Giant problem.....

m1tch666

Ok, my mate was out with us this morning and his chain was jumping......the bike is four months old and already has had a cassette and chain replaced because of this same issue. My pal thought his gears were needing adjusted so on our route we detoured to a local bike shop (very helpful guys). He quickly put the bike on the stand and checked all the gears, nothing out too much to cause issues, followed my pal out and watched as he spun it round the car park.......clunk.......that's not a gearing issue says our local guy. Back in the shop he has another look...... checks the chain, says its worn well past its change time, and your rear cassette is worn as well, I would have both replaced.....

My pal explained the bike was four months old and had already had a new rear cassette and chain fitted 6 weeks ago.....take it back again was the advice.

My question are.....

We ride xc, no drastic abuse, pretty steady......my bikes 14 months old and hasn't skipped a beat, chain still not needing replaced yet (trusty chain checker)

What would cause chain and cassette to wear out so quick? Could there be an underlying cause that throwing new chains and cassettes at isn't revealing?

It's a Giant 29'er he rides..........

nicklouse

a giant what?

andrewjoseph

I usually get through 2-3 chains in a year, a new cassette lasts me about 12- 18 months.

There are so many variables, chain cleaning regime, how often it is ridden, in what conditions, what lube and how often.

But the time interval you have stated does sound excessive. Does your friend clean the bike/ drivetrain regularly?

m1tch666

nicklouse wrote:

a giant what?

Giant Talon 29'er

m1tch666

andrewjoseph wrote:

I usually get through 2-3 chains in a year, a new cassette lasts me about 12- 18 months.

There are so many variables, chain cleaning regime, how often it is ridden, in what conditions, what lube and how often.

But the time interval you have stated does sound excessive. Does your friend clean the bike/ drivetrain regularly?

The bike gets washed after every ride, he uses it for his work (20 road miles all in) but goes out at least twice a week for 15 to 20 miles of xc. We've been to Glentress once and Carron Valley a couple of times but no drop offs or jumps.....we're not at a skill level where we'd push our bikes to that level......

He always lubes after every wash......although I've mentioned that gt85 isn't enough for his chain.......even if you use it before every ride, but that's my opinion......sun, rain, mud.....all the time......all conditions.....

andrewjoseph

he uses gt85 as his lube?

it's not the best but i don't think even using gt85/wd40 should account for the wear he's getting, unless the the chain is dry and squeaky 10 mins into the ride.

Drop off's/jumps etc wouldn't have any bearing, it's riding with the chain not adequately lubed/cleaned that causes wear at this rate.

This is all presuming that the bike shops have diagnosed the problem correctly.

Have they checked the mech hanger? if it's bent that can cause chain problems.

Bluebaws

Guys , thanks for the advice. Have signed up for the forum on the back of it. To give you an update , Dales in Glasgow replaced the cassette (up graded) and the chain. I've moved onto a wet lube as I can see the logic with the gt85 being too light for the xc runs I do. Made a difference already as I do feel it shifting better.

The guys in Dales were excellent and although they were scratching their heads at how quickly the parts had worn out they replaced them without any qualms.

Thanks for the advice lads , much appreciated.

getprg

My mate used to use WD40 as his drivetrain/chain oil - he ended up snapping two chains through excessive pin wear in 18 months - one on a very busy road, uphill, out of the saddle and in front of a car - danger to life!!!!!

Use oil, not a dispersant, for oiling chains - even old "3 in 1" would be better than WD40/GT85 - don't take my word for it check this out:

http://bicycletutor.com/no-wd40-bike-chain/

Bluebaws

It was TF2 I used.

http://weldtite.co.uk/products/detail/t ... flon-400ml

To be honest I've used it on all my old bikes and not had an issue until now. Moved to this



Is that more like it or is there anything else you recommend?

cooldad

Messy stuff. Prefer wax based like Squirt.

getprg

Moved to this





Is that more like it or is there anything else you recommend?

+1 - I use the aerosol version. Used same can now for 3 years - it's nearly empty now. Especially good for winter commute (with mudguards though) and for wet/muddy off road. It works in the summer as well of course.

andrewjoseph

I like whitelightening Epic, but now using finishline ceramic.

with all lubes it's best to apply sparingly and then wipe off excess. Wait a while and then really wipe off excess. you shouldn't see much lube on the plates and rollers.

anjs

The wet stuff will pick up all kinds of dirt and turn it into a black grinding paste over time. In the summer its better to use a synthethic or "dry" lube I find.