How many Km/miles should we expect to get from our drivetrain parts?

[eagor_bikor]

Hello (first post!)

Ive been riding many years and more recently (last few years) racing competitively ect. But in all that time I havent been able to get a clear answer to how long/how many Km/Miles we should get out of our drivetrains main components, such as the Cassette/Block, chain, chainrings/chainwheels, rear derailleur pulley/jocky wheels, Freewheel, hub, headset ect. All the main expensive stuff!

Heres what I think is a good 'ballpark' number for what to expect
from Ultegra 'mid top end' components.

Chainset/rings --------- 20-22,000 Km (then they're totalled and skipping and sharp to touch!)

Chain 3000Km ---------- at this distance it would be just before it began to accelerate wear on the cassette, but to get to a 'ragged' skipping state maybe 10-12,000Km (dont really know!) or 3-4 chains for 1 cassette ????

Cassette---------------- Here's where Im confused.... .Ive never seen a 'spiky' badly worn cassette!! do they even get like that , and if so how long would it take in KM/miles for to get in the condition of the chainrings like above all spiky and skipping on on rings when out of saddle?

As for hubs (think...DT Swiss/Mavic Kysrm Elites) the DT swiss 20,000Km+ , the Mavics....I have no idea! at a wild guess 23-25,000Km??

Freewheels----------------20,000Km or so before it dies and nearly casterates you on the crossbar!

JOcky/Pulley wheels---------------no clue what so ever...again how many Km before they gey to the sharp to touch stage???
maybe 30-35,000km??????

I want to get 'a guide to replacement parts' on here for others to refer to!

So whats your experience been with these road components??




________________________________________________________

 

[capwater]

Too many variables to put out specific numbers. Riding style has a lot to do with it. I will say that making sure you change your chain before it is excessively stretched is crucial to getting more miles out of cassettes and chain rings. No mileage standard, but just measure it periodically.

 

[threaded]

Also depends on the weather and the wider environment. I ride all weathers in Denmark, Sjælland, which is essentially a massive sand bank, so the usual road muck makes for an exceptionally good grinding paste.

Oh, and avoid Glostrup at the moment, the road works are insane: even old people have fallen out of their wheel chairs!

 

[vio765]

i would say have a mech take a look at everything and ask for suggestions. a mech is like a doctor. sort of

 

[chainstretched]

Hello (first post!)

Heres what I think is a good 'ballpark' number for what to expect
from Ultegra 'mid top end' components.


So whats your experience been with these road components??


________________________________________________________

I've never had anything higher than Sora (i must be in the small minority here). However, I understand that according to some Sora may be more durable, because some of the parts are steel. I doubt this is really true though, because after ~ 3000 kms, my cassette, chain and chainrings were completely shot. I do ride in some bad weather sometimes, with some mud, sand, salt and grit on the roads.

 

[Slugster438]

Freddie Hoffman has turned over a million miles, he might have some idea.

There's an article (saw it online somewhere) that gave a brief rundown of how fast he wears stuff out; it said the part of the drivetrain that lasted the longest was the chainrings, which he replaced every 50,000 miles (~80K km). Chain lives were very short, only a few thousand miles. He rides cheaper gear in pretty much all weather, all year round.

---------
You know what's really funny is I couldn't remember his name, so I was Googling various combinations of terms trying to find anything. ....And I was entering things like "ridden over a million miles", and I was finding pages where people were bragging about how they'd rode that far on a motorcycle....
~

 

[PeterF]

I ride year round (Massachusetts, where we get about 40-80 inches of snow depending on the year). My "A" bike probably sees about 3,000-3,500 miles and my B bike another 1,000 -1,500. When stuff is getting a little old I switch it over to my B-bike, but on my primary bike I get 1 season out of chain, two seasons out of a cassette as well as cables. I have replaced Jockey wheels, on Ultegra once when the bushings got worn to the point of being very wobbly and squeaky (about 3 years), and am yet to replaice chain rings, but I recently upgraded cranks, so I can't really guage how long, but they seem to be fine after at least a few seasons. I'm meticulous about keeping the drivetrain clean. On a monthly basis I remove the cassette and chain and soak it in degreaser and give it a nice cleaning. I have a chain guide to measure stretch. It seams like after a season, it's not stretched to the point of needing to be replaced, but it is stretched a bit. A bad chain will eat up the cassette pretty quickly so that's one part I replace annually. 3 Tires take me through a season (1 front, two rear) but I make sure the pressure is up and inspect for cuts frequently. Keep it all clean and you'll be surprised how long it will all last.

 

[ToffoIsMe]

I've never had anything higher than Sora (i must be in the small minority here). However, I understand that according to some Sora may be more durable, because some of the parts are steel. I doubt this is really true though, because after ~ 3000 kms, my cassette, chain and chainrings were completely shot. I do ride in some bad weather sometimes, with some mud, sand, salt and grit on the roads.

That doesnt make sense at all. Did you maintain it properly? Keep everything well lubed? Keep everything in line and adjusted? I had about 2,000 miles on my Trek 1000 with Sora components (not sure how many KMs that is but I believe its over 3000) when I decided to get a new bike. Everything still worked perfectly, and I sold the bike to a friend of mine who is still riding it.

 

[Treky]

I do not know about the rest but, the bike shop I am taking my bike for service said 2000 miles for changing the chain. I have done more than that with the current chain. But they said they will take a look to see if they should replace it.

 

[sogood]

I measured my 3rd party chain that came with my bike after 1300km. To my surprise, it came under spec ie. Shorter than spec! I would have expected it have lengthened a bit by now.

