Chain/cassette advice sought

Weird thing happened to me the other week - I decided to get back on my 1996 Claud Butler MTB after
4 months of cold weather aviodance (and laziness) and after the third night was biking away thikning
about chains breaking and if that was very common these days when 8 - 12 seconds (literally) my
chain broke. Walk back home then

My 21 speed bike has Shimano components with IG stamped all over it, so I buy a replacment chain
from Halfords (not Shimano one but says it's compatible). Give bike a much needed clean and put the
chain on. Now the chain slips under any serious pedaling.

After a little research this seems to be commonly due to the rear cogs wearing with the chain (this
is after 6 years and 4000 miles) and now the chain is replaced the worn cogs need replacing too.
Doesn't seem to be a stiff link although I'm not absolutely certain of that - I just can't see
anything wrong when I back pedal looking closely at the rear.

So now I'm looking at replacing the cassette. After checking the exact type (I'll check this
weekend) I plan to buy a replacement for it off the web. I'm considering buying the chain whip and
locking nut so I can have a go at replacing this myself without resorting to the LBS - but I'm not
sure how financially viable this is (if it's more than twice the cost of the LBS then maybe not
worth it).

Any recommended online UK component retailers I should look at? Has a look on some on yahoo but no
clear winner to me.

Is now a good time to think about replacing the Shimano IG stuff altogether? Presumably that would
mean both derailleurs, chianset, shifters etc - mines all Shimano Alivio stuff.

I suppose I just want a bit of reassuring proding before I spend my hard-earned when I'm a newbie
who doesn't really know what he's doing

Any help appreciated.

Tom

 

www.chainreactioncycles.co.uk If you sure there no stiff link, then a rear cassette will be the
answer I'm afraid, but thet are very cheap. "bulter9090" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Weird thing happened to me the other week - I decided to get back on my
1996
> Claud Butler MTB after 4 months of cold weather aviodance (and laziness)
and
> after the third night was biking away thikning about chains breaking and
if
> that was very common these days when 8 - 12 seconds (literally) my chain broke. Walk back
> home then
>
> My 21 speed bike has Shimano components with IG stamped all over it, so I buy a replacment chain
> from Halfords (not Shimano one but says it's compatible). Give bike a much needed clean and put
> the chain on. Now the chain slips under any serious pedaling.
>
> After a little research this seems to be commonly due to the rear cogs wearing with the chain
> (this is after 6 years and 4000 miles) and now the chain is replaced the worn cogs need replacing
> too. Doesn't seem to be a stiff link although I'm not absolutely certain of that - I just can't
> see anything wrong when I back pedal looking closely at the rear.
>
> So now I'm looking at replacing the cassette. After checking the exact
type
> (I'll check this weekend) I plan to buy a replacement for it off the web. I'm considering buying
> the chain whip and locking nut so I can have a go
at
> replacing this myself without resorting to the LBS - but I'm not sure how financially viable this
> is (if it's more than twice the cost of the LBS
then
> maybe not worth it).
>
> Any recommended online UK component retailers I should look at? Has a
look
> on some on yahoo but no clear winner to me.
>
> Is now a good time to think about replacing the Shimano IG stuff
altogether?
> Presumably that would mean both derailleurs, chianset, shifters etc -
mines
> all Shimano Alivio stuff.
>
> I suppose I just want a bit of reassuring proding before I spend my hard-earned when I'm a newbie
> who doesn't really know what he's doing
>
> Any help appreciated.
>
> Tom

 

"bulter9090" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
> Any recommended online UK component retailers I should look at? Has a look on some on yahoo but no
> clear winner to me.
>
> Is now a good time to think about replacing the Shimano IG stuff altogether? Presumably that would
> mean both derailleurs, chianset, shifters etc - mines all Shimano Alivio stuff.
>

Settle Cycles (www.settlecycles.co.uk) seem to be good for Shimano-compatible bits; no P&P but any
orders placed have to be for at least ten quid's worth of stuff.

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York