# Cube Acid 2011 crankset problem



## njanos (Jun 1, 2011)

Hi,

I have recently purchased a Cube Acid 2011 bike. In general I am very happy with it but there is one thing that I am worried about.

One of the rivets of the Shimano crankset is not properly finished and in certain gears it hits the chain. I was told in the shop that it is "normal" and with time the chain will "eat" the rivet and there will be no more contact. They also told me that the rivets were made of aluminum so they do not cause any damage.

Should I worry about this or it is true what the shopkeeper has told me? 

I have tried to contact Cube with this question but they keep ignoring my requests... not exactly a 5-star costumer service.

Thank you!

J


----------



## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Could you post a pic of the 'rivet'. If it's a rivet that attaches the chainring(s), your chain shouldn't catch on it. There may be rivets very close to the teeth that are there to facilitate shifting.

If your 2011 Cube Acid is the one I am finding (using an internet search), it comes with a Shimano FC M552 crankset, which does not use rivets to attach the chainrings, so the only rivets used would be those that are there to facilitate shifting. If they are interfering (catching the chain) when you're JRA (just riding along), it could be a bad chainline (the way the crankset aligns with the cassette), or an iffy chainline, combined with you 'cross-chaining' (being in gear combos that are not ideal because the chainline is so off that it is hard on the drivetrain components).

Also, if the bottom bracket shell on your frame is a 63mm size (width), you should see three black spacers between the bearing cups (of the crankset) and the bottom bracket shell. Usually, you'll see two on the drive side and one on the non-drive side, but occasionally it's the other way around. If you have a 73mm bottom bracket shell, there will only be one spacer, and it could be on either side depending on where the chainline is on that particular model of bike.

If you could tell us how many spacers your bike has there and which side they are on, that could help too.

As far as the shop's response to your inquiry, it's suspect at best. It certainly doesn't sound 'normal' and you should have to wait for anything to wear down before it operates properly.


----------



## njanos (Jun 1, 2011)

Hi jeffj,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I think you are spot on!!! I do not see any unusual "rivets" either. In my message I just repeated what I was told in the shop.

I am not sure what can be considered as "cross chaining". In the front the chain is on the middle chainring. In this positions should I be able to use all the 10 rear chainrings without any unwanted contact?
I only experience the problem when the chain is on the two smallest chainrings in the rear.
I also observed that it is more likely to have this problem when I use more force when pedalling.

Yes, there are three spacer as you have rightly said.

I attach two photos: one of the chainrings and another one of the spacers.

Thank you again for your help. This is my first bike (apart from the ones I had as a child many many years ago) so I am lost when there is any problem and I have no knowledge to argue with the shopkeeper.

J


----------



## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Well done with the pictures. Here is my take on this, and as a disclaimer, this advice is only worth what you have paid me to offer it 

It makes sense that it could catch while on the smallest cogs while in the middle chainring as the would place the chain at an angle as it comes off of the cassette and heads for the top of the chainring.

I had this issue with a Niner RIP 9 I was helping a friend with a few weeks ago. It's a less than wonderful chainline. 

Some folks will tell you that you probably shouldn't be using those cogs on the cassette while in the middle chainring, and that you could merely shift to the larger chainring and find a gear that would yield about the same ratio. And, that would be one way to deal with it. Personally, I think you should be able to use all of the gears when in the middle ring. 

I have been riding a Giant Anthem X 29 with a similar (3x)10 speed Shimano drivetrain and I can use all 10 gears in the middle chainring. Most bikes are similar, but it depends on frame design and construction. 

How the rear wheel lines up with the bottom bracket shell, and the placement of the seat tube all play a part. One solution would be to move the lone spacer from the non-drive side to join the others on the drive side. This would move the crankset outward (hopefully) enough to cut down the angle of the chain when in that gear combo. It's not ideal in the sense that now it could have the crankset too far out from the range of the front dreailleur's limit of adjustment, and the drive side bearing cup is threaded a little less far into the bottom bracket shell. There is also a chance that the non-drive side crankarm may now hit the non-drive side chainstay as it turns, but that usually doesn't happen unless it was really close to begin with.

I don't think there is an adjustment that can fix this.

If it were me (I know that it's not), and I otherwise really liked the bike, I would choose between these two options:

1) If I wanted to keep it a three chainring system, I would move the spacer and see if that worked.

2) I would remove the large chainring and replace it with a bashguard, and then replace the middle chainring with a 36t chainring. It would now be a two chainring system, and you wouldn't likely miss the large chainring as it would only be like not having the very last gear on a 3x10 system. True mountain biking rarely calls for that gear combo, and it it does, I would just coast as I would already be going fast enough.

I'm not the type to quibble with the shop over something like this, but would understand if you feel that they should make it right. In this case I am pretty sure of what they need to do and would just as soon take care of it myself and leave them to be a distant memory. There is a chance that they would just file down the pin (rivet) and call it a day, and I suppose that is also an option. There is a chance that you won't notice any significant difference in shifting if they did that, or you may be able to live with the slight difference it does make. If you ever need to replace the big chainring in the future, you'd have to do the same thing again.


----------



## njanos (Jun 1, 2011)

Hi jeffj,

Thank you very much for your detailed answer.

I also think that I should be able to use all the 10 gears in the back. Even the shop owner told me that.

I guess you are right that they would just file the pins down ... not something I am very keen on.
What I will do first is to try another bike of the same model to see if this problem is something of my particular bike or is something common with this model.
Then I decide how to proceed.

Thank you for your advice. Probably with my very limited experience I would not dare to remove any chainring or rearrange the spacers but I am glad that you have told me about it.

I have learned a lot from your posts! :thumbsup:

J


----------



## jpeters (Nov 19, 2010)

Jeff You are the man you give the best answers


----------



## nebmad (Jul 27, 2011)

Hi I am looking to buy a new bike and really like the look of the Cube Acid however my mate is telling me to go for the Genesis Core 20/30? Can any one tell me which one to go for or recommend any others?


----------



## jpeters (Nov 19, 2010)

nebmad said:


> Hi I am looking to buy a new bike and really like the look of the Cube Acid however my mate is telling me to go for the Genesis Core 20/30? Can any one tell me which one to go for or recommend any others?


The Genesis 30 has a better fork but the drive train is not as good so its a tough call. the I just had a look at vitus bikes at crc and they look better for the money they also have another line sunn that look good.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=vitus 
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=sunn


----------



## nebmad (Jul 27, 2011)

Thats great thank you for your reply. Ill have a look at the links now


----------

