Chain mileage, how far is too far?

[Earl Bollinger]

I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down. The
dry Texas roads seem to have a lot of abrasive grit on them, not counting
the rain storms and such too.
So I decided to try a really good chain, mainly because it was coming up on
winter and there might be a lot of rain and wet conditions on my commutes,
so i had bought and installed a Wipperman 9sp stainless steel chain, along
with a good Shimano rear cassette too.
Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point on
my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as having
ridden a shade under 2,000 miles on this chain on my commuter bike. The rear
cassette seems to look really good still too, almost like new still.
So now I am torn between still running the chain more or putting on a new
chain, even if it is a just in case thing.
What do you all think?

 

[Lou Holtman]

Earl Bollinger wrote:
> I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
> maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
> they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down. The
> dry Texas roads seem to have a lot of abrasive grit on them, not counting
> the rain storms and such too.
> So I decided to try a really good chain, mainly because it was coming up on
> winter and there might be a lot of rain and wet conditions on my commutes,
> so i had bought and installed a Wipperman 9sp stainless steel chain, along
> with a good Shimano rear cassette too.
> Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point on
> my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as having
> ridden a shade under 2,000 miles on this chain on my commuter bike. The rear
> cassette seems to look really good still too, almost like new still.
> So now I am torn between still running the chain more or putting on a new
> chain, even if it is a just in case thing.
> What do you all think?
>
>
>


Put a new chain on. A Sram PC 59 will do. A Wippermann stainless steel
chain is a waste of money unless you have a very good deal.

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

 

[Earl Bollinger]

"Lou Holtman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Earl Bollinger wrote:
>> I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
>> maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles,
>> before they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn
>> down. The dry Texas roads seem to have a lot of abrasive grit on them,
>> not counting the rain storms and such too.
>> So I decided to try a really good chain, mainly because it was coming up
>> on winter and there might be a lot of rain and wet conditions on my
>> commutes, so i had bought and installed a Wipperman 9sp stainless steel
>> chain, along with a good Shimano rear cassette too.
>> Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point
>> on my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as
>> having ridden a shade under 2,000 miles on this chain on my commuter
>> bike. The rear cassette seems to look really good still too, almost like
>> new still.
>> So now I am torn between still running the chain more or putting on a new
>> chain, even if it is a just in case thing.
>> What do you all think?
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> Put a new chain on. A Sram PC 59 will do. A Wippermann stainless steel
> chain is a waste of money unless you have a very good deal.
>
> Lou
> --
> Posted by news://news.nb.nu

Yes the Wipperman chain was a really good deal a while ago, not anymore
though.
I guess I should have bought more than one of them at that time.
They are very pricey at this time even if they do work beautifully.
Yes I just so happen to have a new SRAM chain waiting to be used too.
Thanks

 

[res09c5t]

Hi,
You're doing the right thing by checking the chain wear to determine when to
change the chain. There are so many variables relating to riding conditions
(wet, dry, dusty, gritty) etc. that affect wear that it is hard to predict
what mileage you "should" expect.

If you change the chain in time, before the wear becomes too severe, your
cassette should be fine. I wouldn't change the cassette until it starts
skipping when you put on a new chain.

From what I read and hear (no empirical evidence to back this up), the
quality of chain isn't a big factor in lifespan. The extra money buys a
nicer finish and maybe more rust resistance, but these generally shouldn't
affect lifespan unless you are under severe rust conditions.
Lyle


"Earl Bollinger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
>maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
>they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down. The
>dry Texas roads seem to have a lot of abrasive grit on them, not counting
>the rain storms and such too.
> So I decided to try a really good chain, mainly because it was coming up
> on winter and there might be a lot of rain and wet conditions on my
> commutes, so i had bought and installed a Wipperman 9sp stainless steel
> chain, along with a good Shimano rear cassette too.
> Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point
> on my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as
> having ridden a shade under 2,000 miles on this chain on my commuter bike.
> The rear cassette seems to look really good still too, almost like new
> still.
> So now I am torn between still running the chain more or putting on a new
> chain, even if it is a just in case thing.
> What do you all think?
>
>
>

 

[Phil Lee, Squid]

