Quick / Basic chain maitenance after commuting in the winter months

[Brucey]

rear sprocket is £3...?

It can be swapped in about one minute (on a loose wheel).

OK you may find your chainline is a bit off but then it might be anyway?

BTW I think the issue is that the chainglider rear section has to fit between the cassette joint and the sprocket, and if the sprocket is dished outwards, the gap isn't big enough?

cheers

[mig]

i can (partially) see the reason for minimal maintenance all winter then scrapping the chain but how many winters does a chainring last under these conditions? (i haven't run gears / thinner chainrings in the winter for maybe 20 years now.)

[Heltor Chasca]

MickF of this parish improved my life no end. 2 chains each with smart links. Shake and soak in diesel. Rotate. Job done. Occasionally take the cassette off and soak in diesel. Life made easy. Thanks MickF.

[mjr]

rear sprocket is £3...?

It can be swapped in about one minute (on a loose wheel).

Does the 8 not have a spring clip or are you underestimating how much most people struggle with them?

[Brucey]

rear sprocket is £3...?

It can be swapped in about one minute (on a loose wheel).

Does the 8 not have a spring clip or are you underestimating how much most people struggle with them?

it does, and perhaps I am...

A Brucey top tip (or two);

- a small screwdriver (or a piece of flattened spoke perhaps) in one of the grooves can be used to pry the clip off. Square section clips are more difficult that round section clips.

- to refit, there are a few methods. Round section clips can often be worked on using brute force (there is a knack to it, starting at one end and working round) but the force required can be high. Square section clips are worse. If you struggle with this, and you know you will have to do the job again, I would suggest grinding a small groove in each end face of the clip, and then using circlip pliers (which will engage with the grooves you have made) to open the clip when refitting it. This isn't snag-free (the clip needs to be spread a little before the pliers can be used, and it usually tries to twist out of plane once opened) but it is very, very much easier than without.

Years ago I made a tapered three-legged tool (from pieces of old spoke... ) which allows easy clip fitment on any hub; each leg fits into a groove in the driver, and the clip is simply pushed down the taper until it is over the driver.

cheers

[Phil_Chadwick]

IMHO life is too short for maintenance if you ride twice daily in all weather.

[waits for opprobrium to rain down]

I agree.

My bike takes a caning in the winter. It does a couple of hundred miles a week in terrible rural conditions. I ride fixed and just chuck away the chain and sprocket each spring, and the chainring every other spring - or sooner if it is knackered.

[hufty]

Chain cleaning is for people with derailleurs. With a hub gear as long as the chain turns the rear cog when you turn the pedals, leave well alone. Don't replace any components they will bed in together.

[Ruadh495]

I'm in the "leave it alone" camp too. Three squirts of gear oil up the end of the Nexus 3 once a week, it leaks out both ends, on the left onto the floor, on the right onto the chain. I've got a chaincase, so it stays nice and oily and cleanish. 4500 miles on the same chain with me, plus whatever the previous owner of the bike put on it (it came from Holland, so that's a lot). Been through one winter of daily commutes with me. I "should" change it, but I suspect I'd just end up fitting an inferior quality item, so I'm leaving it until it breaks. I do carry split links...

[markfh]

Just a thought, and I note that Brucey has already suggested a Herbie Chainglider, how about fitting a full chain case? This will help protect the chain from muck and minimise the maintenance required. Although not a simple option for derailleur geared bikes, for a hub geared bike, used for regular commuting in the winter it would seem like a reasonable solution. That having been said there do not seem to be many available although I did find a few on the Dutch Bike Bits website (http://www.dutchbikebits.com/mudguards-chainguards-fenders-coatprotectors/chainguards).

[mig]

IMHO life is too short for maintenance if you ride twice daily in all weather.

[waits for opprobrium to rain down]

I agree.

My bike takes a caning in the winter. It does a couple of hundred miles a week in terrible rural conditions. I ride fixed and just chuck away the chain and sprocket each spring, and the chainring every other spring - or sooner if it is knackered.

which sprocket do you use?

[niggle]

I commuted for several years about half your mileage on a Carrera Subway 8 with Nexus 8spd hub. With that bike (unlike derailleur bikes where I am fairly meticulous) I just wiped crud off the chain at about monthly intervals and kept it fairly generously oily with something like Finish Line Cross Country or even cheap chainsaw oil. I only deep cleaned the chain off the bike a couple of times a year.

Using 1/8" Sturmey Archer sprockets and 1/8" KMC B1 chains I got about 1 year from a chain and 2 from a sprocket. The chainring was a Thorn single speed which is reversible and was only part worn after about 4 years/12000 miles, so well worth the highish initial cost.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chainrings/ ... nch-black/

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chainrings/ ... nch-black/

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/chains/kmc- ... ks-silver/

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sprockets/s ... cp-hsl836/

I would suggest a routine like my monthly one, but weekly, plus check condition of chain each morning if rained on badly the day before. Allow 5 mins to wipe and lube if necessary so set your alarm 5 mins earlier I really don't think any more effort than this is justified to maintain a £3 sprocket and £5 chain, the main point IMHO is to keep the bike usable day to day and minimise more extensive servicing procedures.

My new Alfine 11 Pompino build will have a 3/32" sprocket which I have 'in stock': will see how that one lasts and consider 1/8" for it's replacement. It will have a 1/8" KMC B1S (silver) chain but with a Surly stainless steel single speed chainring- hope this is good as the Thorn was.

http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/component ... 0wodiskB1Q

[Phil_Chadwick]

IMHO life is too short for maintenance if you ride twice daily in all weather.


which sprocket do you use?

All sorts.

I used EAI for a while on the best bikes, but I used to like the On-one own brand ones too. I'm less enamoured of the Miche ones. Surly are good.

I think the one on my winter bike at the moment is a LifeLine one from Wiggle. Seems fine.

I favour 1/8.