Changing Chains

Jawgap

How often should the chain on my bike be changed?

bbosco

Jawgap wrote: »

How often should the chain on my bike be changed?

Measure the distance between the links and check against the stretch limits provided by the manufacturer. You can get a special tool to measure but a decent measuring tape or ruler will also give you a good indication.

seamus

http://bicycletutor.com/chain-wear/

Jawgap

Sorry, I phrased the initial question badly!

How long should I expect to get from a chain? My last chain ran for close on 4,500km before there was a detectable "stretch" - the one I replaced it with has barely lasted half that distance.

The most recent chain was a SRAM, which replaced a Shimano one. Are SRAM's known for their lack of durability?

mtbireland

depends which model of chain it is...also depends on your style of riding..what sort of gears you ride in... loads of different things... one thing to remember though... the more often you change your chain the less often you will need to change the chain rings and cassette... because a chain wears so does your cassette and chain rings... You've done 7.5k on the rest of the drive train now so they must be worn..when you put a new chain on now there is a good chance it will jump on you because the other bits are worn and you will have to change the drive train...

Basically what I'm trying to say is change the chain often...it's a bit like the oil in your car... I'm sure the car will run longer without changing the oil but in terms of the life of the car it's not a good idea...

greenmat

My own bike has Tiagra 9 speed and I've noticed in the last 2 weeks when I'm in the small ring on the compact the chain slips very easily on the cassette. The bike is 3 months short of 2 years old with about 1400/1500 km. Will I get away with just changing the chain or should I change cassette?

Another question if I could, were exactly should I grease on a bike, wheels, hubs etc as opposed to oiling.

cdaly_

If the worn chain is slipping then the cassette is too worn also. Cassette and chain tend to wear in together so a well stretched chain will still work ok with its cassette. Put a new chain on that worn cassette and it'll slip immediately.

Lumen

greenmat wrote: »

My own bike has Tiagra 9 speed and I've noticed in the last 2 weeks when I'm in the small ring on the compact the chain slips very easily on the cassette. The bike is 3 months short of 2 years old with about 1400/1500 km. Will I get away with just changing the chain or should I change cassette?

You only need to change the chain if it is stretched. 1500km is nothing. Some people will do that distance every month. Are you sure it's not a cable stretch issue?

You only need to change the cassette if it is worn, i.e. if it slips on the new chain when everything is perfectly adjusted.

doozerie

Here are the results of a test of a number of 10 speed chains by Wippermann in 2010. Their own chains came out on top for durability - even if you choose to be sceptical about their rating of their own chains it may be of interest because they also rank chains from a number of other manufacturers. I've not seen a comparable test by any other manufacturer to either confirm or challenge the results of this test, unfortunately. Also, being a test only of 10-speed chains makes the results of limited interest to 9- or 11- speed people.

More Wippermann testing info here.

greenmat

Sorry wrong distances on post, should read 14,000km on bike.

insinkerator

Lumen wrote: »

You only need to change the chain if it is stretched. 1500km is nothing. Some people will do that distance every month. Are you sure it's not a cable stretch issue?

You only need to change the cassette if it is worn, i.e. if it slips on the new chain when everything is perfectly adjusted.

I went to a bike maintenance thing organised by cork bicycle services, and he was telling us, that we would need to change our chains ever 2,500 - 3,000 km? Cheaper chains and often was his advice?

greenmat

So, I'll change the chain, see if it's still slipping, if not new cassette needed. Have chain break tool, is it handy to replace chain myself or should I leave it in and get it done while bike is being serviced?

greenmat

Just measured chain, well over 1/8" stretch in 12 inches. New Chain and cassette needed. Looked at Seamus's post on http://bicycletutor.com/chain-wear/

Thanks for all the advice.

coastwatch

greenmat wrote: »

..is it handy to replace chain myself or should I leave it in and get it done while bike is being serviced?

It's quite easy to replace the chain and loads of "how to" videos online if you do a search. I think it's one step up from "repairing your own punctures" and it's good to have a go "in the comfort of home", you never know when you might have to repair a broken chain out on a spin, a long way from help.

With 14000km on the drivetrain, you might well have to change the small chainring as well, but try a new chain first. Good advice from iniskerator, replacing the chain more often saves the hassle and expense of having to replace cassettes and chainrings.

cdaly_

coastwatch wrote: »

With 14000km on the drivetrain, you might well have to change the small chainring as well, but try a new chain first. Good advice from iniskerator, replacing the chain more often saves the hassle and expense of having to replace cassettes and chainrings.

I'm still running my original chainrings with something like 30,000km and about 6 or 7 chains at this stage.

Changing the chain is definitely DIY as is changing the cassette. You need a chain breaker for the chain and a chain whip and cassette lock-ring tool for the cassette. Whip and tool should cost no more than a cassette.

Mind you, if you're buying a cassette in an LBS, they should swap it over foc...

Zorba

Measuring Chain Wear
The standard way to measure chain wear is with a ruler or steel tape measure. This can be done without removing the chain from the bicycle. The normal technique is to measure a one-foot length, placing an inch mark of the ruler at the side of one rivet, then looking at the corresponding rivet 12 complete links away. On a new, unworn chain, this rivet will also line up exactly with an inch mark. With a worn chain, the rivet will be past the inch mark. [For accurate measurement, the chain should be held under some tension -- either on the bicycle, or hanging vertically. -- John Allen]

This gives a direct measurement of the wear to the chain, and an indirect measurement of the wear to the sprockets. In English measurement:

If the rivet is less than 1/16" past the mark, all is well.
If the rivet is 1/16" past the mark, you should replace the chain, but the sprockets are probably undamaged.
If the rivet is 1/8" past the mark, you have left it too long, and the sprockets (at least the favorite ones) will be too badly worn. If you replace a chain at the 1/8" point, without replacing the sprockets, it may run OK and not skip, but the worn sprockets will cause the new chain to wear much faster than it should, until it catches up with the wear state of the sprockets.
If the rivet is past the 1/8" mark, a new chain will almost certainly skip on the worn sprockets, especially the smaller ones.

In metric measurement, 10 links of a new chain are 25.4 cm, or 15 links, 38.1 cm.

If the rivet is up to 25.5 cm or halfway between 38.2 cm and 38.3 cm, all is well.
If the rivet is a little bit past 25.5 cm, or approaching 38.3 cm, you should replace the chain, but the sprockets are probably undamaged.
If the rivet is approaching 25.7 cm or 38.5 cm, you have left it too long, and the sprockets (at least the favorite ones) will be too badly worn. If you replace a chain at this point, without replacing the sprockets, it may run OK and not skip, but the worn sprockets will cause the new chain to wear much faster than it should, until it catches up with the wear state of the sprockets.
More than that, and a new chain will almost certainly skip on the worn sprockets, especially the smaller ones.

coastwatch

cdaly_ wrote: »

I'm still running my original chainrings with something like 30,000km and about 6 or 7 chains at this stage.

You're getting good value out of the chainrings and I think that proves the point that replacing the chain regularly (when worn to the 1% limit) helps prolong the life of the chainrings and cassettes. Greenmat has 14000 km with the same chain. He also mentions slipping in the small ring, which is usually when more load is applied.

I had a similar experience with a bike with similar milage a few years ago. I'd never changed the chain since new and ended up having to replace chain, casette and middle ring. I've since bought the park chain wear indicator tool and replace the chain after about 3000km (10 speed)