On course last week and one guy was a good cyclist got talking about the usual stuff, watts, training etc. He talks about time savings from things, kit, changing chains. I said I change my chain once per year before IM.
He looked at me like I was a heretic, how often do you change
I replace my training and racing chains once a year
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When the chain stretch gauge tells me I should, or replacing a really old cassette then I replace the chain at the same time. Replacement has more to do with mileage induced wear, then it does with age. Edit: OTOH riding moderately (100 miles a week) will get you to 5000 miles in a year and that’s on the high end for chain life. So it winds up being about a year if you ride regularly.
On the bike, basically never.
On the trainer, like every 6 months, or sooner if I check probably.
When my gauge tells me. I tend to get more life out of my chains, but I also take great care of them. I always have a cleaned and waxed chain. My guess is a training chain I replace every 6,000 miles.
Before every important race
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I do a lot of hills and put a lot of strain on the chain. I’ve noticed mine wear out at about 1200-1500 miles. I’m putting in about 8 hours of riding a week.
I replace when the chain checker says to. Usually about every 2000 miles. A lot depends on the conditions your ride in and how much care you put into your chain.
I’m a lightweight and live on the flats. My chains can last 3 or more years before they’re worn. Chain wear is a function of mileage, rider weight, terrain and riding style. It’s really not possible to specify a certain mileage or time that a chain lasts.
Best thing is to measure it for “stretch” and replace before it gets too worn. You can replace chains many times without the need to replace the cassette if you replace the chain when needed. I have cassettes that are 8 years old and have been through 3-4 chains on the same cassette in that time.
https://cyclingtips.com/2016/09/how-to-check-for-chain-wear-2/
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/when-to-replace-a-chain-on-a-bicycle
Every May.
I put a new chain on in May, race the summer on it, then use it all fall/winter on the indoor trainer, cause who cares about a worn chain on the indoor trainer. May rolls around, new chain…
Every 6-10k miles, but I change the cassette too. I figure $$$ wise, it’s cheaper to do both at the same time and let them both wear. When I was more diligent about putting a new chain on, I’d hate the skipping due to a slightly worn cog. Now, cheaper maintenance and no skipping chains!
With my TT bike, it’s every other year. But I average about 1200 miles a year on that bike.
With my road bikes it’s more mileage driven. I use a chain checker, but over the years I’ve learned that 3000-3500 miles is what I get out of SRAM/Shimano chains. For Campy, it’s 3500-4000 miles.
And as a previous poster mentioned, when I replace an old cassette, I also replace the chain. For me, a cassette usually lasts twice as long as a chain.
hth
Same here! Before a major race or every 6-8 months otherwise. It’s free power for very little cost. I clean the cassets regularly so I don’t replace those as often.
Campy chains, every 5000 miles. They dont seem to stretch at all.
About every 250-300 miles.
Every 6-10k miles, but I change the cassette too. I figure $$$ wise, it’s cheaper to do both at the same time and let them both wear. When I was more diligent about putting a new chain on, I’d hate the skipping due to a slightly worn cog. Now, cheaper maintenance and no skipping chains!
Huh, you find the chain and cassette wear evenly and perform well for 6-10K miles? This seems like a very unconventional approuch, but maybe most of us are doing it wrong?
Either you don’t ride much, are changing your chain every 2 weeks, or messed up the decimal in your figure.
I race around 8 times a month and change when the wax is gone (dipped chain).
I presume if the question was “How often do you replace/throw out a chain” the answer may be very different?!!
On course last week and one guy was a good cyclist got talking about the usual stuff, watts, training etc. He talks about time savings from things, kit, changing chains. I said I change my chain once per year before IM.
He looked at me like I was a heretic, how often do you change
anyone who tells you a certain time of year or once a year is giving you bad advice. the good advice is to get a chain checker and go by that.
there is a vast difference with four main drivers of chain endurance:
if you have a cheap chain that yoy don’t care for, ride hills and are 250lbs, you’re chain might last 20% as long as if you buy a good chain, care for it first and foremost as those things are in your control.
i use a SRAM chain now, which has low endurance, but i get 4k miles on it even though i am quick to change out based on stretch. i get many miles because i keep my drivetrain vey clean and i only weigh 160lbs. i do a lot of hill riding but despite this, the maintenance is what really allows my chain to last.
if your buddy is condescending about your frequency about changing a chain, just ask him how often he lubes his chain and whst his chain checker is ast when he changes his chain. if he can’t give good answers to those two easy questions, he doesn’t know as much about chains as he thinks he does.