Chain wear

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Koi
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Joined: 17 Sep 2010, 12:41am

Chain wear

Post by Koi »

I bought my bike, new, last September & as I hadn't cycled for over 30 years I have been gradualy buidling up fitness... up to 80 miles per ride now.
I checked my chain last week with a guage & it is 70% worn. I've only done 1600 miles, is it normal for a chain to wear so fast?

I've already ordered a new chain as I'm doing a JOGLE in 8 weeka time & don't want to risk the chain failing on that trip or damaging the chainwheel/cassette.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Chain wear

Post by [XAP]Bob »

What do you mean by 70% worn?

What maintenance have you been doing?
What lubricant have you been using?
What road conditions?
What gear system?


Hub gears, carefully looked after will last alot longer. A 10 speed chain, completely neglegted and ridden over salty grit won't last 500 miles.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
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wearwell
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Re: Chain wear

Post by wearwell »

Perhaps best not to look too closely and not to worry about transmission wear until it starts showing as a problem i.e. jumping a tooth in bottom gear. You get plenty of warning that it's time to replace things. Chains and sprockets get nicely run in together and if you replace either too soon they have to get run in again which means increased wear.
Keep it well flooded with oil, too much is preferable to too little.
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gentlegreen
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Re: Chain wear

Post by gentlegreen »

Sounds about right. My chain, sprocket and rim wear increased hugely when I started doing long rides on country roads - I also changed my commute to a longer and more scenic one.

This last year / 2,000 miles I actually replaced the chain at half that when it started to feel nasty, but then had to replace the cassette earlier than usual - though I probably should only have replaced the teeny sprockets ...

Chainwheels are getting a bit iffy now that the whole year is nearly up.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Chain wear

Post by [XAP]Bob »

wearwell wrote:Perhaps best not to look too closely and not to worry about transmission wear until it starts showing as a problem i.e. jumping a tooth in bottom gear. You get plenty of warning that it's time to replace things. Chains and sprockets get nicely run in together and if you replace either too soon they have to get run in again which means increased wear.
Keep it well flooded with oil, too much is preferable to too little.

Cheaper to replace the chain before the cassette is worn.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Hypocacculus
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Joined: 23 Mar 2010, 2:00pm

Re: Chain wear

Post by Hypocacculus »

"Keep it well flooded with oil, too much is preferable to too little."

Er, actually many people would disagree with this, including me. Excess oil mixes with the dust and grot from the road forming an abrasive paste that wears your chain out even faster. It is better to keep your chain as clean as possible, apply oil regularly and remove the excess. Some people swear by 'self cleaning' dry lubes, although these are not so good at protecting against rust.
rilem
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Joined: 20 Aug 2010, 9:52am

Re: Chain wear

Post by rilem »

I have found in the past that replacing a chain sometimes means that I have had also to replace the cassette. Given that you are planning on a JOGLE soon I would replace the chain and cassette - I wouldn't want jumping gears for the best part of a thousand miles.

You could always put the original chain & cassette back on afterwards to get full wear from them.
harpo
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Re: Chain wear

Post by harpo »

your chain is steel, and at least the smaller sprockets will usually be steel too. Your chainrings and the larger sprockets are likely to be alloy. If you allow the chain to wear too much before replacing it you will wear your chainrings and casssette also, meaning expensive drivetrain replacement. It is usually recommended to replace a chain at 0.75% wear (i.e. the pitch has increased by .75%) when run on alloy chainrings and sprockets, and by 1.00% if your chainrings and sprockets are steel. This means you will get much longer life from the rest of your drivetrain. Some people run three chains, swapping every 500 miles and cleaning the transmission thoroughly at each switchover.

Keep your chain clean: I prefer to remove it from the bike and immerse it in degreaser, before rinsing, drying, soaked in GT85, excess wiped off, then a final application of a good wax dry lube. Too much oil, or wet lube attracts dirt and forms a grinding paste which will eat your transmission for breakfast, derailleur jockey wheels included.
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philg
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Re: Chain wear

Post by philg »

[XAP]Bob wrote:Cheaper to replace the chain before the cassette is worn.

Absolutely agree

This has saved me many cassettes and probably chainrings as well.

Replace the chain when at .75 and your drivetrain will last many chains.
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Ayesha
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Re: Chain wear

Post by Ayesha »

Pull the chain tight and put a 12" rule up to it. If ten whole links measures 10.1", its time to replace it.

Why pay nine quid for some fiddly piece of aparatus when a 12" steel rule is in Poundland?

You should have a tape measure in the house anyway, so it costs nowt. ???
Koi
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Joined: 17 Sep 2010, 12:41am

Re: Chain wear

Post by Koi »

philg wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:Cheaper to replace the chain before the cassette is worn.

Absolutely agree

This has saved me many cassettes and probably chainrings as well.

Replace the chain when at .75 and your drivetrain will last many chains.


That's similar to the one I have.
I'm always of the opinion, especially with something as relatively low cost as a chain measuring tool, you only need to buy it once & as long as you don't lose it or abuse it, it will last forever. If your forever is, lets say 30 years for arguments sake, it works out at pence per year.

Thanks for the replies guys, as I mentioned in my original post the new chain, from Wiggle, has been ordered so I will fit it next week when it arrives.
Ayesha
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Re: Chain wear

Post by Ayesha »

For measuring chain wear, you need a Father-in-Law who gives you a 5m tape measure for Christmas.

The tape measure comes in handy to check ( with the aid of Mrs ) your Standing height, Sitting height, Torso height, Hip height, Arm length, Lower leg length, Thigh length and Shoulder width. And then ultimately, the distance between BB centre and saddle top surface, and the saddle centre to handlebar centre reach.

These are measurements you can't take with a chain wear tool,,,, :wink:
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brother nathaneil
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Re: Chain wear

Post by brother nathaneil »

Ayesha wrote:Why pay nine quid for some fiddly piece of aparatus when a 12" steel rule is in Poundland?

How much? :)
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niggle
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Re: Chain wear

Post by niggle »

I don't trust the fancy chain wear indicator tools as they are affected by the degree of free play of the rollers, and can therefore over read for wear. The steel ruler method is completely reliable IME, change the chain when it has 1/16" stretch over 12" and the sprockets should be OK.
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georgew
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Re: Chain wear

Post by georgew »

niggle wrote:I don't trust the fancy chain wear indicator tools as they are affected by the degree of free play of the rollers, and can therefore over read for wear. The steel ruler method is completely reliable IME, change the chain when it has 1/16" stretch over 12" and the sprockets should be OK.


The tool is to be used while the chain is under tension. I think that this meets your objection.
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