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Loose chain

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Loose chain

Postby Mark on Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:00 pm

I have had my a-bike for a month now. after two weeks of commuting about 30 mins a day I notice the chain has gone loose and is banging on the bottom of the housing. I see there is a tensioner mechanism but
1) i can't see how to undo the bearing to adjust it
2) has anyone else had a problem with the chain coming loose so quickly... I am wondering if it needs a link or two taking out. Perhaps something else has moved.....
Mark
 

Postby Binch Shin on Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:59 pm

I think this is impossible because the chains are tight inside gear box. To strike the gear box, the chain must be cut.
So I guess the nozzle cap of the rear wheel strikes the back side of housing. This sound can be very big. In this case, here is the solution.
http://abikecentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=224

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loose chain

Postby Mark on Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:11 pm

Thank you for your help. But it is the chain. With the bike stationary the chain sags onto the bottom of the black plastic housing. I think this weekend I will try and take it apart and look at the whole thing cogs and all....
Mark
 

Postby Binch Shin on Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:14 pm

Woops.. I'm sorry. My opinion was wrong.
Because your riding time was short, if the chain is loose then the glitch seems to occur on a link point.

In Korea, A-bikers couldn't find the suitable chain for self-replacement.
(The long narrow chain near the rear wheel is a Go-Kart chain.)
So our unique choice was the local distributor for the chain replacement.

Do you have a local distributor in your country?
If you don't, I will ask some bicycle enthusiasts to find the chain on internet.

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Re: Loose chain

Postby PeKaPro on Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:07 am

Mark wrote:I have had my a-bike for a month now. after two weeks of commuting about 30 mins a day I notice the chain has gone loose and is banging on the bottom of the housing. I see there is a tensioner mechanism but
1) i can't see how to undo the bearing to adjust it
2) has anyone else had a problem with the chain coming loose so quickly... I am wondering if it needs a link or two taking out. Perhaps something else has moved.....


I've got the same problem. The rear chain seems to be much too long after using the A-bike for about a month. The tensioner (from M to H) doesn't solve this problem.
Anyone of you able to give me some tips?
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Adjusting the Chain

Postby jkevinwolfe on Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:16 am

I have not done this myself, but according to the manual, on the back axle of your A-bike there is a bearing holder on each side.

1. Use a hex wrench to loosen the four screws on one side.
2. Turn the bearing holder to "H".
3. Tighten the screws.
4. Do the same on the other side.

Kevin
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Re: Adjusting the Chain

Postby PeKaPro on Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:07 am

jkevinwolfe wrote:I have not done this myself, but according to the manual, on the back axle of your A-bike there is a bearing holder on each side.

1. Use a hex wrench to loosen the four screws on one side.
2. Turn the bearing holder to "H".
3. Tighten the screws.
4. Do the same on the other side.

Kevin


Thanks Kevin,

As I mentioned turning the bearingholder to H(igh) doesn't solve the problem. Any other suggestions?

Peter
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Postby Oleg on Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:57 am

If the chain is exactly weak then it may be possible to delete one unit.
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Chain

Postby Guest on Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:16 am

It would seem to me that if the tension setting doesn't do it, then you may have bigger issues. On first glance it appears to me that the tension setting only affects the lower chain.

I swear that my lower chain is making a rattling sound, but when I check it it's really tight. (I guess it could be the upper chain, but I haven't had a chance to open it up to see.)

When you flip over the A-bike and press down on the exposed chain, is it physically loose? Beyond this, you may have to open up the bike to see if it's the top chain. And I'm no help on adjusting this.

Kevin
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Postby PeKaPro on Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:01 am

Yes, the second chain is really loose. It sometimes even comes out of the 'chainbox' between the real wheel and the box, damaging the rear tire. It also makes a ratteling sound.
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Postby newcross on Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:44 pm

The chain is usually very tight with "M" setting and this seems to be a factory setting.

Then once it became loose, people turn the tensioner to "H", but interestingly, most of people found their chain wasn't loose enough for "H" setting. (i.e. "H" was too tight.)

I just found our member Leonarhodo experienced the same thing recently. (see below.)
http://leonarhodo.exblog.jp/5765489#5765489_1

If the secondary (lower) chain tension is really loose and "H" position doesn't help it, then you might need to remove a link from the chain as Oleg suggested, or replace the chain itself.

You can always ask your A-bike distributer to supply the chain.

Alternatively, replace it by your self.

The chain is called "#25" and used by minimote, pocket bike, etc.

Search for "#25 chain" under "sporting goods" category to find the listing on eBay UK.

There are some minimoto parts retailers who offer chain cutter and half-link for #25. I had a url of one of these, but cannot find... sorry. If you google "#25 chain", you should be able to find some more info on this.

#25 chain has two different thickness. one is normal #25, and another is thicker, heavier #25H (H stands for High durability or something like that.) I guess A-bike uses normal #25.
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wheel scraping/loose chain

Postby Steveroot on Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:39 pm

Check the rear wheel bearing for free play. I had this problem on a Strida 2 (no chai, but the wheel would rub against the frame). The rear wheel bearings deteriorated in only 200 to 300 miles. The Strida was easy to repair, given enough replacement bearings, axles, races, etc. I don't know how the A-bike is put together. Good luck!
Steve
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Postby Oleg on Sun Jun 24, 2007 3:36 pm

Thank you very much, newcross!

As usual your post is very helpful and useful :!:

This link is:

http://www.electricscooterparts.com/chain.html

They do not delivery in Russia :(
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Postby Sun on Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:48 am

I have a similar problem which the chain keep banging the bottom of the crank box.
It found out that the lower chain sometime is loose and sometime is tight. The reason is because the second gear axle is not complete centered and turns out the lower chain sometime loose and sometime tight.

Unfortunately, until now still have no solution. :(
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Postby jkevinwolfe on Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:58 am

Sun,

I noticed the same thing about my lower chain. I also discovered that the upper chain was loose and seemed to be that way by design. I developed some severe kinks in the upper chain that were banging around inside the housing. Worse, the kinks were chipping of tiny bits of plastic that were mucking up the chain.

I soaked both the upper chain and lower chain in petrol to give then a good cleaning and then oiled both with Dumonde Tech Lite Bicycle Chain Lube. (Some racers say this is best chain lube available.) Things are running much smoother now on both chains.

Kevin
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