How long should chains last?

rch30

Bought Specialized Allez Elite March this year. A month ago it developed a "clicking" from the chain area, at the time not sure whether from front or rear mechanism. Gears adjusted by shop from where I bought the bike, problem continued. Second visit to bike shop diagnosed freewheel unit defective needed replacing, new one ordered from Specialized under warranty. Defective unit replaced but also told that chain had been replaced as well. I expressed surprise at this and was asked how many miles I had done to which I replied roughly 1,000. Told chain should last between 800 to 1,000 miles. Other cyclists have said that this is wrong and chain should last a lot longer. Who is correct? Or is this a problem with Shimano chains? I have Shimano Tiagra gear on this bike.

John.T

Chain life depends greatly on how it is used. In winter conditions that is quite reasonable. One used in summer only in mainly dry conditions will last much longer, up to 6000 miles.
I can usually get 2000 from my winter chains and still save the cassette.
The best way to keep check is to measure the chain regularly. Put presure on the drive side pedal and measure 12" from one pin centre. If the pin centre nearest 12" is less than 1/16" away then it is OK for now. Most chain wear guages do not do it as acurately as this as they take roller wear into account. Roller wear,while important, does not cause sprocket wear.

sparkins1972

Do you split the chain regularly to clean it in winter? I have always just sprayed degreaser on and used a toothbrush on it but am starting to pay more attention to looking after my bike and am not sure if spliiting the chain will help keep it cleaner and therefore last longer?

John.T

No, but I wash it and the rest of the drive train with parafin when it gets blathered. I then spray with Muck Off to disolve the parafin and hose off. I then spray with WD40 (or similar) and alow to dry. I finish off with a Teflon based dry lube. I probably do this about every 500 miles depending on conditions. Works for me.

balthazar

rch30 wrote:

Told chain should last between 800 to 1,000 miles.

That is an impossibly precise estimate. Because it is exposed, chain wear is entirely condition-dependent. ( At the extremes, in an enclosed oil bath a chain might last for hundreds of thousands of miles – yet one filled with an abrasive slurry of road grit, mud and oil might be destroyed after a hundred).

If a modern chain is attentively cleaned, then in general use I guess a few thousand miles is achievable before it wears out. Plenty prefer not to clean their chains thoroughly and replace it earlier instead. That depends on your view of the expense, and how often you ride your bike.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/chain-care.html

TuckerUK

Bike and rider weight/strength must come into play too.

All other things being equal (which of course they never are) a lighter rider on a lighter bike will put less wear on a chain than a rider twice the weight riding a bike twice the weight. Then there is the original quality of the chain to consider, and the quality of any lubricants used.

Pokerface

If chains only last 800 miles I'd be replacing mine once a month! I usually replace them twice a year - but also try and keep them clean (once a week in dry and once a day in wet conditions).

Bozman

I'm with Mr Pokerface on this one, there have been a couple of recent posts on this subject and folk have been claiming 500 miles for a chain! I went off on a rant, i used dura ace and i've just swapped to fsa slk light 10s for a change and these chains last 1000s of miles if you look after them.. clean/lube them, good chain alignment and use the right gear!

rch30

With my allez I always wipped the chain down after every ride, if it was a wet ride or I could see debris on the chain or the rear mech I took the wheel off and thoroughly cleaned the cogs. I was always careful to check chain alignment ensuring that I was in the right gear at the front to avoid misalignment of chain.

My question is, is 1,000 miles reasonable? The danger I suppose is to keep the chain going longer as some people seem to do and risk damaging the cassette and/or the front cogs.

It would appear that there is a big disparity between the life of chains that different users seem to get.

CiB

1000 miles isn't reasonable for normal use. I already said this in the other chain thread, but FWIW here goes again. Buy two chains, swap them every 1500 miles or so and you'll get a lot longer overall life from the transmission as you aren't fitting a brand new chain to a worn cassette at 3000+ miles. I'm now close to swapping back to the first chain at 4500 miles in, and don't expect any problems.

Cleaning chains doesn't need to be OCD. A good wipe down with a rag soaked in GT85 or similar will remove the worst of the crud that builds up on wet rides. Occasionally remove the chain and cassette, give it all the beans to make it look like new, soak the chain in light oil overnight, wipe & refit and it'll be ok for a few more rides till it needs a wipe down again.

By their nature chains & gears are external items that need lube, so they're going to get a bit dirty and need a bit of looking after. I'd be a bit miffed though if I was only getting 1000 miles out of a chain.

jgsi

Specialized now use KMC on the Allez series
take from that what you will

John.T

They gave the best deal.

Bozman

A brown envelope full of dollars changed hands!!! It's the same all the way up to the pro teams, it's all down to back handers.... why do you think that the pro teams use campagnolo!

northpole

Chain wear on a push bike is a bit like pad/ disc or clutch wear on a car - use and abuse differently and they will last hugely different times.

