How often to change chain (mileage)

George Hauxwell said:

Hello all,

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot, chainset,
cassette and chain.

Me too... expensive isn't it? 🙁

Quoted message said:

I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every month,

I didn't need to do that; I should be able to measure it in-situ.

Quoted message said:

I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure anyway.
Would every 1000 miles be reasonable?

I'm shooting for once a month

--
Chris

Hi George,
I change my chain after 2000-3000km, depends on riding conditions and
how clean the drivestrain is, that limits the chainlife and choose long
lasting chains, best are SRAM in the midprice and higherprice range.
greetings to the UK
Volker

George Hauxwell schrieb:

Quoted message said:

Hello all,

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot, chainset,
cassette and chain.
I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every month,
I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure anyway.
Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks change you're
chains?

Thanks

George

George Hauxwell said:

Hello all,

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot, chainset,
cassette and chain.
I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every month,
I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure anyway.
Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks change you're
chains?

Thanks

George

You shouldn't take it off to measure - you need the chain under slight
tension to make the measurement. Use the top chainline, put a bit of
pressure on the pedal to tension the chain and then put a ruler
alongside it with zero on the centre of one pin. Then look at the 12"
mark and see how far beyond that the nearest pin is.

--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)

in message <[email hidden]>, George Hauxwell

(') said:

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot,
chainset, cassette and chain.

Not really. A well cared for summer road bike will go several thousand
miles on the same chain. An all-year-round commuter hack bike much
less, a mountain bike less still. And it does depend critically on the
degree of care. Clean chains last much longer.

Quoted message said:

I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every
month, I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure
anyway.

You can buy chain gauges. I use one and it works for me, though I have
to say some people here are skeptical. Mine is one of these:
<URL:http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufacturer=Park&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=&ProdID=5300001800&UberCat=0>
or <URL:http://qurl.com/ihejxx>

Quoted message said:

Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks change
you're chains?

Even on a hard used mountain bike a chain with reasonable care should
last a thousand miles. If you replaced at a thousand miles you'd
probably be safe (depending on how you care for your chain meantime),
but you'd be replacing more often than you needed to.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
There's nae Gods, an there's precious few heroes
but there's plenty on the dole in th Land o th Leal;
And it's time now, tae sweep the future clear o
th lies o a past that we know wis never real.

in message <[email hidden]>, Chris

(') said:

George Hauxwell said:

Hello all,

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot,
chainset, cassette and chain.

Me too... expensive isn't it? 🙁

Quoted message said:

I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every
month,

I didn't need to do that; I should be able to measure it in-situ.

Quoted message said:

I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure anyway.
Would every 1000 miles be reasonable?

I'm shooting for once a month

My good road bike is ridden about 4,000 miles per year. Its chain is at
about 3,000 miles so far and has worn less than 10% of its wear limit;
I expect it to last at least 8,000 miles (but it does get obsessively
looked after). My good mountain bike is ridden two to three thousand
miles per year. It gets a new SRAM chain about once a year. It gets
somewhat less obsessively looked after, but the chain is still usually
cleaned after each ride.

Once a month sounds expensive to me, and I'd rather be spending that
money on new carbon goodies.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'You cannot put "The Internet" into the Recycle Bin.'

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks change
you're chains?

Even on a hard used mountain bike a chain with reasonable care should
last a thousand miles. If you replaced at a thousand miles you'd
probably be safe (depending on how you care for your chain meantime),
but you'd be replacing more often than you needed to.

My race bike gets change every 12 months which equates to about 8000km.
My Winter/Commuter gets changed every 12months also, I ride about
6000km per year on this one. This is only a ball-park change time, it
depends on the conditions I use the bike in and the frequency that I
clean the chain (which during the Winter months is every couple of
weeks). Just measure it every 6 months and see where your at.

--
Mark
_____________________________________________

Deja Moo - The feeling that you've heard this bull before

Simon Brooke said:

Once a month sounds expensive to me, and I'd rather be spending that
money on new carbon goodies.

Sure would be! What I meant was, I would be checking it once a month -
not replacing it once a month 🙂

Ambiguity is my middle-ish name 😉

Quoted message said:

Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks
change you're chains?

I tend to change it when it's gone orange one too many times, tho this is
probably not an example of best practice.

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, George Hauxwell

(') said:

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot,
chainset, cassette and chain.

Not really. A well cared for summer road bike will go several thousand
miles on the same chain. An all-year-round commuter hack bike much
less, a mountain bike less still. And it does depend critically on the
degree of care. Clean chains last much longer.

Quoted message said:

I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every
month, I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure
anyway.

You can buy chain gauges. I use one and it works for me, though I have
to say some people here are skeptical. Mine is one of these:

<URL:http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&W=0&Manufa
cturer=Park&UberCatName=&Cat=cycle&CategoryName=&ProdID=5300001800&UberCat=0

Quoted message said:

or <URL:http://qurl.com/ihejxx>

Quoted message said:

Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks change
you're chains?

Even on a hard used mountain bike a chain with reasonable care should
last a thousand miles. If you replaced at a thousand miles you'd
probably be safe (depending on how you care for your chain meantime),
but you'd be replacing more often than you needed to.

--

I've got one of those, but when I mislaid it for a while I bought a Rohloff
Caliber 2 Chain wear indicator, so now I've got two.

I find the Caliber quicker and easier to use and it's not so easily damaged.
http://www.ison-distribution.com/ison/english/searchresults.php?group=5004

Paul.

Hi

My first chain gave me 1500 road miles, i am just at the 1/16" stretch mark
over a 12 section now after 1100 miles on my secongd one (probably due to
the slight wear in the sprockets now).

If you pick a pin just leaving your rear sprocket you should be able to
measure 12" in a straight line, after 800 miles (or thereabouts) i check it
at every cleaning session.

hope this helps

Gary

"George Hauxwell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello all,

Is there a rule-of-thumb guide to how often to change a cycle chain?
I left it too late last time and had to change the whole lot, chainset,
cassette and chain.
I don't want to have to take the chain off and try measuring it every
month, I can't seem to get it to lie straight enough to measure anyway.
Would every 1000 miles be reasonable? How often do you folks change
you're chains?

Thanks

George