Earl Bollinger wrote:
> "Lou Holtman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Earl Bollinger wrote:
>>> I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I
>>> would get maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a
>>> thousand miles, before they stretched too much or the rear cassette
>>> was noticeably worn down. The dry Texas roads seem to have a lot of
>>> abrasive grit on them, not counting the rain storms and such too.
>>> So I decided to try a really good chain, mainly because it was
>>> coming up on winter and there might be a lot of rain and wet
>>> conditions on my commutes, so i had bought and installed a
>>> Wipperman 9sp stainless steel chain, along with a good Shimano rear
>>> cassette too. Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the
>>> .75% wear
>>> point on my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I
>>> show me as having ridden a shade under 2,000 miles on this chain on
>>> my commuter bike. The rear cassette seems to look really good still
>>> too, almost like new still.
>>> So now I am torn between still running the chain more or putting on
>>> a new chain, even if it is a just in case thing.
>>> What do you all think?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Put a new chain on. A Sram PC 59 will do. A Wippermann stainless
>> steel chain is a waste of money unless you have a very good deal.
>>
>> Lou
>> --
>> Posted by news://news.nb.nu
>
> Yes the Wipperman chain was a really good deal a while ago, not
> anymore though.
> I guess I should have bought more than one of them at that time.
> They are very pricey at this time even if they do work beautifully.
> Yes I just so happen to have a new SRAM chain waiting to be used too.
> Thanks

Consider Wipperman ConneX 908 nickel-plated chains which are about half the
price of the stainless ones. The stainless chain only has stainless
plates... essentially useless.
--
Phil Lee, Squid

 

[Callistus Valerius]

> I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
> maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
> they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down.


I get 4000 miles on my 9sp SRAM chains, and 8000 miles on my Nashbar
cassettes. 2 chains per cassette.

 

[Werehatrack]

On Sun, 9 Jul 2006 10:06:36 -0500, "Earl Bollinger"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point on
>my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as having
>ridden a shade under 2,000 miles on this chain on my commuter bike. The rear
>cassette seems to look really good still too, almost like new still.
>So now I am torn between still running the chain more or putting on a new
>chain, even if it is a just in case thing.
>What do you all think?

Run the chain a couple more weeks while you get a replacement, then
swap it out and keep going on the same cassette.

That's JMO.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[PiledHIgher]

Callistus Valerius wrote:
> > I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
> > maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
> > they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down.
>
>
> I get 4000 miles on my 9sp SRAM chains, and 8000 miles on my Nashbar
> cassettes. 2 chains per cassette.

Another Data point:

10sp campagnolo

3440 km's on the original campagnolo chain (snapped)
9316 km's and counting on the current chain (obviously the cluster is
getting replaced at the same time as this chain which is now
'stretched' but still engaging correctly)

 

[[email protected]]

My brother was in an abrasive environment and would melt paraffin in
hot water on the stove, then drop the chain in that. Said it really
helped make the chain last longer. Stainless steel is actually rather
soft, so unless you are near water, I would go with something else.
Tool steel can be very hard and tough, but has less chrome than
stainless.

 

[bob prohaska's usenet account]

Earl Bollinger <[email protected]> wrote:
> Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point on
> my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as having

I can't resist asking "What is being measured?"

One common rule of thumb in motorcycling is to try lifting the tensioned
chain off the sprocket near the center of the chain wrap. If it comes up
more than half a tooth's height the chain and sprockets are due for
replacement.

Is there a corresponding measurement for bicycle chains? My bike chain
flunks the motorcycle test but seems to work fine.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

 

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:31:59 GMT, bob prohaska's usenet account
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Earl Bollinger <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Anyway this morning I checked the chain and it was at the .75% wear point on
>> my fancy Park Chain Checker Tool. But in my mileage logs I show me as having
>
>I can't resist asking "What is being measured?"
>
>One common rule of thumb in motorcycling is to try lifting the tensioned
>chain off the sprocket near the center of the chain wrap. If it comes up
>more than half a tooth's height the chain and sprockets are due for
>replacement.
>
>Is there a corresponding measurement for bicycle chains? My bike chain
>flunks the motorcycle test but seems to work fine.
>
>Thanks for reading!
>
>bob prohaska

Dear Bob,

A chain wears at the point where the pins meet the sideplate or
bushing. The surfaces are worn by the abrasive sludge of extremely
fine, hard road dust, the stuff kicked up by your tires that turns
clean chain-oil black within a few miles.

As the chain wears, it lengthens.

(For fun, you can say that the chain stretches and see who posts the
first or rudest correction.)

The pins on bike chains are half an inch apart, center to center, so a
ruler works well for measuring chain stretch--er, elongation.

If the pin (or rivet) at the far end of a 12-inch ruler is right on
the end, you have a new chain.

If it's less than 1/16th of an inch beyond the ruler, fine.

At 1/16th of an inch per 12 inches elongation, replace the chain
before it starts devouring your sprockets.

At 1/8th inch, your sprockets are probably in trouble.

Beyond 1/8th inch, buy a new cassette when you buy the new chain, and
check the prices on chain rings.

If a new chain skips in a particular gear, replace the rear cog or the
whole cassette. If it still skips, replace the chain rings. If it
still skips, use a time machine to go back and adjust whatever was
weird with your derailleurs or chain line.

