"Alex Graham" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> Thanks for the advice.
>
> I have to say during winter I found myself cleaning the chain at least twice!
>
> I havent noticed it jumping, just noticed the way it didnt sit on the chainring properly. Its a
> sachs chain, and my maintenance consists of either:
>
> Spray with TF2
>
> or remove, soak in white spirit while cleaning with a paintbrush, allow to dry, replace on bike,
> one drop of bike oil on each link, and a spray or TF2 for good measure
>
> Does this sound good or bad?
Sounds fine. You should measure your chain to determine the amount of wear. I place a metal 12" rule
along the lower chain run and measure from the leading edge of one pin to the pin 12" away. When 12"
lines up on the trailing edge of the other pin (one pin's width of wear in 12"), I replace the
chain. If you let your chain wear more than this, it will wear the cassette rapidly, otherwise, you
should be able to go through several chains before needing a new cassette, and maybe a couple of
cassettes before new chain rings. I don't think expensive chains last any longer than cheap ones, so
I just buy $10 chains and replace them frequently.
Lubrication lasts a long time on a chain that isn't ridden in the rain, don't over-lubricate, since
that's just making the chain greasier and better at picking up grit. Lubing a dirty chain washes the
grit into the places where it can cause wear.