ring on a photo from above? Are your ranks standard? Are they the correct speed, assume there is no off set on the crank/chain set?
Nice bike bye the way! The chain does look short but then I have a 52/36 chain set, long mech and either a 28/32 cassette so hard to tell!
Nice bike bye the way! The chain does look short but then I have a 52/36 chain set, long mech and either a 28/32 cassette so hard to tell!
"Built by the shop and although the chain was on the wrong way round I've no reason to doubt their mechanics. I think most of the build assembly is in Taiwan anyway."
No excuse for this not being checked, chain
I'd be straight back to the shop and unless they bend over backwards to please and apologise, I'd walk.
No excuse for this not being checked, chain
I'd be straight back to the shop and unless they bend over backwards to please and apologise, I'd walk.
The 11sp chains are non directional, that was my mistake. I always assuemd that Shimano chains were directional and the plates with "shimano" or "ultegra" faced out. Yes its too short, i havent taken this up with the shop, but i'll probably change it for a KMC chain in the short term anyway.
A good number of S3 owners have said that you can solve the problem I describe by using spacers on the inner chain ring which will solve the problem when the bike is in first gear by bringing the chain ring inwards to meet the chain and reate better alignment.
Others have said that Shimano have design rights on the inner facer of the outer chainring to enable optimum shifting and that the Rotor rings are inferior. That might well be b
ks but on face value it makes sense. Still its what I have and what Cervelo spec'd so for BBRight it should work.
Cervelo have come back to me and said that the short chainstays on the S3 compared to my RS, 405mm not 410mm, will inhibit shifting on 11sp set ups. I cant believe that 5mm would make this much difference though as the rear axle is still the same width.
When I hav ebeen out on the bike though it feels fantastic, laterally stiff yet vertically compliant
seriously though its a fast frame and handles really well, especially on fast descents and looking down at all that carbon around the bottom bracket is nice. Once this issue is resolved it will be perfect and as it was nearly £600 of rrp, I'm still smiling. Thanks for your help and suggestions.
The shop is in Eastbourne and I am in Bristol which amkes things a bit difficult.
A good number of S3 owners have said that you can solve the problem I describe by using spacers on the inner chain ring which will solve the problem when the bike is in first gear by bringing the chain ring inwards to meet the chain and reate better alignment.
Others have said that Shimano have design rights on the inner facer of the outer chainring to enable optimum shifting and that the Rotor rings are inferior. That might well be b
ks but on face value it makes sense. Still its what I have and what Cervelo spec'd so for BBRight it should work.Cervelo have come back to me and said that the short chainstays on the S3 compared to my RS, 405mm not 410mm, will inhibit shifting on 11sp set ups. I cant believe that 5mm would make this much difference though as the rear axle is still the same width.
When I hav ebeen out on the bike though it feels fantastic, laterally stiff yet vertically compliant
seriously though its a fast frame and handles really well, especially on fast descents and looking down at all that carbon around the bottom bracket is nice. Once this issue is resolved it will be perfect and as it was nearly £600 of rrp, I'm still smiling. Thanks for your help and suggestions.
The shop is in Eastbourne and I am in Bristol which amkes things a bit difficult.
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