For the love of your chain

thecycleclinic
thecycleclinic Posts: 395
edited July 2020 in Road buying advice
For the love of your drive train buy a chain wear indicator, if you use campag buy a vernier and follow there instructions.

We see alot of bikes with shagged drivetrains. Regardless of whether you do your own maintainence or hand the bike over you need to monitor chain wear to know it needs replacing.

With campag chains I religiously replace the chain when it reaches there wear limit as I know from experience if I leave it I ruin cassettes quickly. With kmc chains they get replaced at the 0.5% wear mark to maximise chainset and chainring life.

It does not matter if you have a cheap or expensive bike chain wear indicators save drive trains. I know there is a crowd who insist on measuring with a ruler like it's a spiritual thing but it's also not necessary. For all people measuring in the above ways is sufficient to avoid wrecking cassettes and chainring before there time. Chainging chains a bit early maximise the life of other drivetrain parts.

Chains are consumable.

Also keep them clean. Please keep them clean. A clean chain lasts longer. Lubricants that pick up crude do have a habit of wearing your drivetrain quicker than lubricants that pick up less crude.

For the love of your chain take care of it. If you can afford a 5 grand bike you can also afford a chain wear indicator. If you can afford a pint at a pub you can afford a chain wear indicator.
www.thecycleclinic.co.uk

Comments

  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    thecycleclinic said:

    For the love of your drive train buy a chain wear indicator, if you use campag buy a vernier and follow there instructions..........................

    What are the instructions?
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,320
    Wise words, I left mine a bit too long through the winter so made a decision to just leave it knowing I will have to replace the cassette. Not too worried as it's only a 105 so not silly money. I tend to keep a spare chain and cassette in stock anyway.
    I was wondering if that applied to Campag chains or geartrain. Do you have to use Campag chains? I only have old Nuovo Record of theirs which is not as fussy as modern stuff.
    I found this which goes into lots of detail, it says use the internal measurement on a vernier and compare new to worn.
    https://cyclingtips.com/2019/08/bicycle-chain-wear-and-checking-for-it/
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,773
    veronese68 said:


    I was wondering if that applied to Campag chains or geartrain. Do you have to use Campag chains? I only have old Nuovo Record of theirs which is not as fussy as modern stuff.

    I have been using mostly KMC on Chorus and Athena 11 speed for years.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • thecycleclinic
    thecycleclinic Posts: 395
    edited July 2020
    darkhairedlord said:

    thecycleclinic said:

    For the love of your drive train buy a chain wear indicator, if you use campag buy a vernier and follow there instructions..........................

    What are the instructions?
    Read the booklet that comes with you campagnolo chain. In there between 6 outer link the length should be no more than 132.6mm. This does jot work on other chain though. It equates for a campag chain to about 0.5% wear. 0.5% wear on other chain is higher number.

    I have used and do use kmc chajn on my campag 10 and 11 speed drive train. Wear life is shorter and the is a bit more noise. So it makes sense only with the kmc x12 chains. The more expensive KFC's are no cheaper than a record chain, dont last as long and result in more noise.
    www.thecycleclinic.co.uk
  • fatted864
    fatted864 Posts: 67
    Do you need to use the Campag UT-CN300 Chain Tool with Campag chains?
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,773
    I use quick links with zero problems.
    Biggest issue is with Campagnolo instructions. The use of "...may cause accidents, physical injury and death." in nearly every paragraph is a bit OT legal protection.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • shortfall
    shortfall Posts: 3,288
    fatted864 said:

    Do you need to use the Campag UT-CN300 Chain Tool with Campag chains?

    I bought a tool off eBay that cost about a tenner and does the same job. I use kmc and Campagnolo chains and in my experience they're equally good. YMMV
  • masjer
    masjer Posts: 2,564
    I agree with swapping chains early to avoid wear (on new/er components) but not scrapping them. When chainrings / cassettes / chains become part worn (0.5%-0.75%), I just reuse the whole set on my winter bike. My last 3 chains (shimano 105) lasted 9000 miles each (when regularly rotated) on the same cassette (27000 miles) without any problems. I use boil wax so the chain wear rate is low. If all parts are already part worn it's free motoring.
    The chains won't skip on the cassette if regularly rotated.
    For me, the best way to measure chain wear is to remove the chain, hang in from a nail along with a new chain. This gives a visual indication of chain wear along the whole length of the chain and ignores the issue of roller wear that most chain gauges don't account for.
  • davebradswmb
    davebradswmb Posts: 461
    This page advises that a Campagnolo chain should not be removed unnecessarily, and it's a costly operation anyway as you need to buy a new pin. It also warns that you must use their tool or else the chain will break. I recently changed to Campagnolo chains on both my bikes, 9 speed on one and 11 speed on the other, and bought myself a special Lezyne chain tool which claims to be able to pein the pin on the 11 speed chain, and it seems to have done a good job.
  • coopster_the_1st
    coopster_the_1st Posts: 5,158
    10k miles on my last chain before changing it. Drive train perfectly fine with the new chain which is now a few thousand miles old.

    The hobby is cycling, not measuring chain wear, or regularly changing or cleaning chains. I don't have time for OCD in my cycling hobby.
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    coopster_the_1st said:

    10k miles on my last chain before changing it. Drive train perfectly fine with the new chain which is now a few thousand miles old.

    The hobby is cycling, not measuring chain wear, or regularly changing or cleaning chains. I don't have time for OCD in my cycling hobby.