Most important thing with chains in my opinion is to clean and lube them straight after riding in the rain - every time. I don't understand how a chain would wear out within 1k miles if reasonably well looked after.

I suspect that you get some chain geeks in bike shops who are all too willing to encourage you to spend a little extra for peace of mind (and praise of shop manager!).

markos1963

Over the last 3 years I have averaged about 3000 miles on my race bike fitted with 105 gearing. I change the chain(KMC) every season and I am fairly careful about cleaning but not too fussy. I am still on the original cassette. I think a lot of shops get too keen to change transmissions for obvious reasons

danlikesbikes

Pokerface wrote:

If chains only last 800 miles I'd be replacing mine once a month! I usually replace them twice a year - but also try and keep them clean (once a week in dry and once a day in wet conditions).

Tend to agree as if keeping clean regularly should only take a few minutes and makes the chain not only last longer but run smoother and shifting more precise. If you struggle with the whole degreaser then just buy some baby wipes as they do a go job of lifting off the much that accumulates with the grease/oil that builds up on the chain.

sparkins1972

when you refer to 'light oil' what is this? Any specific products, as I can't find anything whne I search.

vision267

My chain was checked 3 weeks ago and the man who checked it said its nearly gone.Thats fair enough he also said that I need a new cassette as well.,is this right?

balthazar

vision267 wrote:

My chain was checked 3 weeks ago and the man who checked it said its nearly gone.Thats fair enough he also said that I need a new cassette as well.,is this right?

You only need a new cassette if a new chain skips under load. Chains should be replaced when they're half-a-percent longer from wear: this is easily measured as one sixteenth too much, over twelve inches of chain. After that stage, chains are effectively riding on one link in their engagement with the sprockets, and will wear the cassette out rapidly. If you intend to replace the cassette at the next chain replacement, then it makes sense to wear the two out together, which might be much more than 1/2 pc worn.

If the man who checked it used a "chain checker" rather than a ruler, then all bets are off. Those things are too imprecise for an accurate assessment.

vision267

balthazar wrote:

vision267 wrote:

My chain was checked 3 weeks ago and the man who checked it said its nearly gone.That's fair enough he also said that I need a new cassette as well.,is this right?

You only need a new cassette if a new chain skips under load. Chains should be replaced when they're half-a-percent longer from wear: this is easily measured as one sixteenth too much, over twelve inches of chain. After that stage, chains are effectively riding on one link in their engagement with the sprockets, and will wear the cassette out rapidly. If you intend to replace the cassette at the next chain replacement, then it makes sense to wear the two out together, which might be much more than 1/2 pc worn.

If the man who checked it used a "chain checker" rather than a ruler, then all bets are off. Those things are too imprecise for an accurate assessment.

Man used a chain checker,look this is a silly question is it easy to replace a chain?Will I need special tools to do it?Its a shimano ultegra chain I looked at the cassette it looks to be in perfect order.Ok looking at a cassette is probably very imprecise I suppose.There seems to be no sign of wear at all.

Its only when I put on a new chain and it skips under load will I really know if my cassette needs replacing,is that right.

plowmar

Just had my 105 drivetrain - chain, cassette and two of front triple replaced. Apparently chain was well gone but only noticed skipping fortnight ago. Had in past used chain stretch tool but not for a while.

Nearly 6000 miles on the clock though on a year round bike and now only wet or winter since january. LBS implicated that that was double he would expect. :? :?

balthazar

vision267 wrote:

Man used a chain checker,look this is a silly question is it easy to replace a chain?Will I need special tools to do it?Its a shimano ultegra chain I looked at the cassette it looks to be in perfect order.Ok looking at a cassette is probably very imprecise I suppose.There seems to be no sign of wear at all.

Its only when I put on a new chain and it skips under load will I really know if my cassette needs replacing,is that right.

It's very easy to replace a chain. You'll need a chain breaking too to remove the old one, and to shorten the new one to the correct length (measure from the old); however, I'd suggests buying a chain with a manual attachment link. KMC are popular and there are often deals on Mavic ones, which I've used many times.

Your cassette is probably fine. Worn-out sprockets have visibly worn teeth, and will skip a new chain under load. This won't damage the chain, but signifies that you'd need a new cassette.

Look at the Park Tools website, they no doubt have a pictorial guide on replacing the chain.

CiB

sparkins1972 wrote:

when you refer to 'light oil' what is this? Any specific products, as I can't find anything whne I search.

I buy stuff from my local hardware shop. It's in a green plastic bottle with a red pourer tube on top, costs a whole shiny English pound and is conveniently labelled 'Cycle Oil'.