Cycling UK Forum

mig wrote:don't however try to run a 3/32nds chain if your freewheel sprocket says 1/8th - just checking that you know that - as it won't work.

I didn't know,thanks for pointing that out to me .
l also meant to ask about chain wheel thickness . . does this have any bearing at all ?

Drake wrote: ...l also meant to ask about chain wheel thickness . . does this have any bearing at all ?

not really (although you can't run 3/32" on chainrings meant for 1/8" chain); you are always better off running 1/8" chain on a SS.

cheers

mig wrote:don't however try to run a 3/32nds chain if your freewheel sprocket says 1/8th - just checking that you know that - as it won't work.

But there's always an exception - my Forge 1/8th sprockets work with a 3/32nd chain. I find that 1/8th is a bit by 2x4 - it is sometimes a name rather than a measurement

which leads me onto another question - I, no doubt like many on here, have always assumed that a big chunky 1/8th chain is stronger than an ickle weedy 3/32 (7spd) chain. But reading something by Brant I see he thinks its the other way round, suggesting that because 3/32 have to stand up to all the shifting up and down the sprockets, unlike a track 1/18th, they are actually stronger (or longer lasting which isn't always the same thing). Chains normally fail at the pivots and it's here where he said the 3/32 is better. Opinions?

i'm wondering if 3/32nds chain is more resistant to sideways movement/strain than 1/8th ? wouldn't matter running a single speed if the chain line was good.

well not all 1/8" chain is the same. You can get bushingless or bushed 1/8" chain.

Bushingless typically (KMC, SRAM) uses the same sideplates as 7/8s derailleur chain. So why not just use that, then? Well the 1/8" chain runs smoother, and of course you can use the harder wearing 1/8" sprockets. On a good chainline this chain hardly touches the cogs, and it is flexible enough to run a poor chainline. The KMC quicklink is strong, and easy to use. This chain is easy to lube; lube applied to the rollers penetrates into the half-bushings easily, and without carrying too much dirt in there with it. This chain (e.g. KMC) is also dirt cheap; £2.30 Sir?

Bushed 1/8" chain is longer wearing than bushingless 1/8" or any 3/32" chain. However, it is also more difficult to get the lube into the bushings where it is needed. I prefer this chain inside a chaincase; it can be lathered in lube without picking up dirt, and will typically last a decade or more if simply re-lubed a couple of times a year. It is slightly more expensive (e.g. KMC S1) than bushingless chain, but still cheaper than any 3/32" chain. You can buy a KMC S1 chain for between £2.80 and about a fiver.

cheers

I prefer running a 1/8" chain on fixed and singlespeed bikes.It looks "right" to start with and I think, is probably more amenable to a less than than perfect chainline. Though after putting a few bikes together now, I have learnt the art (and necessity if building a fixed'), of that.

I have ridden my fixed gear more than my other bikes http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/7385 ... 6626_c.jpg

WrightsW5 wrote:I have ridden my fixed gear more than my other bikes http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/7385 ... 6626_c.jpg

I like that ! What make is it ?

Thanks,
It's a Ragazzi, got it 9yrs ago, it was originally 5 speed hub gears. From Hawk Cycles, they have these now http://www.hawkcycles.co.uk/AMMACO-AMER ... ct-16.html , don't know what dropouts they have,( if they can be converted to fixed).

WrightsW5 wrote:Thanks,
It's a Ragazzi, got it 9yrs ago, it was originally 5 speed hub gears. From Hawk Cycles, they have these now http://www.hawkcycles.co.uk/AMMACO-AMER ... ct-16.html , don't know what dropouts they have,( if they can be converted to fixed).

Hawk Cycles ! Funnily enough the mtb i'm using has one of their labels on it . It's manufactured by LA Cycles and is called a "Bulky" . . somewhat of a strange name methinks . I would think that top end mtb affcionados would consider it a BSO,but it rides well and gets me around .
Nice bike yours . I've always like American bikes . . they always seem unigue to me .

WrightsW5 wrote:It's a Ragazzi, got it 9yrs ago, it was originally 5 speed hub gears.

OT I know, but out of interest what happened to the 5-speed hub? What kind was it?

cheers

Drake, if you like it that's all that matters Schwinn brought out this type of frame in 1933, they still make them.
Brucey, it was a Sachs Pentasport http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2302/2494 ... z.jpg?zz=1 and was great until the bearings went and the axle snapped! (After 1000s of miles).

is axle failure common on these hubs? Or could it have been associated with the bearing failure?

If the balls start (say) running over pieces of broken cage, I would imagine that this could put the axle under stresses it wouldn't normally see, and prehaps hasten its demise.

By any chance do you recall where the axle broke?

cheers

I can't remember where it snapped, it was a few years ago. I think it may have been to do with the coaster brake?????


Don't know if it happens to these other than mine.

Si wrote: But reading something by Brant I see he thinks its the other way round, suggesting that because 3/32 have to stand up to all the shifting up and down the sprockets, unlike a track 1/18th, they are actually stronger (or longer lasting which isn't always the same thing). Chains normally fail at the pivots and it's here where he said the 3/32 is better. Opinions?

Hi,
Thats funny I always thought that chains failed where they are joined / linked etc,
If you were to compare a 1/8" to a 3 / 32 " chain with same pitch, same manufacture, same material, same side plates and sprockets are same number etc. Assuming same power transmitted,. What would you say
Possible that a 3/ 32 " chain is made tougher and or better material / process.
But a 3 / 32 " chain ( derralier type )is designed to run out of line and bridge several sprockets at once in a small segment of rear block.
Even if you compare a good 1/ 8 " chain to a good derralier chain what would be the answer
On a quick gander at the chains I have, one speed through to eight speed all of them seem to have a pretty standard 1 mm plate thickness, varies from 0.95 mm to 1.15 mm , different manufactures of course