All this is explained more eloquently and in more detail, with good
pictures, by Sheldon Brown:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html#wear

Browse around Sheldon's site and glossary.

The motorcycle test doesn't work too well, partly because you're
lifting a motorcycle chain off a rear sprocket that's much larger than
a typical rear bicycle sprocket, and partly because wider, heavier
motorcycle chains are far less likely to skip and wear like bicycle
chains.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

 

[Ron Hardin]

I go about 10k miles on a chain, for what that's worth, and then swap
out freewheel and chain, and chainwheel if it's starting to pop off
on hard starts.

A stretched chain is an energy eater, in that you notice the difference,
but not horrible, in that you don't notice it after a couple days on
a new chain.

It's a Huffy so chainwheels don't cost much, unless Huffy has decided
to run their parts dept as a profit center suddenly, which is possible.

A chainwheel (with cranks) is something like the cost of a chain, in
fact.

--
Ron Hardin
[email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

 

[Lou Holtman]

"Ron Hardin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I go about 10k miles on a chain, for what that's worth, and then swap
> out freewheel and chain, and chainwheel if it's starting to pop off
> on hard starts.


That's a strange thing to say: ' I get 10 k miles out of a chain and then
swap chain, cassette/freewheel and chainrings'.
I thought the consensus is that if you swap a worn chain you don't have to
swap the cassette and centainly not the chainrings.

Lou

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:23:32 +0200, "Lou Holtman"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I thought the consensus is that if you swap a worn chain you don't have to
>swap the cassette

If the chain is not worn much then no need to change the cassette. If
the chain is worn a lot both should be changed.

JT

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[Lou Holtman]

"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:23:32 +0200, "Lou Holtman"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I thought the consensus is that if you swap a worn chain you don't have
to
> >swap the cassette
>
> If the chain is not worn much then no need to change the cassette. If
> the chain is worn a lot both should be changed.
>


If the chain is not worn much, no need to change the chain.

Lou

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 12:25:51 +0200, "Lou Holtman"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:23:32 +0200, "Lou Holtman"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >I thought the consensus is that if you swap a worn chain you don't have
>to
>> >swap the cassette
>>
>> If the chain is not worn much then no need to change the cassette. If
>> the chain is worn a lot both should be changed.
>>
>
>
>If the chain is not worn much, no need to change the chain.

Sure, it'll still perform fine but using it in that state will mean
you'll be replacing the cassette too if you ride much more.

JT

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[Lou Holtman]

"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 12:25:51 +0200, "Lou Holtman"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
> >"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:23:32 +0200, "Lou Holtman"
> >> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >> >I thought the consensus is that if you swap a worn chain you don't
have
> >to
> >> >swap the cassette
> >>
> >> If the chain is not worn much then no need to change the cassette. If
> >> the chain is worn a lot both should be changed.
> >>
> >
> >
> >If the chain is not worn much, no need to change the chain.
>
> Sure, it'll still perform fine but using it in that state will mean
> you'll be replacing the cassette too if you ride much more.


It all depends on your defenition of a worn chain. I replace my chain before
I need to replace my (expensive) cassette too. After three chains I repalce
my cassette.

Lou

 

[Jasper Janssen]

On Sun, 09 Jul 2006 20:13:04 GMT, "res09c5t"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>The extra money buys a
>nicer finish and maybe more rust resistance, but these generally shouldn't
>affect lifespan unless you are under severe rust conditions.

Unless you are under severe rust conditions *and* you only ride the bike
very occasionally. A beach-bike drenched in salt spray without lubrication
still won't have chain rust formation be a lifespan issue, unless you let
it get completely seized up with rust.

Jasper

 

[[email protected]]

IMO, You're doing well. Even with meticulous care. I get between 1500
& 1700 miles on a Sram chain. Two chains per Cassette.

Richard



Earl Bollinger wrote:
> I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
> maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
> they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down.
> What do you all think?

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> > I used to run some cheap chains and cheap rear cassettes and I would get
> > maybe 500-600 miles off of them, sometimes nearly a thousand miles, before
> > they stretched too much or the rear cassette was noticeably worn down.

I wish someone had told me this *before* last weekend...

My chain had about 8000 km on it (5000 miles or so). One of the links
popped open, got caught in my rear derailer, and ripped it off the
bike. Yay!

And of course the derailer doesn't have a hanger and is mounted
directly to the dropout, so when it came off it bent the dropout. Yay!

And of course the dropout is glued into the frame, so it's back to the
factory for it's replacement. They say it will be a month or $o before
it come$ back. Yay!

Next time the chain goes in 2500 km or less.

Maury