.
works out as about every 2000miles or when the shifting is slightly sloppy.
Mileage is a useless indicator of chain wear, as it depends on your weight, how you ride (spin vs grind), whether you do any sprinting, whether you do any hill climbing and how clean you keep your chain. Do what R10C suggests and use a chain checker, and replace the chain when it reaches the 0.75 marker.
sorry to hijack but very related question.
so on todays workout my chain started to squeak when on power as if i am climbing mont ventoux. iut hapens only on higher gears nevertheless very annoying.
checked the chain wear and its still ok - should i change the chain anyway?
sorry to hijack but very related question.
so on todays workout my chain started to squeak when on power as if i am climbing mont ventoux. iut hapens only on higher gears nevertheless very annoying.
checked the chain wear and its still ok - should i change the chain anyway?
is the chain lubed?
do the teeth on the cogs in question appear worn?
Much, much, much less than some people around here.
I clean my chains after every ride (well, OK I do miss a few). And I lube them once a week.
My guess, in milage, is about every 8,000 to 10,000 miles.
I would consider a chain with 2K on it just broken in. There is just no way I would even think that a chain could not go a full year, if not a year and a half with consistant care.
Just checked.
I have 5116 miles on an Ultegra chain and a 105 chain with around 8000 miles on it, (can’t remember if it was July or August of 2008 that I changed it).
…its a relatively new casette - maybe it has 1000 km on on it not more
chain is properly lubed …
I’m with you on this one, which will horrify many around here who replace their chain after each ride. I replace mine every ~10,000 miles whether it needs it or not. Never noticed an iota of degradation of shifting. One caveat is that I always use the same cassette. If I was trying to use multiple cassettes with the same chain, I could see how replacing your chain more frequently would be necessary.
I replace the chain/cassette together. I’m pretty sure if you put a brand new cassette/chain on, took it for one ride to get it a little dirty, then brought it in to the shop, half of the shops out there would tell you “You need a new chain/cassette…that’ll be $200.”
If you change them at a higher interval you will be able to get many more miles out of your cassette.
Chains can be had pretty cheaply ($30 for a 105) but cassettes are pricey.
Because they wear at a similar rate, you shouldn’t notice any degradation in shifting performance unless you put a new chain on a very worn cassette.
You’ll also be able to get a lot more out of your chainrings by changing your chain more often.
Just because it works doesn’t mean it’s right.
sorry to hijack but very related question.
so on todays workout my chain started to squeak when on power as if i am climbing mont ventoux. iut hapens only on higher gears nevertheless very annoying.
checked the chain wear and its still ok - should i change the chain anyway?
A bottom bracket that needs tightening perhaps?
I put between 10-12,000 k on my bike a year and replace the chain once a year.
I ride on Dura Ace chains. My chains reach replacement interval at about 2500mi, measured by chain checker. It happens like clockwork. I clean the chain after every ride, lube every 200-300mi. My drivetrain is immaculate always. I am a spinner, no real hills to speak of where I ride and mostly ride in big chainring. I go through about 4 chains before I replace the cassette, again per tech’s inspection of wear. Last cassette changed after new chain started skipping cogs.
I put 1600-1800 mi on a new chain in its first rotation (I rotate when they start to squeak) and it’s not even worn according to the only chain wear measuring tool (other than a ruler) that works, the one made by Shimano. My estimate is 8-10,000 miles as well.
I’ve waited until a linked popped off in a race (2x), and once when the chain actually snapped when I had to stand on big gear on a suprise steep grade. That really, really hurt (opposite knee driven into my aerobar…). I’ve finally learned my lesson and change the chains out based on the wear guage…plus a few.
Chains that break are most likely due to improper assembly, not wear. You probably weren’t using chain wear gauge tha measures wear accurately anyway. A chain that’s “worn” according to most gauge has as little as 0-1000 mi of use and is no more likely to break than a chain that’s truly worn at 6-10,000 mi.