How long should components last?

futuresbright

Had a stumpjumper fsr for about 8 months and in the last few weeks have started replacing components.

New BB, chain, jockey wheels, rear cassette,wheels rebuilt (crap nipples) so far.

Is this a normal timescale? Not moaning about it as it gets ridden hard a few times a week rain or shine but i do keep it clean and lubed.

Didnt bother taking it back to shop as i didnt think any of these would be under warranty?

Should things last a bit longer or maybe less?

cooldad

Depends. Have an '88 Rockhopper, still on it's original BB, cranks, wheels, hubs and I think cassette.
So somewhere between 6 months and 25 years.
External BB I would hope for a year or more. Chain and jockey wheels depends on use, not time.
And conditions.
Nipples a long time unless they are rubbish aluminium ones.

supersonic

How many miles? How much do you weigh?

futuresbright

cooldad wrote:

Depends. Have an '88 Rockhopper, still on it's original BB, cranks, wheels, hubs and I think cassette.
So somewhere between 6 months and 25 years.
External BB I would hope for a year or more. Chain and jockey wheels depends on use, not time.
And conditions.
Nipples a long time unless they are rubbish aluminium ones.

crap aluminium ones!! replaced with stainless now, at least i can now straighten without stripping nipples.

futuresbright

supersonic wrote:

How many miles? How much do you weigh?

Between 40-60 mainly offroad miles a week,all weathers, anything from local bridleways to trail centres.

6ft 2 and 16 stone so i think this is the major factor along with me riding fairly hard.

supersonic

All sounds about normal! Drivetrain parts can be hit particularly hard, and Speshes wheels are notoriously poor!

nicklouse

futuresbright wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Depends. Have an '88 Rockhopper, still on it's original BB, cranks, wheels, hubs and I think cassette.
So somewhere between 6 months and 25 years.
External BB I would hope for a year or more. Chain and jockey wheels depends on use, not time.
And conditions.
Nipples a long time unless they are rubbish aluminium ones.

crap aluminium ones!! replaced with stainless now, at least i can now straighten without stripping nipples.

I hope there are not stainless.

futuresbright

nicklouse wrote:

futuresbright wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Depends. Have an '88 Rockhopper, still on it's original BB, cranks, wheels, hubs and I think cassette.
So somewhere between 6 months and 25 years.
External BB I would hope for a year or more. Chain and jockey wheels depends on use, not time.
And conditions.
Nipples a long time unless they are rubbish aluminium ones.

crap aluminium ones!! replaced with stainless now, at least i can now straighten without stripping nipples.

I hope there are not stainless.

I meant brass :oops:

.blitz

Sounds fairly normal tbh

Was following a Spesh of some description - one of those with the red wheels that the comics go gaga over - for a short distance :twisted: yesterday and I could see the rear wheel flexing so much it was almost s-shaped at times

Anonymous

Frequency of cassette, jockey and chainring replacement might be reduced by replacing the chain more frequently.

Watch out with cleaning also. Blasting away with a jet wash and/or using certain cleaning liquids around bearing areas can wash out the grease and then the bearings can wear down.

8 months could be about right for chainset. Had mine a couple of years and gone through two chains, two cassettes and one middle chainring. Granny ring has had far less wear. Got rid of the big ring for a bash.

Replacement middle chainring is standard cheap steel which lasts ages. Chains, nothing more than standard SRAM 951 and cassette 950.

Wheel nipples on the other hand sounds not so good. Aside for a minor bit of re-truing on mine thanks to many crashes, the wheels are fine.

miss notax

Sounds about right to me....

I have just had to replace my chain, cassette and two middle and big ring plus wheel and main pivot bearings. Ouch :shock:

My bikes only been built for about a year but we ride at least twice a week rain or shine, mostly in the New Forest which has a lot of sand which just destroys your chainset

I possibly could have got a few more months life out of it, but we're off to Morzine next week and I didn't want anything breaking over there (where it would no doubt cost a lot more to fix!)!

gilesjuk

>New BB, chain, jockey wheels, rear cassette,wheels rebuilt (crap nipples) so far.

Bottom Bracket - Depends which sort. The better sealed they are the longer they last. Square taper are still the longest lasting in most peoples experience. All of the newer external systems appear to have inferior sealing. It seems (to cynical old me anyway) to be like a move towards getting more income by making things last a shorter time (Printer ink?).

