The cost of commuting in the winter

prj45

OK, I just got through an SRAM PC 850 chain in little over a month (about 350 miles what with a week or so off the bike), it went on with a new cassette at the start of december.

I cleaned it once, but I guess the grit killed it. It's not completely gone yet but if I stand on the right pedal to put pressure on the chain and use a chain checker the .75 marker squeezes through and the 1.00 marker feels like it nearly gets there.

I also installed some rather expensive cool stop pads on the front about two weeks ago, the patterned surfaces are completely gone.

redvee

Same with me on the brake block front. Put some Swiss Stop greens on the back and they lasted 6 weeks so ordered some blacks and they went in what felt like a week with 2 wet rides. The second pair of greens are on the front and 2nd blacks are on the front. When they wear out they will be replaced with Fibrax blocks.

amnezia

Possibly because SRAM make their chains out of cardboard. They are by far their weakest product.

downfader

I've had a connex chain and tiagra rear sprocket for over a year now. No "wear" considering the 3500 miles and the chain has hardly budged. :?

turnerjohn

think the "cleaned the chain once" was the issue. Have to wipe it down after every ride as winter c**p will just eat chains...plus all that salt that was put on the roads!
Take it you used a good quality winter lube and kept the chain oiled?..dry chain will dry miles faster then a properly kept one!
Oh and just for the record SRAM chains are some of the best you can buy (not made from cardboard). I use them and KMC...stay clear of shimano ones as their utter rubbish !

downfader

With mine most of the roads I used werent gritted. I did get out a watering can and a brush a few times though. Think I've only oiled once or twice too. Luck, eh?

AndyManc

prj45 wrote:

OK, I just got through an SRAM PC 850 chain in little over a month (about 350 miles what with a week or so off the bike), it went on with a new cassette at the start of december..

I've been using my hardrock pro over the past 5yrs including each working day over the past 2yrs (I had a 3 week break over the recent 'un-ridable' weather) and I've not had to renew anything on it.

The chain runs smooth, the brakes work (even though the pads must have perished by now),and I've only had one or two punctures on it.

I am allowing it to turn into a 'hack' bike but I'm always amazed how other peoples bikes seem to fall to bits if they come anywhere near salt and poor conditions.

I'm appreciating my hardrock even more now, the roads have seemingly been scatter bombed in the new year .... horrendous conditions.

prj45

turnerjohn wrote:

Take it you used a good quality winter lube and kept the chain oiled?..dry chain will dry miles faster then a properly kept one!

I do winter lube regulary, and I say cleaned it once, but I did wipe it down a few times, but yeah, I'd say I mistreated this one a bit considering the conditions.

But trying to convice the missus that taking up the entire kitchen and splatting little black drops of goo everywhere is going to make my chain last longer is not really going to fly.

Naturally doing it outside during the week (dark when I leave, dark when I get home) is not really an option.

Now, if somebody could design something like an autocleaner for a bike like car wash (wheels, chain and brakes)... that cost £40... and didn't get stuff everywhere, and could be packed up into a tupperware box...

BruceG

turnerjohn wrote:

Oh and just for the record SRAM chains are some of the best you can buy (not made from cardboard). I use them and KMC...stay clear of shimano ones as their utter rubbish !

Dont KMC and Shimano work closely together? so close that KMC make the shimano chains and it becomes a badge engineering exercise after that? therefore your statement has little meriit

amnezia

turnerjohn wrote:

think the "cleaned the chain once" was the issue. Have to wipe it down after every ride as winter c**p will just eat chains...plus all that salt that was put on the roads!
Take it you used a good quality winter lube and kept the chain oiled?..dry chain will dry miles faster then a properly kept one!
Oh and just for the record SRAM chains are some of the best you can buy (not made from cardboard). I use them and KMC...stay clear of shimano ones as their utter rubbish !

No chain should stretch that much in 350 miles even if it was was only cleaned once.

Being that this is a commuting forum i'm pretty sure most people don't have the time to wipe down their chain after every ride.

cjcp

I rarely wipe down my commuting bike. The rims are the one thing I try to keep clean. Not good, I know. My cassette is over a year old, the chain from last Feb/March.

greg66_tri_v2.0

prj45 wrote:

OK, I just got through an SRAM PC 850 chain in little over a month (about 350 miles what with a week or so off the bike), it went on with a new cassette at the start of december.

I cleaned it once, but I guess the grit killed it. It's not completely gone yet but if I stand on the right pedal to put pressure on the chain and use a chain checker the .75 marker squeezes through and the 1.00 marker feels like it nearly gets there.

