On Tue, 2010-09-28 at 19:03 -0700, MobileBill wrote: > The questions: Could it be that cassettes and chain rings have become > remarkably less durable in the past XX years? Are lightweight high end > cassettes and chain rings more or less durable than lower end rings? > Or have the indents and carvings on the hyperglide systems made > components more vulnerble to wear? Is it that modern cassettes and > rings are machine (laser?) cut whereas the old freewheels were hand > cut? Any significant difference in manufacturers (shimano vs. sram?) > Or am I just making this up? > The situation: I'm kind of appalled that I've managed to wear > serious shark's fins in my middle, 36T, ring in fewer than 3,500 > miles. Cassette is just as bad. Should have changed em out a 1,000 > miles ago. Both are Riv standard issue, which is at the low end of the > shimano scale (HG30), and would presumably be heavier and perhaps more > durable than the super lightweights at the upper end of the scale (HG > 70). It's a rough world on my commute, frequent stops and quick > accelerations, grinding hills, frequent rains and lots of additional > weight from computers, groceries and what not. But the transmission > gets frequent maintenance, and I have freewheels and chain rings that > are very nearly two decades old and still useable. > Implications: At this rate, I'm going to be replacing cassette and > one to two chain rings (not to mention the chain) twice! each year on > the beloved Saluki. Is it time to reassess whether cassette and chain > ring improvements are really an improvement? Are there transmission > components more appropriate for Riv riders who have little use for the > racing style refinements of modern cassettes and chainrings?
I'm using those same Hyperglide components -- typically XTR (cranks) and XT, cassettes usually Ultegra or HG70 and have been doing so for quite some time. I have tens of thousands of miles on chain rings, and I usually get many thousands of miles on chains and cassettes. On the other hand, I used to get no more than 2-3000 miles on a freewheel back in the 70s and 80s. -- 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.
