I clean the chain every couple of hundred miles, or sooner if I've gone through wet & mud. I ride 10 miles of dirt roads almost every day, so even with fenders, my chains get dirty. I use the Park tool on my chains and find that I got about 1500 miles out of Shimano chains, so I consider 2500 - 3000 miles pretty good. Most mechanics, and all mfg. recommend chains be replaced at about 1500 miles. I don't often ride with a bike computer and don't keep any mileage log, but I know that I do about 3500 miles commuting each season, and have never pushed a chain longer than that. A worn chain will wear out the cogs much faster, and I find that if I push a chain too far, it will damage the 12 tooth cog enough to cause skipping. I also use two sets of wheels, so am using multiple cassettes and that might make a difference too.
michael On Jun 9, 10:18 am, palin...@his.com wrote: > Quoting MichaelH <mhech...@gmail.com>: > > > > > > > I don't run a single speed, so maybe my thoughts are not relevant. I > > am also aware of Grant's point of view - a chain is just a chain. > > But, my experience is different. I have tried Shimano, SRAM and > > Connex chains and have found that the connex are worth the $35 I pay > > for them. I get the stainless steel ones(908??) and found they have > > three big advantages. First, they seem to last a long time. I > > measure the chain once a month or so and have found I can push these > > chains out to 2500 miles before they need to be replaced. Second, > > they hold up very well in wet conditions. I ride in a lot rain, > > especially while commuting, and don't want a chain that will rust and > > freeze after one good rain, even if I'm not through enough drying them > > right away. Third, the Connex quick links work much better than SRAM, > > which I find very difficult to open, and way better than Shimano's > > replacement link. I prefer silver chains because it's easier to look > > at them and know right away when they need to be cleaned, which I do > > about once a week. I have to admit I've never thought about the > > weight of a chain but know they make hollow pin chains for the super > > weight conscious racing crowd, but I've never felt a need to be that > > silly. > > I have no issue with silver chains -- I like them, too, although I've > never had a stainless steel one -- and I like Connex links, although > in my experience there's no difference in ease of opening compared > with SRAM, they both work fine in my book. But I do have to wonder: > 2500 miles isn't much mileage. How do you arrive at the conclusion > that the chains need replacement? Is it based on measured wear? And > what is your maintenance regimen? > > I ask because I just replaced a couple of chains, a 9 speed and a > 7/88. Both had over 6,000 miles of wear and neither showed any > elongation, either by ruler measurement or by the Park gauge. They'd > both gotten extremely flexible from side to side, I'd lost a roller > from the end of each, and on both bikes shifting (index on the 9, > friction on the 7) had become sloppy. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
