[miked.]

not sure if this is the right place to post about this, please redirect me if it's not.

i just received my new tracer vp. in granny gear the chain rubs against the bottom linkage piece.

do i need a chain guide? i realize that sounds like a stupid question, but i've never used one and am wondering if this will solve my problem. if not, what will?

thanks in advance!

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Have any pictures?

 

[miked.]

Have any pictures?

just shot one with my bb for you. it's a shabby picture, but it's all i can get for now. i've left the chain in the middle ring so you can see what's happening. the red line indicates the approximate path the chain runs in the small ring. where the red line crosses the black linkage, my chain rubs along it.

 

[miked.]

just shot one with my bb for you. it's a shabby picture, but it's all i can get for now. i've left the chain in the middle ring so you can see what's happening. the red line indicates the approximate path the chain runs in the small ring. where the red line crosses the black linkage, my chain rubs along it.

oops! helps if i post the pic...

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Check the chainline and your bottom bracket spacing.

 

[miked.]

may be another stupid question, but what do you mean by "check the chainline"?

 

[zebrahum]

Chainline is how straight the chain runs in any particular gear combo. I would check to see what the chainline is in your problem gears. Sounds to me like a BB spacing issue. What BB do you have? I can't see external BB cups so do you know the spindle length on your BB? I'll bet that's too narrow.

 

[ultraNoob]

I ran into the same thing with a frankenbike that I resurrected. Ended up being the BB spindle length.

 

[miked.]

thanks guys. i'll check it out tonight.

 

[eaterofdog]

oops! helps if i post the pic...

Jesus man, is that a digital pinhole camera or something?

I agree with the above, sounds like the bb is too narrow.

 

[oldfart]

I can't tell what kind of BB you have. If it is Shimano there should be one spaver on the drive side between the cup and frame for a 73 mm shell and two for a 68 shell plus one on the non drive side. I think. Going by memory. Check those spacers and the shell width. The distance from the centre of the seat tube to the middle ring is the chainline distance. If memory serves correct it's a little over 50mm for a standard 68 or 73 shell bike, and 55 or 56 for the 83mm shell bikes?

 

[HAB]

1. The Tracer won't take a chainguide, at least without modification, since the link ends up being in the way.

2. Looks like you've got a TruVativ external bearing crank. True? I bet you left a spacer out.

 

[oldfart]

TruVativ don't use a spacer at all for the 73 shell. Another reason one can't use a chain guide with them on 73 shelled bikes.

 

[miked.]

i do have a truvative external bearing... i didn't build the bike, so i don't know if spacers came with or not. i'll have to take some measurements to check the shell and the chainline. thanks for all the info guys, truly appreciated.

 

[zebrahum]

Did a quick search on the Truvativ external cup BB and found:

68 shell - 2 spacers drive side, 0 non drive
68 e type - 0 drive spacer, 1 non
73/73e - 0 spacers

Depending on the year of your bike, I think it could be either 68 or 73. For your sake, I hope it's a 68 so you can fix this problem easily.

 

[miked.]

Did a quick search on the Truvativ external cup BB and found:

68 shell - 2 spacers drive side, 0 non drive
68 e type - 0 drive spacer, 1 non
73/73e - 0 spacers

Depending on the year of your bike, I think it could be either 68 or 73. For your sake, I hope it's a 68 so you can fix this problem easily.

thanks zebrahum! truly appreciated. dropping it off at the shop this weekend as i'm headed out of town. i will convey this info to the mechanic.

 

[miked.]

so i measured my front chainline, and i come in i think closer to 51 mm than 50mm. adding a spacer is only gonna push it another mm or 2. that sounds like something i don't want... i have read online that the truvative 73mm BB runs a 51 mm chainline with a triple ring setup. so in theory, the bike is set up correctly... maybe intense just didn't give a sh*t about that bottom ring? i can't remember the last time i used my granny gear, but it just annoys me that this is an issue.

 

[zebrahum]

You would be shocked what a difference a mil can make. It's worth a try, it's not like it's going to make your granny less useable. And I know that there's people out there with that bike able to pedal in the granny, I just don't have enough personal experience with that bike to say for certain that you should do "this" and that will fix it.

Did you measure your BB shell width? I'm curious to know how this is going.

 

[miked.]

You would be shocked what a difference a mil can make. It's worth a try, it's not like it's going to make your granny less useable. And I know that there's people out there with that bike able to pedal in the granny, I just don't have enough personal experience with that bike to say for certain that you should do "this" and that will fix it.

Did you measure your BB shell width? I'm curious to know how this is going.

i did... the tracer runs a 73mm BB. so according to truvativ, the drive side is supposed to get 1 spacer. the truvativ spacers that they use for their spec are 2.5 mm. that would put me at a 53.5mm chainline. it may be worth a try i suppose. if everything still shifts and runs fine, then i guess who cares... right?

so far in my hunting, i haven't heard another person say they've had this problem. i also haven't heard anything back from anyone that actually rides a tracer.

there is a bolt on the bottom linkage that on my frame isn't flush with the linkage, and has some sort of clip... this is exactly where my chain rubs. i just heard last night that there is a version where that bolt is flush with the frame... i'm curious to find out if this is something they noticed and rectified. maybe my frame is an older one and when they noticed this issue the changed it up? or maybe i'm reaching...

 

[zebrahum]

sounds odd, you should give Intense a call or email about it. You never know, maybe they have a solution or part all ready to go.

 

[Benjamino]

I just bought a Tracer VP last month and was riding it tonight and was bothered by a noise coming from the back and noticed for the first time that the chain rubs the bottom linkage, same as described earlier in thread. Not pleased as I ride in granny gear plenty. I have an SLX crankset, haven't measured the bottom bracket width and I am not going to.

 

[miked.]

I just bought a Tracer VP last month and was riding it tonight and was bothered by a noise coming from the back and noticed for the first time that the chain rubs the bottom linkage, same as described earlier in thread. Not pleased as I ride in granny gear plenty. I have an SLX crankset, haven't measured the bottom bracket width and I am not going to.

Benjamino,

as mentioned above, i have received some advice that may help. some good folks on an intense forum elsewhere have told me that a flush bolt is available from intense for that bottom linkage. not sure if your frame came with a flush bolt or not, but mine came with bolts that stick out very slightly and have clips on the end. here is the best picture i can find to show the ends of the bolts. i haven't been able to find a photo of the flush bolts, but i assume it helps the issue. i don't know about you, but i also get slight rubbage along the bottom of my chainstay, right in front of the the weld on the chainstay in this photo. i am thinking a ring with 2 more teeth on it will solve that issue though.

 

[stiworkz]

i have the same problem when using the granny it also is grinding to my vpp link. im using an XT crankset. i'm also wondering if i should put a spacer on the bb for clearance or should i use a chain guide? oh yeah... another problem when using a chain guide... i dont have iscg welded on my frame.

 

[stiworkz]

i was able to solve that problem... but some modification on the chain guide.

i am using a truvativ chain guide.

i dont have too much tension but will try to add more after a few more grinding

did some grinding on this part but will continue remove the remaining part near the guide

clear from chain rubbing