IMO it is to short.

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Follow my project on Project 100 miles / 4 hours

looks too short to me

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

I've never seen a derailleur near horizontal before - looks very short to me.

Yes, it's too short. Need a link (pair) in there and then it should be good.

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Team Zoot-Texas, and Pickle Juice

I think it’s too short. Although cross chaining is not great, you are more likely to use the big-big combo over the small-small combo, so erroring on the side of a bit too long of a chain is better.

Side note: I recommend flipping around that skewer so the clamping lever is on the rotor side of your bike. A fallen or jammed chained is much more likely to open the lever.

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Alex Arman

Strava

Too short. I use the small/small method when sizing a chain. Place the chain on the smallest cog and the small chainring (assuming a double), then remove just enough links that the rear derailleur cage doesn't fold over and hit the chain. Sanity check to make sure you can still shift into the large chainring and second largest cog without it looking like your bike looks now [preemptive disclaimer about avoiding using that gear in actual riding for a number of reasons].

OH YEAH - waaaay too short - hope the bike shop give you a new chain

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"PAIN is nothing compared to what it feels like to QUIT"

thank you for the responses...too short it is. i know it's not ideal to ever be in this combo of big ring big cog, but it still bothers me that I can't make use of all gears. i will add another link and go from there - I could've messed it up doing it, but not acceptable to pay for something like this.

Another one the 'way too short' vote.

Put it on big + big then should have 2 'spare' links min (ie able to make a small 'fold' in the chain.)

At some point you will inadvertently shift big + big. And when you do with th the set up you have there, it will all go wrong... youll end up with the chain jammed with a huge locked-in force, somethong else will shift or bend, and you'll be stranded with a locked up back wheel.

(That happened to me once on an mtb ride - I'd had to shorten the chain after a breakage, to get home... sure enough despite knowing to not go big + big i did by accident. The back wheel moved in the dropouts and jammed as i pushed hard down on the pedal, caused te wheel to jam and the chain to be under huge force. Couldn't remove wheel or shift, had to break chain again to sort.

Can the cage still swing out a little? If so, it is technically OK. The chain is making contact at several points along both jockey wheels. Maybe they thought you wanted a super weight weenie setup and made the chain as short/light while still being functional?

However, that looks like a pretty close stacked cassette. You would not be able to swap on something bigger if needed.

So, like above, I fit mine to the little-little and make sure the RD is a little under tension and the cage arms don't touch. I just make sure to do that on an 11-25 cassette. That way, it is a little heavier, but I can put on a 28 or 32T cassette and it'll be OK.


The bigger topic is: bikes are way easier to work on than you might think and fitting a chain is one of the simplest tasks. Sending it to the shop because "they'll do it right" is not a sure thing. As mentioned above, they may have a different philosophy (ultra weight weenie) than you OR the tech may have simply been in a super rush and botched it. You'll take way more care since it is your bike.
Next time, give it a shot yourself! (You might even already have all the tools you need if your multitool has a chain breaker on it. If not, a decent dedicated chain breaker is insanely expensive, about $10.)

I call BS on any shop doing this. There is more to the story like he has changed cluster/wheel/chainrings after the shop touched it.
I bet the poster actually has done this himself.
You are at least 4 links too short.

Did the bike shop put the skewer on backwards too?

I was thinking 4 links as well.

He'd probably rip the rear derailleur if he accidentally shifted into the largest sprocket.

put your money where your mouth is and put some money on it...i'll provide you with the receipt from last week and i'll gladly take any pocket change you might have left.

Ever heard of car mechanics forgetting to put an oil plug or oil cap back on after and oil change? It happens. Techs are human and make mistakes. Maybe they were working on more than one bike and got chains swapped around. Who knows?

I also agree with another poster, changing your own chain is fairly simple and a chain breaker tool off amazon gets the job done.

Hope the shop makes it right for you, OP.

I suspect it's too short as well. Your GS cage makes me lean in that direction.

But, to know for sure, I'd like to see a pic with the chain on the small ring and the big cog. If the derailleur can't take up any more chain, then the chain is as long as it can be. If there's still room, then the chain is too short.

That chain is definitely too short. I fear for the longevity of your derailleur if you try to shift up to the largest cog. At best it just won't shift, at worst it's going to rip the thing right of the bike.

Maybe it was just a mistake, maybe it was an inexperienced person doing the work, or maybe the shop just sucks, but they owe you a new chain.

That is so obviously wrong that any casual glance at the bike from anybody in the shop would have spotted it.
I don't know any mechanic that would not run through big/big and small/small combination to confirm length.
I wouldn't even take it back to the shop involved and go somewhere else if this is really shop work.

+1 for too short.

What ratio cassette are you running?

I have the Ultegra R8000 short cage rear mech and can just run the Ultegra 11-30 cassette.

As someone mentioned above, take a pic with it in the small-small combo and see how it looks. I always start there when I'm sizing up a new setup.

I recently installed a chain with a R8000 mid cage but with a non standard chain ring combo 52/34. (standard 11/25 cassette)

Normally I start in small/small and make the tension just tight enough to pull the RD a little bit. That's normally still longer than needed. Then I check it on the big/big, in this case it seemed a little short. It's as if the R8000 has less swing than the 5700, 6700 or 7900 even though the cage appears longer. I wound up keeping 2 more links than I thought I'd need.

I can see an inexperienced shop mechanic making that mistake or perhaps he just made the chain the same length as the old one and put it on without checking big/big. In any case, the bike should not have gone out the door that way.

Yes - too short. You should also check the D-limit screw. Everything is much too close to the cassette.

thanks for this insight on the R8000 specific derailleur. i brought the bike in without a chain, so the mechanic definitely had nothing to compare it to. am i better off going with a new chain or adding a link to this one? it's cheap either way, but just don't want to throw out a new chain.

Ask the shop to replace it for free. They bungled the job and should be willing to make it right.

that would be easiest...however, another reason I had a shop do this work was because I had little time before moving to Florida. thinking they would do it right and I could ride without issues once here was the goal. but i'll see if I can get credit or at least store credit and i'll tackle this on my own. i'll get a chain tool and at least i know how many links is too short :)