ISIS/octalink are the worst. Tiny bearings due to the shaft being much larger than square taper.

Jockey wheels - They are poorly sealed on all mechs, the low end ones tend to have larger metal wheels. The higher end ones are smaller plastic wheels (lighter but less durable.

Rear cassette - Again, depends what it is made of. If it is lighter softer metal then it will chew up faster. Steel ones seem to last a long time but are often cheap and not 9 speed.

Wheels - They tend to be rubbish on Specialized IMHO. They often have aluminium nipples which are lighter (a few grams in total) but not reusable and softer.

Did you clean your chain much? a dirty stretched chain will accelerate drive chain wear.

futuresbright

Thanks for all replies, seems about normal from what i can gather, not just me then.

To be honest after replacing parts my bike feels better than it has done for ages, well worth the small expense IMO.

Poor things going to get hammered this weekend

diy

IME there is nothing wrong with a jet wash as long as you have it on a fine spray.

I ride 60-80 off road miles a week, but 10 in the mud is worth 100 in the dry for wear.

Jockeys wear quickly - the cnc's last better
Wheels - get some stans flows - in 2 years I've not even trued them.
BB's I clean and re-grease them every 3 months
chains - about 8-12 months but 100-150 miles in the mud and they are toast.
cassettes - I tend to buy chain and sprocket bundles together. So have a collection of half worn cassettes.
brake pads Kevlar - 50-100 miles in the wet 500 in the dry
sintered about 2-3 times the above


I'm 4 stone lighter than you though, so I reckon you are doing well.

Anonymous

diy wrote:

IME there is nothing wrong with a jet wash as long as you have it on a fine spray.

They're fine generally, it's just a high pressure jet directed directly at bearings is where the problems can occur.

That said it's more with non-sealed bearings that I've had problems. Used to do a jet on mine and even at low pressure it destroyed the headset in no time doing so. Immediately after washing the headset would be grinding away and I'd have to strip it down to regrease the bearings. Sometimes I couldn't be bothered and they wore away. Caged bearings.

Replaced with better quality one with sealed cartridge and no problem now.

As you say, a fine spray should be fine.

omegas

nicklouse wrote:

futuresbright wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Depends. Have an '88 Rockhopper, still on it's original BB, cranks, wheels, hubs and I think cassette.
So somewhere between 6 months and 25 years.
External BB I would hope for a year or more. Chain and jockey wheels depends on use, not time.
And conditions.
Nipples a long time unless they are rubbish aluminium ones.

crap aluminium ones!! replaced with stainless now, at least i can now straighten without stripping nipples.

I hope there are not stainless.

Why not stainless ? is it because the spokes are stainless

madmole

I normally do about 50 miles a week on tarmac and 50 off road

Had same bike for last 5 years, so know frequency of replacments well

Chains:3 a year. I use wax lubes not oil and relube each ride. very rare I have to clean chain. I chainge at 75% wear to protect rest of drivetrain
Rear Cassette: Still original XT
Front Chainwheels: original Shimanos wore in 3 months, replaced with good anodised ceramics and they are still perfect after 4 years of use
BB: Replaced last year with ceramic bearings, original was still ok (external)
Brake pads: every 2 years, normally still plenty of wear left
Rear Derailer: replace XT with XTR this year, very slight wear
Jocky wheels: replaced with CNC 4 years ago
Front derailer: XT replaced with XTR this year, no wear
Shifters: XT replaced with XTR this year, no wear
Wheels: Handbuilt by me, 5 years old, trued once now

I service my bike a lot though, and as I run a bike service business I kind of have to keep it perfect as its a portable showroom

Biggest killer to parts is a dirty worn chain. I hate oil on chains, it just attracts dirt especially fine dust which just abrades them, the cogs etc. I prefer to clean a new chain to remove all the grease/oil and then use wax (a lot and often), whole drivechain stays much cleaner and lasts longer. With front chainwheels its definately worth getting hard anodised rings, they do last a lot longer

shm_uk

futuresbright wrote:

Should things last a bit longer or maybe less?

i have a piece of string here. How long is it?

futuresbright

shm_uk wrote:

futuresbright wrote:

Should things last a bit longer or maybe less?

i have a piece of string here. How long is it?

Its rude to thread hijack, please open your own thread to get your own questions answered