Cassette & Six Chains
- Thread starter Marchrider
- Start date
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fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
No way would I risk a cheap chain. SRAM, Shimano or KMC here. On my commuter I run a cassette and chain and replace both once a year. My MTB I tend to run two chains, and swap over after a big ride (the other chain then gets cleaned and lubed). That's it, the other bikes just as and when as they aren't getting the same abuse.
OP
OP
Marchrider
Über Member
Never had a chain snap or fail in any other way than wore out
Where did the crack appear on yours ? inner plate, outer plate, did the crack run to the rivet/pin hole ?
doing a google search for snapped chains shows a lot of chains that have pulled apart (probably due to not being joined together correctly) but I see a few quick links that have snapped / sheared apart
OP
OP
Marchrider
Über Member
so had the metal sheared / snapped or had it twisted and pulled away from the pin ?
presta
Legendary Member
Fatigue fracture through the rivet hole, where the stress is the highest:
But where's the control?
OP
OP
Marchrider
Über Member
so have you had one that has failed there, or are you just pointing out the most likely place? I have never seen one sheared like that, often when people say the chain has snapped, it is where the side plate has pulled away from the rivet,
Not sure how you could have a control - I would guess with most bikes, first chain gets to 1.25% / 1.5% starts to slip, and the over worn chain has ruined the cassette,
A careful mechanically minded cyclist will probably get 2 may be even 3 chains out of one cassette, providing they change the chain a bit before 1% (0.75% ideally) but even with this care eventually the cassette becomes too worn to accept a new chain
I'm just curious that if I can match the chains wear matches to cassette wear - how stretched could a chain become and still function correctly?
I did manage to get one out to 2.4% and I am eiteher trying to better that or just recreate that - there will be a limit
A piece broke of where the line is in Presta’s post.
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
It's interesting but kinda meaningless. To make sense of all this we'll have to normalise for mileage. Some of the miles were almost double than the prior reading. Also although we have dates in there, we don't really know what the conditions are. Further, there's no data about cleaning and lubricating. Therefore we cannot compare apples to apples.
Lastly, the further a sprocket (cassette in this case) is from it's start-of-life, the quicker it wears a chain. A new sprocket may get say, 600 miles before the chain is elongated beyond spec, whereas the second chain on that cassette will only getg 550 and so on.
I like this type of stuff, but there's nothing there that allows us to make any conclusions. Sorry Marchrider.
OP
OP
Marchrider
Über Member
Good grief - some of you's are taking my mad observations just a little too seriously, I tried to be tongue in cheek with my earlier comments- it is not meant to be some high brow scientific study of cassette or chain wear - just my obsession in keeping things going for as long and as cheaply as possible. why bin chains at 1% when you get get more than 2%
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Please interpret comments various as a complement - people, me included, find this interesting.
And btw I've had two chains (both KMC) have outer plates break as @presta and @Webbo2 describe. I discovered each radial fracture at a 45 degree angle, and before the chain parted when @mickle ing the chain. The paper (wiping) towel caught: the catalyst for deliberate inspection.
@Webbo2
btw Brrrr!
And btw I've had two chains (both KMC) have outer plates break as @presta and @Webbo2 describe. I discovered each radial fracture at a 45 degree angle, and before the chain parted when @mickle ing the chain. The paper (wiping) towel caught: the catalyst for deliberate inspection.
@Webbo2
btw Brrrr!
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fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
You said it "mad observations". I just maintain my bikes and ride them, I don't log how many miles each chain does etc, I've better things to do with my time.
I still won't buy chains off Amazon or ebay. Has to be an online bike shop, or Decathlon for me. I'm also cautious about brake cables - e.g. Shimano - plenty of copies out there !
I still won't buy chains off Amazon or ebay. Has to be an online bike shop, or Decathlon for me. I'm also cautious about brake cables - e.g. Shimano - plenty of copies out there !
Me too.
Fair play to the OP for his insightful post though, it does make interesting reading.
I'm one of those heathens who changes the cassette and chain once a year.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I do that on the commuter, and usually the big chain ring - I have a spare chainring and cassette 'in stock'. The FS MTB did get a lot of wear as I was riding it a lot after I broke my spine. I suspect I'll be back on it for a while, and the CX bike, so will need to watch the wear on that. It has a relatively expensive cassette and chainring though, both of which I have new spares in 'the box'.
OP
OP
Marchrider
Über Member
I hope there is not a chain fairy in the same way as there is a puncture fairy - this telling the world I have never had a chain snap is worrying
I once had a chain pull apart on a bike I had hired on holiday, but that was the plate coming away from the pin - yep never had such an incident on my bike - LOL, and I am a way out shortly for a couple of hours - (better double check I have chain breaker on bike)