 

[chainstretched]

That doesnt make sense at all. Did you maintain it properly? Keep everything well lubed? Keep everything in line and adjusted? I had about 2,000 miles on my Trek 1000 with Sora components (not sure how many KMs that is but I believe its over 3000) when I decided to get a new bike. Everything still worked perfectly, and I sold the bike to a friend of mine who is still riding it.

Yes, I'd say I'm generally quite careful to clean and lube the parts. My local LBS mechanic told me the excessive (premature) wear had a lot to do with my 'riding style', whatever that means. The way I see it, I'm a fairly heavy rider (over 80 kg) and I have to pedal hard to move forwards. I do live in hilly area, so there's bound to be some stress on the parts.

 

[BeeGuy]

That doesnt make sense at all. Did you maintain it properly? Keep everything well lubed? Keep everything in line and adjusted? I had about 2,000 miles on my Trek 1000 with Sora components (not sure how many KMs that is but I believe its over 3000) when I decided to get a new bike. Everything still worked perfectly, and I sold the bike to a friend of mine who is still riding it.

I've gone through chains in 1500 miles and up to 3000 miles. Same chain, same lubing and cleaning. When I'm racing and sprinting lots, my Campy Record chains will stretch faster, so doing it based on mileage would guarantee that my cluster and chainrings would wear out as well. Get the Park chain stretch tool and routinely check your chain. With a good chain, rings and clusters will last indefinitely.

chris

 

[azdroptop]

According to Bicycling mag the Disco boys change their chains every 7 days during the Tour. Local Mechanics say 1500 or so for Shimano, 2200 or so Campy. Another said change the cassette every 2 chains. Seems a bit too often for a cassette to me...

 

[BeeGuy]

"Another said change the cassette every 2 chains. Seems a bit too often for a cassette to me..."

Me, too! At 200.00+ per Record cassette, my wife would have my butt. Hard enough to tell her I'm spending 150.00 a year on chains.

chris

 

[azdroptop]

"Another said change the cassette every 2 chains. Seems a bit too often for a cassette to me..."

Me, too! At 200.00+ per Record cassette, my wife would have my butt. Hard enough to tell her I'm spending 150.00 a year on chains.

chris

LOL! I hear ya. I think I'm gonna use a Veloce or Chours Cassette next time around. I used them on my other bike and they were fine. Much cheaper too.

 

[Treky]

According to Bicycling mag the Disco boys change their chains every 7 days during the Tour. Local Mechanics say 1500 or so for Shimano, 2200 or so Campy. Another said change the cassette every 2 chains. Seems a bit too often for a cassette to me...

Well in my case they said every 2 chains, the whole drivetrain needs replacing. It is good business for the shops and makers of those things, but sounds very excessive to me. So I am now thinking what will I really loose if I continue to use the same chain and the drivetrain for say 5000 miles and more? Will I loose performance for example?

 

[BeeGuy]

Well in my case they said every 2 chains, the whole drivetrain needs replacing. It is good business for the shops and makers of those things, but sounds very excessive to me. So I am now thinking what will I really loose if I continue to use the same chain and the drivetrain for say 5000 miles and more? Will I loose performance for example?

As the chain wears and stretches, it will grind down the teeth on your chainrings and cassette cogs. You probably won't notice it much for a while, but your shifting will begin to get sloppy. It doesn't really make sense to do it, though. It's much easier and cheaper just to replace the chains when they begin to wear. To make it even easier, I use a Wipperman Connex link so I can quickly take the chain off when needed.

If you let the chain stretch and wear your drivetrain down and then put on just a new chain, you will get bad skipping when you try to push on the pedals. It doesn't take long to screw up perfectly good drivetrain components with a bad chain. Spend the 20 bucks on a Park chainwear indicator and save the 300.00 on new rings and cassette.

chris

 

[Treky]

As the chain wears and stretches, it will grind down the teeth on your chainrings and cassette cogs. You probably won't notice it much for a while, but your shifting will begin to get sloppy. It doesn't really make sense to do it, though. It's much easier and cheaper just to replace the chains when they begin to wear. To make it even easier, I use a Wipperman Connex link so I can quickly take the chain off when needed.

If you let the chain stretch and wear your drivetrain down and then put on just a new chain, you will get bad skipping when you try to push on the pedals. It doesn't take long to screw up perfectly good drivetrain components with a bad chain. Spend the 20 bucks on a Park chainwear indicator and save the 300.00 on new rings and cassette.

chris

Thanks for the reply Chris, but my point was that since they are saying I need to change the whole drivetrain every 2 chains, why not just leave the whole thing alone? I am thinking that the chain and the cogs will all wear out together so they should all be in harmony as it were

 

[BeeGuy]

Thanks for the reply Chris, but my point was that since they are saying I need to change the whole drivetrain every 2 chains, why not just leave the whole thing alone? I am thinking that the chain and the cogs will all wear out together so they should all be in harmony as it were

My point is that they are wrong; you don't need to change everything every 2 chains. If they are paying for the change (like a pro team or sponsoring shop might), no problem. If you have to pay for it, then don't listen to them. Either they don't know what they are talking about, or they want you to spend more money with them.

chris

 

[Treky]

My point is that they are wrong; you don't need to change everything every 2 chains. If they are paying for the change (like a pro team or sponsoring shop might), no problem. If you have to pay for it, then don't listen to them. Either they don't know what they are talking about, or they want you to spend more money with them.

chris

I can live with that. At $20-$30 a pop (I replace it myself) I do not mind getting a new chain every 2k miles or so.