Bent braze on

Notifitsraining
Notifitsraining Posts: 72
edited May 2009 in Workshop
I recently bought a Felt Z35 from the UK Felt inporter via ebay. Having assembled it I found I was unable to get the gears running smoothly, and in particular stop the chain rubbing at inside edge of the front derailleur.

Today I took the bike to the local Felt dealer who says the front mech is bent. They have tried to re-allign it but said as the mech is a braze on they do not want to put too much pressure on it in case it pulls away from carbon frame. Currently there is still rubbing in the lowest gears when on the small chain ring.

Qs: Will cycling with the bike in this condition damage the chain or anything else; and is it possible to rectify this or did I just waste £800 when I thought I'd got a bargain?

Comments

  • Jaeger
    Jaeger Posts: 439
    Am I missing something? Can't you get either a new front mech or new braze-on part (this should have a 2bolt fitting to the frame)?
  • Notifitsraining
    Notifitsraining Posts: 72
    I'll ask the shop. I was under the impression the braze-on is glued to the frame?
  • Jaeger
    Jaeger Posts: 439
    Ok, perhaps I should have said the braze-on "could" have a 2 bolt fitting to the frame, not "should". My Giant OCR did. Guess it prob depends on the manufacturer.
    (Hope I haven't given false hope!) :?
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Guess why the frame was on ebay! Bending a front mech bracket on a carbon frame is best attempted carefully - how much is it out by? Could you file the slot to suit the mech?
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Notifitsraining
    Notifitsraining Posts: 72
    To be fair, there is a good chance I caused the problem when the bike fell over in my lounge (laminate floor) before I put pedals on it! Even so what sort gimp designs a relatively expensive bike that is unrepairable if one relatively cheap but vulnerable component is damaged?!

    Bike is currently at shop - will have another look when I pick itup later and report back. Keeping fingers crossed in meantime.
  • Notifitsraining
    Notifitsraining Posts: 72
    Just to update - a friend asked if the bottom bracket was 68 or 73mm, wondering if a spacer had been omitted. The BB width is 73mm, but I mentioned this to the shop anyway who added a 2mm spacer between the BB and the crank and it has cured the problem immediately.

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