Advice here please wheels/drive chain

johnnyr59

Somewhat embarresed to be in beginners catergory here. BUT ..

decided to get a racing bike before I was fifty. so a very cheap/good deal from Edin bike coop. last year. Goes like fizz despite dodgy engine! compared to the 26 inch with slicks I had usually ridden. now I have just got a turbo trainer for this winter. Aware thatI can therefore upgrade my wheels for next year keeping the cheap (36 spoke) wheels just for this machine. what I would welcome is experienceD advice. should I also get a new block for the new wheels? 8 speed But if I do. will I have problems with cycling n the spring because my chain is so worn/used to the current set up?

THANKS NOW IN ANTICITPATION OF ADVICE

JR

Al_38

If you get a new pair of wheels I would most definetly have a new cassette on them... means you can change wheels without having to get a chain whip and lockring tool and spanner to switch the cassette over.
As to chains, the chain should be the first of all drive components to wear, however once it has reached a certain limit it will rapidly wear both the chainrings and the cassette. You can buy a chain checker from the bike coop for about £7. On average a chain will last for about 2000 miles or so before it should be replaced (depending on how clean it is kept etc). So what i would recommend is that you are very vigilant about making sure the chain isn't overly worn and make sure you replace it when it is. Shouldn't have any problems when you switch wheels then.

Some people have 2 chains that they use at any one point in time (obv only 1 on the bike at a time) and they rotate chains every 500miles or so. This is meant to keep the chains much better matched to the cassettes in terms of wear. Only really feasible if you run KMC or SRAM chains as they have a link that you can take apart by hand rather than needing a chain tool and joining pins.

Hope this helps.

Al

johnnyr59

AL

Thanks for taking the time. Clear and complete info.

Very much appreciated.

JR

littleandy0410

I have also just got a turbo trainer, and have been thinking about getting another rear wheel for use with the trainer, so I can use a trainer specific tyre. Have you got one of these, and if not, have you noticed any premature wear on your tyre?

Al_38

Yes and no... I only really use my turbo trainer when I am home at xmas time as I am a student (most of my training is purely for rowing, so don't need it all year). So when I go home I would normally stick a different tyre on the rear of my bike. The wear on a turbo is greater than that on roads, but unless you are doing huge amounts of distance on it (I was doing 1200 - 1600 kilometres in a 4 week period when I'm home) then you should be fine using your normal set of tyres. This is slightly dependant on what tyres you run, I found that Michelin Krylion carbons are pretty good for taking a lot of miles. You can always run a very worn tyre on turbo - till they are down to the threads. Obv a second rear wheel is the nicer and easier option, but not a necessity.

Al