How long should a chain last?



kaian

New Member
Aug 22, 2004
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I went to the bike shop today to have some adjustments made to my Trek 1000 (the bike was kind of shifting on it's own and jumping a cog or two when I would shift). The mechanic at the store told me that I need to get a new chain. ???:confused:

I just bought this bike in Mid-March and rode it indoors on a trainer 2-3 times a week MAX until May when it seemed warm enough to take outside. I basically have put somewhere around 300-400 miles on it IF THAT. I am not a big person, so it's not like I am hammering on the chain. Also, there have only been 2 occasions when I rode it in wet conditions (I got caught in rain storms twice).

Anyway, this seems crazy to me. I thought chains were supposed to last for 1000-1500 miles?

I have been cleaning the chain with degreaser about once every 2-4 weeks (sooner if I ride in water or dirty conditions) and lubing it. So...is this possible? Or is the mechanic feeding me BS?

I plan on getting a second opinion from another store.

Are there certain lubes I should be getting? Clean more often?

Any insights are helpful.
 
kaian said:
I went to the bike shop today to have some adjustments made to my Trek 1000 (the bike was kind of shifting on it's own and jumping a cog or two when I would shift). The mechanic at the store told me that I need to get a new chain. ???:confused:

I just bought this bike in Mid-March and rode it indoors on a trainer 2-3 times a week MAX until May when it seemed warm enough to take outside. I basically have put somewhere around 300-400 miles on it IF THAT. I am not a big person, so it's not like I am hammering on the chain. Also, there have only been 2 occasions when I rode it in wet conditions (I got caught in rain storms twice).

Anyway, this seems crazy to me. I thought chains were supposed to last for 1000-1500 miles?

I have been cleaning the chain with degreaser about once every 2-4 weeks (sooner if I ride in water or dirty conditions) and lubing it. So...is this possible? Or is the mechanic feeding me BS?

I plan on getting a second opinion from another store.

Are there certain lubes I should be getting? Clean more often?

Any insights are helpful.
sounds like BS. Scroll down to the thread...' record chain lifetime'. learn to measure a chain and you won't have to depend on lame 'opinion's.
 
kaian said:
I went to the bike shop today to have some adjustments made to my Trek 1000 (the bike was kind of shifting on it's own and jumping a cog or two when I would shift). The mechanic at the store told me that I need to get a new chain. ???:confused:

I just bought this bike in Mid-March and rode it indoors on a trainer 2-3 times a week MAX until May when it seemed warm enough to take outside. I basically have put somewhere around 300-400 miles on it IF THAT. I am not a big person, so it's not like I am hammering on the chain. Also, there have only been 2 occasions when I rode it in wet conditions (I got caught in rain storms twice).

Anyway, this seems crazy to me. I thought chains were supposed to last for 1000-1500 miles?

I have been cleaning the chain with degreaser about once every 2-4 weeks (sooner if I ride in water or dirty conditions) and lubing it. So...is this possible? Or is the mechanic feeding me BS?

I plan on getting a second opinion from another store.

Are there certain lubes I should be getting? Clean more often?

Any insights are helpful.
Agree, checking the for elongation is the only way to know. You could ask the LBS guy to show you the wear by measuring with a steel rule, or with a Parktool chainchecker gauge. 3000-5000 miles or more isn't unusual for a quality chain with proper maintenance.