Life Span of a chain?



James Dalton

New Member
Jul 22, 2003
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I am wondering as to the average good working life of a chain?

I have a Shimano Ultegra 9 speed chain and it has been with me for about 8000 kms of training and racing.

I have recently noticed it being harder and harder to clean really well and developed what looks like rust on the face of the links.

I have heard that chains stretch and become weaker - is this true and how long should you keep a chain? I heard that the TDF teams replace their chains once a week.

If it is to be kept - does anyone have a way to get my chain back to being all shiny again - it is now a bit dirty looking - even after it goes through the chain cleaner, degreased and lubed again?
 
James Dalton said:
I am wondering as to the average good working life of a chain?

I have a Shimano Ultegra 9 speed chain and it has been with me for about 8000 kms of training and racing.

I have recently noticed it being harder and harder to clean really well and developed what looks like rust on the face of the links.

I have heard that chains stretch and become weaker - is this true and how long should you keep a chain? I heard that the TDF teams replace their chains once a week.

If it is to be kept - does anyone have a way to get my chain back to being all shiny again - it is now a bit dirty looking - even after it goes through the chain cleaner, degreased and lubed again?

Most 9spd chains should only last maybe 1500-2000 miles , then should be changed. Since you've ran yours so long, its probably very streched + your cassette is more the likely toast(no good ;) ). Overall, I'd recommend getting a new chain = $15 - 20 ........... and seeing if your shifting is fine, or not. If shifting is crappy........ then you'll need to get a new cassette(check on Ebay..... should be able to get something fairly new/new.... for cheap).

.... or....... just leave it alone....... run your chain/cassette until it turns into rubble :D
 
James Dalton said:
I am wondering as to the average good working life of a chain?

I have a Shimano Ultegra 9 speed chain and it has been with me for about 8000 kms of training and racing.

I have recently noticed it being harder and harder to clean really well and developed what looks like rust on the face of the links.

I have heard that chains stretch and become weaker - is this true and how long should you keep a chain? I heard that the TDF teams replace their chains once a week.

If it is to be kept - does anyone have a way to get my chain back to being all shiny again - it is now a bit dirty looking - even after it goes through the chain cleaner, degreased and lubed again?

Mileage isn't really a good indicator of chain wear; they are easy to measure for wear. Your chain at 8000 km in could be well within wear limits.

You can use a steel rule, and measure for wear of 1/16th to 1/8th inch over 12 inches of chain (24 links). Or, just pick up a Park CC-3 gauge for about $10 bucks. It's a go/no-go gauge, with 2 sides...0.75% and 1.0% wear.

FYI, my PC-99 chain went 6000 miles (9600 km) before hitting the 0.75% wear point. All depends on where you ride and how you clean and lube the chain. You shouldn't see rust ever on a well-maintained chain.
 
this year I became very diligent (borderline obsessive really) about lubing and cleaning my chain after every ride. I figure I easily got over 5000 miles when in the past I was lucky to get 2000 with lubing/cleaning 1-2 x week. Show your drivetrain a little love and save yourself some cash in the long run.


JS
 
I clean, degrease, dry and lube the chain every week or so and the drivetrain has always shifted quietly and well.

I am more wondering about the apparent "rust" look and the fact that I look at other chains still nice and silver.

I had thought that it might just be time for a new one - but if I can use something that will shine it up again - I am fine with the chain operation.
 
James Dalton said:
I clean, degrease, dry and lube the chain every week or so and the drivetrain has always shifted quietly and well.

I am more wondering about the apparent "rust" look and the fact that I look at other chains still nice and silver.
The only part of the chain that really needs to be clean are the rollers. Everything else is aesthetic. Your chain is going to stretch long before you wear away a significant amount of metal.
 
Park makes a chain check guage, they are a handy tool to have... if your one of thoes ppl who likes tools like me :cool:
 
Over the years (spanning the days when rear clusters were 5-spd) I've read about chain stretch and its part in determining the effective life-span of a chain. I've measured chain length carefully numerous times on chains that were likely beyond their throw-away point, and... NEVER found the change in length to approach the suggested renewal point (1-2 mm of stretch over a 30 cm length, as I recall).

I read a statement made by a pro mechanic recently that she changes chains every 1K miles, which is probably prudent for the pros. For us regular folks, I would say at least double that, or at whatever point the shifting seems to go sour, all else being equal. I recently changed a 9-spd shimano HG chain after about 6K miles, which, based on the dramatic improvement in shifting, was way too late. However, I expect to get over 3K out of my current chain. Admittedly, I'm light, not a masher, and I am not quite as picky as some riders. I also service my drivetrain frequently.