How many miles between fitting a new chain ?

JimmyK

I average 100 - 120 miles per week and it seems like no time at all since I had my last chain fitted to my trek 1000 racer, Ive added another 1500 miles with the chain im currently on, when should I be thinking of another new chain ?

Pokerface

It's not the miles. It's the condition of the chain.

I've just burned through a chain in under 500 miles. Some people can do 5000 miles on a chain.


Riding style, terrain, your weight and power, weather conditions, etc, etc, etc.


Best thing to do is get it checked for stretching. Simplest way is to measure off 12 links and it should be 12 inches.


Or get a chain wear tool. Or have your LBS check it.

Frank the tank

There is no deffinative answer. It depends on all kinds of factors, the quality of the chain, how hard you push it (big strong chap racing will do more harm for a lightweight pootler) the weather conditions wet roads in winter and of coarse how you look after it aswell.

Personally I change mine after 1,500 miles, and I'm a believer in the rotation system to preserve the cassette.

muymuygordo

Interesting comments.

I had until recently, ran chains/sprockets into the ground and changed both when the chain started skipping.

I have bought a chain checker and installed a new cheapish KMC chain and have found that its at the 0.75% mark only after about 1000 miles (on my wet weather bike).

I was expecting it to last longer.

Do people change at 0.75% or wait until 1%?

Tom Butcher

I wait until 1% on the grounds that is what it said to do in the chain checker instructions - as you say some chains seem to get to .75 very quickly.

DomPro

I'm inclined to wear through the chain and cassette together and just replace them both after about 3000 miles.

fnegroni

Tom Butcher wrote:

I wait until 1% on the grounds that is what it said to do in the chain checker instructions - as you say some chains seem to get to .75 very quickly.

Maybe due to the inherent inaccuracy of a chain wear tool:

http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-004/000.html

Measuring links with ruler seems best option.

Tail end Charlie

I change the chain when it gets to .75% (measured by a Park chain checker) then I take it off, clean it and leave it in a bath of oil. When the next chain is at that point I put on the first one. So each chain gets two goes on the bike and then I change both chains and the cassette.
This way I get at least 2000 miles out of a chain and 4000 out of a casette.
I do look after my chain though, wiping it down after every wet ride and greasing regularly (I use spray grease intended for motorcycle chains).

guilliano

A lot of brand new chains are at 0.72% straight from the box and so will get to 0.75 very quickly. Just keep checking them, cleaning them and lubing them...... and replace when skipping starts. It's all you can do

Tom Butcher

fnegroni wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

I wait until 1% on the grounds that is what it said to do in the chain checker instructions - as you say some chains seem to get to .75 very quickly.

Maybe due to the inherent inaccuracy of a chain wear tool:
n.

Maybe - but I get several thousand miles out of each chain and as that article says chain wear tools are conservative - never saying a worn chain is good - I'm happy enough with that.

mclarent

I bent my chain on saturday, actually got the bottom of the chain to turn "upside down", if you know what I mean. V annoying, as I was warming up before a race and didn't have a spare... :x

Anyway, took my bike in to the shop for a service, and the chap said that I'd bent it by riding it in the wrong gears, stretched diagonally. Is it really that bad for the chain? I can get stretching it, but actually bending the links sufficiently that 1/3 of the chain flips over on itself...