Chain wear

andrew_s · Post by **andrew_s** » 24 Jul 2007, 12:08am

PW wrote:I find the modern (9speed & up) chains last more miles than the old type 6 speed ones. Given that the lubrication regime is the same I'll hazard a guess it's due to designed in improvements in flexibility. Exact mileages vary according to type of riding & geographical location, amongst others but I used to trash a 6 speed chain (triple chainset) in just over 1,000 miles. The 9 speeds are running 1,300+ with no damage to the cassette.

YMMV
I used to get up to 2500 miles out of a 6-speed chain without having to change the cassette. With 9-speed I have found that as little as 800 miles is enough that a new cassette is required.

It was when I found this that I changed from regular chain changes to "use until it doesn't work properly" (which seems to be at about 7-8000 miles in my case). It was the thought that a cassette was the price of only 3 or 4 chains that prompted the change.
My cleaning regime is minimal, mostly just a case of oiling it if it's starting to get noisy.

George Riches · Post by **George Riches** » 24 Jul 2007, 8:51am

800 miles is not much!
Do you do lot of off-road?
Do/did you measure the chain before throwing it away?
Which brand/model of chain did you use?

I once ran a chain and cassette "into the ground". I got 5300 miles from the chain and 9000 miles from the cassette. The chain was 1.1% elongated when I took it off. The bike was exclusively used on-road, nearly always in dry weather (I use a bicycle with an enclosed chain for utility journeys).

Post by **Mick F** » 24 Jul 2007, 12:05pm

I'm on 7000 ish on my chain. One cassette is at 5000, and the other at 2000.

I measure my chain every time I clean it, probably at about 300 mile intervals. Please see my other posts on how I do it, but other than the drying of the chain, the cleaning of cassette and chain takes 30 mins max.

My cassette, Campag Mirage, costs £14.95, and the chain, Campag C9, costs £13.50. Both from Ribble. Neither would break the bank, but I still clean 'em!

George Riches · Post by **George Riches** » 24 Jul 2007, 7:20pm

Do you break the chain by popping out a rivet or does the Campag C9 have a re-usable link which is quick to assemble/disassemble?

Note Taya & KMC write that the connecting links on their chains shouldn't be re-used once they have been disassembled. Many people think a Sram powerlink can be safely disassembled and re-connected many times on the same chain.

Post by **Mick F** » 24 Jul 2007, 9:21pm

I've used Campag C9's for years, and always used a chain tool, never had a problem. Last year I bought a Power Link. It makes the job easier - that's all.

andrew_s · Post by **andrew_s** » 25 Jul 2007, 11:07pm

George Riches wrote:800 miles is not much!
Do you do lot of off-road?
Do/did you measure the chain before throwing it away?
Which brand/model of chain did you use?

It was a SRAM PC59 chain, used entirely on-road (but a fair proportion of pretty small and muddy lanes). I had intended to keep it and rotate chains, so I just put it back on the bike and used the other 2 chains later.