Chain and tyre replacement.. How many miles?

lofty102

Hello all,
I've covered around 1000 miles on my bike since getting it 10 months ago and just wondered, after how many miles should I be changing my chain and tyres before they break/burst while out on a ride. My current tyres are Kenda Kaliente which are excellent. The chain has been (quite)well looked after, cleaned and lubed weekly and the bike has been serviced twice by my LBS.
Thanks for any info/advice

monkimark

Chain and tyre wear will depend on a number of factors other than just miles.
Something like this is a good investment for measuring chain wear http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... +Indicator

chris_bass

I'm considering ering changing my tyres even though ive not had any p**ctures yet. they are starting to get cut up and have done a lot more miles than i was expecting so they dont owe me anything. does anyone else do this, or do you wait for p**ctures to start before changing?

marcusjb

As Monkimark alluded to - there are so many factors involved in wear of both tyres and chains.

Tyres - depends on your riding area and what kind of roads you ride on to quite a large degree. The typical wear pattern is for the back tyre to wear out quicker (it's carrying much more of the weight and more likely to spin when climbing in greasy conditions etc.). So, when the rear tyre is tired (by which I mean you'll be able to see it's tread (if it has any) is worn away and you might also start to see a dramatic increase in the number of punctures), take the front tyre and move it to the rear wheel. Get a new front tyre.
It is more important to have a decent amount of grip left on the front tyre (as it deals with steering etc.), so a new tyre should always go up front.

Chains - look after them and they do last a decent distance especially if you buy a decent chain. Get a measurement tool - they're not perfect, but they are a reasonable guide. Order in a chain at .75%, replace before the 1% marker. Should average around 4 chains per cassette roughly.

simon_masterson

marcusjb wrote:

As Monkimark alluded to - there are so many factors involved in wear of both tyres and chains.

Tyres - depends on your riding area and what kind of roads you ride on to quite a large degree. The typical wear pattern is for the back tyre to wear out quicker (it's carrying much more of the weight and more likely to spin when climbing in greasy conditions etc.). So, when the rear tyre is tired (by which I mean you'll be able to see it's tread (if it has any) is worn away and you might also start to see a dramatic increase in the number of punctures), take the front tyre and move it to the rear wheel. Get a new front tyre.
It is more important to have a decent amount of grip left on the front tyre (as it deals with steering etc.), so a new tyre should always go up front.

Chains - look after them and they do last a decent distance especially if you buy a decent chain. Get a measurement tool - they're not perfect, but they are a reasonable guide. Order in a chain at .75%, replace before the 1% marker. Should average around 4 chains per cassette roughly.

Spot on.

Tyres will vary in how long they last. Different rubber/TPI/pressure/size/roads will all have an effect, but suffice to say you will know - this isn't a matter of 'should replace after...'. I've had my current set of Gatorskins on the main bike since this time last year, and there seems to be some life in them yet. My chains last ages and so do my freewheels, but that's one of the benefits of using a 5 speed transmission. I use Green Oil degreaser regularly which keeps the chain working nicely.