[JoelM]

The other day as I was riding to school, I experienced that all-too-familiar and nauseating grind to a halt- on my brand new Paragon! Now I suppose all bikes fall victim to this from time to time, but it seems to be slightly more damaging in this case. The gap between the chainrings and the seatstay on the GF 29ers is teeny tiny, not really even big enough for the chain to pass through... I thought I was going to have to take the big ring off to get the chain unstuck. Now I've got some rather unsightly gouges in my frame and although I don't think that it is compromising at this point, if this problem repeats itself- even rarely- I'm afraid that I'm going to end up with a weak spot in my frame. Is this a common problem/compromise that 29ers have? (the especially cramped space between the rings and the seat stay, that is) I found it to be rather disconcerting...

 

[zyzbot]

The other day as I was riding to school, I experienced that all-too-familiar and nauseating grind to a halt- on my brand new Paragon! Now I suppose all bikes fall victim to this from time to time, but it seems to be slightly more damaging in this case. The gap between the chainrings and the seatstay on the GF 29ers is teeny tiny, not really even big enough for the chain to pass through... I thought I was going to have to take the big ring off to get the chain unstuck. Now I've got some rather unsightly gouges in my frame and although I don't think that it is compromising at this point, if this problem repeats itself- even rarely- I'm afraid that I'm going to end up with a weak spot in my frame. Is this a common problem/compromise that 29ers have? (the especially cramped space between the rings and the seat stay, that is) I found it to be rather disconcerting...

Not a problem for me. I've been riding a Fisher Mt Tam for almost 2 years with no chain suck incidents.

 

[Cloxxki]

It's all about the crank's design and the drivetrain's wear vs. lubrication vs. circumstances. Sometimes brand new chains are too sticky, they need to get some water over them and fresh wet lube (I like teflon spray).

 

[Wormburner]

No trouble with my Montare. I've put on a good number of miles (nothing too aggressive or technical yet...) between the end of last season and this spring. Sorry to hear about the scratches though -- I think the red they use on those bikes is gorgeous.

 

[jbogner]

Had some chain suck on my Paragon two weeks ago while racing- tight clearance ended up twisting the chain. I chalk it up to the bent chainring tooth, though- my middle ring had been skipping all day, and - after the fact - I noticed a bent tooth on the ring. Incidentally, this was a 36t Race Face "Race" middle ring, protected by a 36t bash ring. Not exactly sure how I did that one...

Speaking of tight clearances, try running 36/24 chainrings on a Paragon. Took some creative spacing to make that one work.

 

[JoelM]

I think Cloxxki probably nailed it with the chain being "sticky."
The lubrication from the factory felt akin to axle grease, but I really didn't think anything about it. The lube that I used after I cleaned the drivetrain felt significantly less viscous.
Live and learn, I suppose.

 

[Disco_Inferno]

Look at it like this

I think Cloxxki probably nailed it with the chain being "sticky."
The lubrication from the factory felt akin to axle grease, but I really didn't think anything about it. The lube that I used after I cleaned the drivetrain felt significantly less viscous.
Live and learn, I suppose.

The most miserable part of having a new bike is over.

A good ole chainshuck gouge on the stay is the blessing you needed. Now drive it hard, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"

 

[festus]

My X cal has about 14" clearance

The gap between the chainrings and the seatstay on the GF 29ers is teeny tiny, not really even big enough for the chain to pass through... QUOTE]

It's monday and I feel nit picky. I think you meant chainstay.

Sad to hear about the suckage, so far I've had no troubles on the X cal with a few hundred mean/nasty/rocky miles on it.

 

[Appendage]

Solved my problem

Not a problem for me. I've been riding a Fisher Mt Tam for almost 2 years with no chain suck incidents.

My Mt Tam came with an XT crankset. I would get occasional chainsuck. I replaced the Shimano chainrings with Blackspire rings and that solved it.

 

[29erchico]

Chain suck issues

My solution: get a top notch drive train tune up. I have found that new chainrings can be prone to poor shifting until the sharp edges are worn down with some miles ridden. New chains can have the same problems as well.

I have fixed the chainsuck possibility on several bikes with epoxy putty. Get the AL filled version for your AL bike, lightly sand the surface of the paint and build up the chainstay on the gouged area and sculpt some shapes that keep the chain from having a chance of sucking between the rings and the chainstay. Sound cobby? You bet! Works great, epoxy putty is an amazing tool & if sculpted well CAN solve your problems with the dreaded suckage. Your mileage may vary due to your sculpting abilities. Even if your are unable to prevent the sucking, you can make it so that only the epoxy gets mangled when the peoblem happens.

Now on to more serious matters: you are riding this bike to school??? You need a town beater in the worst way!

Good luck,

29erchico

 

[JoelM]

Now on to more serious matters: you are riding this bike to school??? You need a town beater in the worst way!

Tell me about it. Everytime I lock it up I'm afraid I'm going to come back to an empty bike rack. However, I'm already spoiled, and on top of that I've got a NY Lock and locking skewers on it, as well as Kryptonite's theft policy. I registered it with the police department and when I asked them how many bikes get swiped they told me about a dozen per semester. Most of those are on cable locks. I take the utmost care in locking the bike up in the most conspicuous place possible