    You got 10,000 miles out of a chain? Do you weigh five kilos, ride exclusively in a vacuum sealed room and have an FTP of about 20 watts? 😳
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • coopster_the_1st
    coopster_the_1st Posts: 5,158
    cruff said:

    coopster_the_1st said:

    10k miles on my last chain before changing it. Drive train perfectly fine with the new chain which is now a few thousand miles old.

    The hobby is cycling, not measuring chain wear, or regularly changing or cleaning chains. I don't have time for OCD in my cycling hobby.

    You got 10,000 miles out of a chain? Do you weigh five kilos, ride exclusively in a vacuum sealed room and have an FTP of about 20 watts? 😳
    Summer bike so was generally only ridden in good, dry conditions. It was dragging 85kg+ around the Chilterns so plenty of steep stuff.

    I'm sure the chain would have failed a wear indicator after 1 or 2k but it was running fine. Changed it at 10k because I could feel the wear on it (started to lose its smooth feel under pressure)
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 5,845
    edited July 2020
    Feeling a bit guilty here for finally replacing the chain and cassette on Sunday, after the old ones had been on there for ~20 months of dry (and more indoor riding than I would have liked), approx 7000 miles...

    I need to double check, but I think the 50T chainring teeth might be a bit worn, had a few "crunch" noise moments when putting down feable MAMIL peak-ish power (think sub 800W). Sub 600W seemed absolutely solid on the 34T ring earlier, which kind of makes sense, because the gradients I've been happy riding in 50/28 have increased over the three years I've had the Cube road bike.
    ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,773
    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    ...because the gradients I've been happy riding in 50/28 have increased over the three years I've had the Cube road bike.

    Crossing the chain isn't a good idea, especially at high watts.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 5,845
    pblakeney said:

    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    ...because the gradients I've been happy riding in 50/28 have increased over the three years I've had the Cube road bike.

    Crossing the chain isn't a good idea, especially at high watts.
    28 was my second largest cog on that 11-32, which I thought was ok?

    New cassette is 11-34, which is great for climbing gear sprockets...
    11-13-15-17-19-21-24-27-30-34
    ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,773
    50/28 = 34/19 which would be straighter, more efficient and wear cogs & chains less.
    Crossover on your new cassette will be 50/24 & 34/17.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,744
    If I'm doing decent mileage I tend to get a new chain when I get the best bike out in Spring. Keep it reasonably clean then maybe 3k miles on it I reckon it should be about ready for replacing. I have got a chain checker somewhere though.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • brundonbianchi
    brundonbianchi Posts: 689
    I’m careful to change the 12 speed chains on my best bike as soon as they hit 12-1/16 inches over 12 links. Much more than that and they risk killing the cassettes, and given the cost of the cassettes compared to the chains, it’s a no brainer. I’ll quite happily let the chains on my old 10 speed commuter / winter / station hack go to 12-1/8, as the cassettes don’t cost so much.
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    brundonbianchi said:

    I’m careful to change the 12 speed chains on my best bike as soon as they hit 12-1/16 inches over 12 links. Much more than that and they risk killing the cassettes, and given the cost of the cassettes compared to the chains, it’s a no brainer. I’ll quite happily let the chains on my old 10 speed commuter / winter / station hack go to 12-1/8, as the cassettes don’t cost so much.

    How many 12sp chains have gotten through then?
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Given his alleged mileage in the past about one a week.
  • brundonbianchi
    brundonbianchi Posts: 689
    darkhairedlord said:

    brundonbianchi said:

    I’m careful to change the 12 speed chains on my best bike as soon as they hit 12-1/16 inches over 12 links. Much more than that and they risk killing the cassettes, and given the cost of the cassettes compared to the chains, it’s a no brainer. I’ll quite happily let the chains on my old 10 speed commuter / winter / station hack go to 12-1/8, as the cassettes don’t cost so much.

    How many 12sp chains have gotten through then?
    I’m on my second, in 3 months.

  • brundonbianchi
    brundonbianchi Posts: 689
    edited July 2020
    webboo said:

    Given his alleged mileage in the past about one a week.

    Thankfully, I’m on an easy year ( due to Covid mostly) and only using the ‘best bike’ sparingly.
  • yellowv2
    yellowv2 Posts: 282
    edited July 2020
    Never misses the opportunity to everyone about his new "Best Bike" either!
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    brundonbianchi said:

    darkhairedlord said:

    brundonbianchi said:

    I’m careful to change the 12 speed chains on my best bike as soon as they hit 12-1/16 inches over 12 links. Much more than that and they risk killing the cassettes, and given the cost of the cassettes compared to the chains, it’s a no brainer. I’ll quite happily let the chains on my old 10 speed commuter / winter / station hack go to 12-1/8, as the cassettes don’t cost so much.

    How many 12sp chains have gotten through then?
    I’m on my second, in 3 months.

    So you've only changed a 12sp chain once then?
  • jafaarfathiiXifcz8_9
    jafaarfathiiXifcz8_9 Posts: 2
    What kind of Lubricants do you recommend? is it really important?
    My Article About Bike & Cycling: Alamto Magazine
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,773
    jafaarfathiiXifcz8_9 said:

    What kind of Lubricants do you recommend? is it really important?

    Yes it is important. The choice is vast though. Do your own research.
    I'd recommend using the search function for "lubricant".
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Charlie_Croker
    Charlie_Croker Posts: 1,698
    What pb said ^
    It's important to clean your chain on a regular basis too

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