Assuming you replace your chain at the correct intervals, how long will a DA cassette last? What are the signs that you are ready for something new? Thanks.
Well I don’t beleive all the hype. I was told to replace all together every X thousand miles. I’ve got close to 10k on my cassette and 2 chains that were supposed to be replace every 2k. I know it’s time to replace the chain when it skips on hard acceleration. If I replace the chain and then it skips in different cogs, either the cogs go, or the whole works goes.
My rule of thumb is (from a former pro mechanic) replace the chain every 1,500 miles and the cogs and chainrings will last for years. I can’t even remember having to ever replace a cog set or chainring because of chain skip or the like, and I’ve been racing for 14 years.
marko16 and rocketman,
Quit being so penny wise and dollar foolish. Get a Park chain checker/gauge. The professional one, about $23-$24. Replace your chain when it indicates the chain should be replaced. This will permit you to use your chain for all the miles it is capable of pulling you without unnecessarily wearing your cassettes or chainrings or unnecessarily replacing the chain prematurely. These costs will more than pay for the Park chain checker in less than a season or two.
How much does a cassette cost? How much do chainrings cost? How much does a chain cost? Do you buy the least expensive chain so you aren’t replacing a $40-$60 chain every 1,500 miles?
All kinds of factors enter into how fast or slow a chain wears. How strong is the rider? How flat or elevated is the terrain ridden? How dusty/dirty are the road conditions and is any time spent on dirt roads getting to paved roads? How well is the drivetrain maintained? What is the quality of the chain construction? Who is the chain manufacturer? What material is the chain made of? On and on and on.
Going by the every 1,500 mile rule, one could be replacing the chain twice or three times as often as one needs without any benefit except to the bike store and the chain manufacturer. Then, too, there will be times when at 1,500 miles considerable wear to you casssettes and chainrings has occurred because the chain should have been replaced far earlier.
Time to advance yourselves up the learning curve.
I didn’t mean for this to sound so condescending, but it probably does. My apologies.
I was wondering the same thing. The 23 tooth cog of mine has developed some discoloration (looks like rust but can’t be as it is Ti) and my LBS stated that I shouldn’t worry since I’ll be needing to replace it within a year anyway! How’s that for customer service! Obviously it varies to how many miles one puts on within the year but I would have thought DA would last longer than that.
Hell, I dont even clean my chains…screw that. I put on Campy chains…when they get dirty and it bothers me, I put on a new one. If you clean it with de-greaser when you get it, then wax it…you never touch it again. It is not worth the mess to me to clean a $25.00 chain when I can just replace it. And the cog wear is never an issue as I swap chains about every 2 months.
If you get one of these to clean:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38347
And use some nitrile gloves, there is virtually no mess. I don’t even need to wash my hands afterwards. It takes me about 5 minutes to remove the chain, put it in the washer and put the chain back on the bike. Everytime I wash the chain it looks brand new.
It’s amazing how shiny I can keep my drivetrain and my parts seem to last forever.
I’m with you, though my method is somewhat different. I’m a clean bike freak and gearhead. I remove the chain weekly and clean it. I remove the cassette(s) about once per month and do same.
A Masterlink (SRAM) on a HG chain allows for quick removal and replacement, and I put everything in the sink, spray it with “GUNK Engine Bright”. Wait a few minutes, run a scrub brush over everything and rinse with water. Let dry and put back on bike, lube up with White Lightning and its good as brand new.
You should really use a tank to clean. That gunk spray wonte remove the stuff inside the links as well as having a constant stream of solvents flushing through. Also, it probably isn’t too environmentally sound to be spraying gunk down the drain. As a side benefit, using a tank will be cheaper in the long run.
Stevie-
Replys so far are more about chains than cassettes. I had a Trek with somewhere around a zillion, maybe 1.2 zillion miles on it. When I sold it, the Ultegra cassette could have been boxed and sold as new. Everytime I cleaned the bike, which was not obsessive by any stretch, I was amazed by the lack of wear on the cassette. The answer is perform a visual inspection on the cassette, if it looks good, leave it alone. You can see wear on cassettes and rings. Replace chains every couple of thousand miles.
I like the tank idea, but I have a couple of questions for you:
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what solvent are you using in it? I think you had mentioned in a previous post that you’re using turpentine?
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how often do you replace the solvent, and how do you dispose of the old solvent?
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does the tank have any sort of solvent filter, or does it cycle dirty solvent after a while?
Thanks.
I use mineral spirits, it’s the same stuff that is used in commercial solvent tanks minus a very tiny amount of detergent. You can find it at any hardware or paint store. I’ve been using the same solvent for the last 5 years, so I’m not sure how long it will last. Some did evaporate but I just poured more in.
The solvent recycles in the tank but most of the sediment settles to the bottom. You can pour the tank out and clean the bottom to remove excess sediment every couple of years.
Most landfills have harzardous waste disposal areas where you can drop off used solvent. Since the stuff is used by painters, it’s pretty common.
Just so you all know…
I think…I am not 100% sure but I am damn near positive that every WalMart has HazMat removal. I know that I take quarts of oil there and 24 hours a day can get to the tanks that are behind the store labeled “Oil”, “Paint”, “Thinners” and on and on - safe way to get rid of things properly.
Or you can just use a ruler. When 12 links measure 12.125" or greater, it is time to replace the chain. I go by this method and I have yet to replace a road cassette due to wear.
MTB cassettes are a different story.