I also installed some rather expensive cool stop pads on the front about two weeks ago, the patterned surfaces are completely gone.

At that sort of wear rate I'd wonder whether you've been crossing the chain a lot. I wouldn't expect grit & grim to do that much damage that fast.

Though if as someone has said SRAM chains are made of cardboard, that would explain a lot.

roger_merriman

my commute bike is very much a hack bike, big green hybrid. al it gets is brake pads and WD40 every now and then.

it's some 4 years old, still on same drivechain.

milage has varied over the years, outside pet....

prj45

amnezia wrote:

No chain should stretch that much in 350 miles even if it was was only cleaned once.

Well, that's what I thought, I wasn't even going to check it for wear, jsut clean it, glad I did check it now, I've got quite an expensive cassette on, so was close to f****g it up.

These SRAM 850's normally last me seven or eight months, that's about 4,500 miles for me.

turnerjohn

BruceG wrote:

turnerjohn wrote:

Oh and just for the record SRAM chains are some of the best you can buy (not made from cardboard). I use them and KMC...stay clear of shimano ones as their utter rubbish !

Dont KMC and Shimano work closely together? so close that KMC make the shimano chains and it becomes a badge engineering exercise after that? therefore your statement has little meriit

Well thats a new one on me ! Ha if KMC make Shimano chains maybe they use shite materials for the job. I have never had a SRAM or a KMC chain break on me (I ride 8K miles a year and my chains take a pounding) whereas Ive broken and worn out more Shimano ones then I care to this about ! Going by what other people on this forum say about Shimano chains the general opinion is their shite ! Oh for the record I like shimano... run full Dura Ace on road and full XTR on Xcountry....without Shimano chains obviously ! Rest of their kit is top notch !

BruceG

turnerjohn wrote:

BruceG wrote:

turnerjohn wrote:

Oh and just for the record SRAM chains are some of the best you can buy (not made from cardboard). I use them and KMC...stay clear of shimano ones as their utter rubbish !

Dont KMC and Shimano work closely together? so close that KMC make the shimano chains and it becomes a badge engineering exercise after that? therefore your statement has little meriit

Well thats a new one on me ! Ha if KMC make Shimano chains maybe they use shite materials for the job. I have never had a SRAM or a KMC chain break on me (I ride 8K miles a year and my chains take a pounding) whereas Ive broken and worn out more Shimano ones then I care to this about ! Going by what other people on this forum say about Shimano chains the general opinion is their shite ! Oh for the record I like shimano... run full Dura Ace on road and full XTR on Xcountry....without Shimano chains obviously ! Rest of their kit is top notch !

Oh well you learn something everyday, this is just one link of many read the second para

http://www.madeinchina.com/227532/aboutus.shtml

fossyant

KMC on my training bike and MTB, DA 9 on my DA 8 speed bike.. and Izumi on the fixed.

Wipe and re-oil chain after every wet return ride. Change fixed commuter's chain every 6 months.

Aidy

BruceG wrote:

turnerjohn wrote:

Oh and just for the record SRAM chains are some of the best you can buy (not made from cardboard). I use them and KMC...stay clear of shimano ones as their utter rubbish !

Dont KMC and Shimano work closely together? so close that KMC make the shimano chains and it becomes a badge engineering exercise after that? therefore your statement has little meriit

KMC chains are definitely a different design to Shimano ones, whether or not they're made together or not. It's not just badging.

I've not had a problem with SRAM chains either. Seem solid and tend to last me a while, more than I can say about the Shimano chains.

simon_e

The times I have experienced most wear and corrosion is when I haven't washed the bike each week after the council have been gritting. It's a killer. Fortunately, the 12 year old steel MTB is shrugging off the road salt and mud from the lanes better than the road bike did last winter.

Whether it gets a wash or not, I usually have to lube the chain and wipe the rims every week. The chain, a worn SRAM PC48, starts getting noisy and needs feeding. All it requires is thorough rubbing with an old rag until it's bone dry then a light feed of Green Oil applied using a toothbrush (helps get it between rollers without using 1/2 a pint each time). I also run the rag between the cassette teeth to stop the grime building up there. The whole job takes less than 10 minutes.

vorsprung

I put on a new SRAM 1/8" chain on Monday night. It looked a bit dry on thursday so I fed it some 3 in 1. When I cleaned the bike on saturday there was already some rust on the chain. The roads are so wet and salty it's tough out there. Chain now has a double dose of Finishline Green on it. And it didn't rain today

W1

It's brake blocks for me - new ones went on on 19th December - didn't cycle over Christmas/new year - now need replacing again!