Counterfeit Components

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

I recently had a customer give me their bike to service which I collected from their home and brought into the workshop. The customer informed me that the gears weren’t shifting properly, and the chain kept jumping off the chainrings. The bike was a Shimano 105 equipped, Giant TCR. So not a low-end machine.

When I got back to the workshop, I set the bike up on my work stand and gave the cranks a few turns. Immediately you could hear the chain catching as it passed through the derailleur, over the cassette and chainrings. A quick inspection of the chain revealed multiple stiff links, raised like little v’s along the chain’s length. Just for interest I inserted my Shimano Chain wear tool, TL-CN42, every cyclist should have one.

Chain Wear Tool

If you’ve never used a chain wear tool it tells you when the chain has elongated due to wear in the bushings. Some people refer to it as chain stretch, it’s not really that though. The way the tool should be used is that if the tool sits proud of the chain, the chain isn’t worn out. If the tool slips in between the bushings and goes flat to the chain, it’s worn out. It’s generally accepted that if you catch the chain wear early on you can get 2 or 3 chains before you need to change the cassette as well, saving money. Generally, you get better shifting if you replace them both at the same time.

When I inserted the tool, it stood proud of the chain. This was interesting as I could also see daylight between the chain and chainring which usually indicates wear. A closer look revealed that the chain tool wasn’t sitting on the correct bushing that would indicate the chain was OK but rather the next one back indicating a massive amount of wear. I carried on looking around the bike, there were other issues but for this blog that’s all we’re interested in.

I rang the customer to let them know what I’d found and what the likely invoice amount would be. The response I got was that the chain was only a couple of months old, was I sure. Yes, I was very sure. Speaking some more with the customer it turned out that they’d bought a few “Shimano” chains off an eBay seller for a really good price and still had some left, could I fit one? We arranged for me to receive the replacement chain and I got to work removing the old one.

Lateral Play

As I removed the old chain from the bike, I held it up and the amount of lateral play was amazing, it could almost circle back in on itself. Consider this on the bike, you shift gear using the derailleur and due to slop in the chain bushings the chain just absorbs the deflection and doesn’t derail and won’t therefore move to the next cog. That aside, we already knew with the wear and stiff links that it was knackered, I got the new one out of the packet.

Now it’s a funny thing how much information you unconsciously take in without actually fully realising it. The first thing I noticed was the blue colour of the Shimano packet it was paler and the cardboard felt different. I pulled out another new chain that I had purchased from my Madison trade account and compared the two. Madison is the official UK distributor for Shimano cycling components.

When I looked at the writing and logos on the packets there were also differences. I guess the packets could be from different product runs over different time periods but there was more. When I took the replacement chain out of the packet it felt light in the hand. I didn’t weigh it but holding a known good chain in the other hand you could feel the difference. Looking at the markings on the link plates there were further differences. The replacement chain had additional markings not seen on the Madison supplied chain.

Quick Link

Then looking at the quick link and comparing it, the edges weren’t as crisp on the replacement chainlink and the word Shimano had been stamped through. I then had to shorten the chain to the correct size for the bike’s gear ratio and that’s when you could feel the difference in the force required to push out the pin on the replacement chain, it was much easier to release. Finally, when the quick link was installed, it felt rattly and loose in the link bushings.

Snapping Chains – Counterfeit Components

I’ve informed my customer of all this and told him I wouldn’t want to ride it, not that I’m gifted in the watts department and known for snapping chains. I do however still value the family jewels and don’t wish to feel them squished against a top tube or wobble under a bus as I pull away from traffic lights.

It’s been a while now since Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget crashed the economy at least that’s what Keir Starmer said resulted in him receiving a cease-and-desist letter. I still feel the impact on my household bills as they increased, and I’ve felt the pinch in my pocket. I know that my customers have too and I can understand people looking to buy cheaper parts from the internet.

Herein lies the rub of fitting customer supplied parts

When you don’t know their provenance, if they fail and then require labour to resolve the issue, that work is chargeable and the warranty issue lies with the customer. Purchase your parts from an approved stockist, such as myself, and be satisfied that if there is an issue it’ll get taken care of properly and not at your expense.

Thank you for reading our latest blog, Counterfeit Components. If you have any question please Get In Touch.

Scott
fitmybike.co.uk