Drivetrain, Chain & Shifting
Drivetrain service covers chain, cassette, chainring, derailleur, and shift cable work — and on an e-bike it matters more than on any analog bike, because mid-drive motors put 85+ Nm through a chain that was designed for human legs.
- Starting at
- $55
- Typical time
- 30 min–1.5 hr
- Warranty
- 90 days on labor
Shifting tune $55. Chain replacement $35 plus chain. Full drivetrain from $145.
The single most expensive mistake e-bike owners make on the mechanical side is running a chain too long. Chain wear is measured, not eyeballed: past about 0.5% elongation on a mid-drive, the chain starts cutting into the cassette and chainring, and a $35 chain becomes a $260 drivetrain. I check wear on every visit and tell you where you are on the clock even if you didn't ask.
Shifting problems on e-bikes are usually one of four things: a bent derailleur hanger (these bend constantly — heavy bike, easy tip-over), a stretched cable, a worn chain, or an indexing adjustment that drifted. I check them in that order because replacing parts to fix a bent hanger is a waste of your money.
Belt-drive bikes — Gates Carbon Drive on Priority, Tern, Riese & Müller — are different work entirely, and I set those to tension spec with a proper gauge rather than by feel.

Trip fee for this visit
- Zone 1 — San Clemente +FREE
- Zone 2 — Ladera Ranch +$35
- Zone 3 — Irvine +$65
Symptom → cause
What the bike is doing, and what it usually means
| What you notice | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| Chain skips under power | Worn chain and cassette — usually both by the time it skips |
| Won't shift into the biggest cog | Limit screw, cable tension, or a bent hanger |
| Rattling or ghost shifting | Cable tension or indexing drift |
| Grinding under load on a mid-drive | Chain elongation past the wear limit |
| Chain falls off regularly | Bent chainring, worn chain, or chainline off after a motor swap |
Prices
Drivetrain
| Shifting tune & indexing | $55 |
|---|---|
| Chain replacement+ chain | $35 |
| Chain + cassette replacement+ parts | $75 |
| Full drivetrain replacement+ parts | from $145 |
| Derailleur hanger alignment | $45 |
| Derailleur replacement+ part | $55 |
| Shift cable & housingPer cable, + parts | $45 |
| Bottom bracket service+ part if replaced | $85 |
| Gates Carbon Drive belt tension | $55 |
| Internally geared hub adjustment | $65 |
Free tools
Check it yourself first
Book service
Need drivetrain?
Takes a minute. You'll hear back within 30 minutes during business hours — and if it's faster to just call, call.
- Free quote before any work starts
- No trip fee in San Clemente, Dana Point or San Juan Cap
- 90 days on all labor
- Nothing gets added to the bill without a call first
FAQ
Before you book
Do you actually work on batteries, motors, and controllers — or just the mechanical stuff?
All of it. This is the main reason to call me instead of a general mobile bike mechanic. Most mobile bike services in Orange County explicitly decline battery, motor, throttle, and controller work, which means a bike with an electrical fault has nowhere local to go. I diagnose and repair charge ports, battery management systems, controllers, displays, throttles, cadence and torque sensors, brake cut-off switches, wiring harnesses, and hub and mid-drive motors — plus everything mechanical.
What brands do you work on?
Every brand. That includes direct-to-consumer bikes with no local dealer — Rad Power, Aventon, Lectric, Ride1Up, Velotric, Heybike, Himiway, Juiced, Super73, Segway — and dealer brands like Specialized Turbo, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Electra, Gazelle, Tern, Pedego, Blix, Magnum, and Riese & Müller. On the motor side I work on Bosch, Shimano STEPS, Brose, Yamaha, Bafang, Fazua, Mahle, and generic hub systems. One honest caveat: Bosch and some Shimano systems lock firmware and certain diagnostics to authorized dealers. I can do every mechanical and electrical repair on those bikes and I'll tell you upfront on the rare occasion something has to go through a dealer.
My range dropped a lot. Do I need a new battery?
Probably not, and this is the most expensive assumption in e-bike ownership. Lost range has at least five common causes and only one of them is a worn battery: low tire pressure, a dragging brake rotor, a worn or dry chain, colder weather, corroded battery mount contacts, and actual capacity fade all produce the identical symptom. A $59 battery health test measures capacity against the pack's rated watt-hours and checks balance across cell groups, which tells you definitively which it is. That fee is waived if you have me do the repair. A new pack is $400 to $1,200 — it's worth $59 to find out whether you need one.
Is there a warranty on the work?
90 days on all labor. If something I worked on isn't right afterward, I come back and fix it — no trip fee, no argument, in any zone. Parts carry whatever warranty the manufacturer provides and I'll handle the claim paperwork with the brand for you.
What can't you do at my house?
Three things go to the bench rather than the driveway: cell-level battery pack repair (opening a lithium pack in a customer's garage isn't something a careful technician does), full wheel rebuilds and rim replacement, and internal motor rebuilds that need a press. For all three I pick the part or the bike up and bring it back, usually within two to four days. Everything else — including motor removal and reinstall, controller and display replacement, harness repair, brake bleeds, and full tune-ups — happens where your bike is.
Do you need power or water at my house?
No. The van carries its own power, lighting, compressed air, and water. All I need is a flat spot roughly the size of a parking space, within reason of where the bike is. Driveway, street, garage, courtyard, parking lot, or a turnout on a Laguna hillside all work fine.
Do I need to be home the whole time?
Only at the start and the end. I need five minutes with you at the beginning to understand what the bike is doing and to confirm the quote, and five minutes at the end to hand it back and show you what changed. In between you can go to work, take a call, or leave entirely.
My display is showing an error code. What does it mean?
It depends on the system, because every maker numbers its own faults: 21 is a speed sensor fault on a Bafang display but abnormal current on a Rad, and Shimano's codes start with W or E. The free error code lookup has the makers' own tables for Bafang, Bosch, Shimano STEPS, Rad Power Bikes, KT and Segway-Ninebot, with the maker's first step for each. If a code points at the battery or charger, stop charging and riding until it's checked.
Something not answered here? Just ask — I’d rather talk it through than have you guess.