How Long Do Idlers Last?

[Psamathe]

On my ICE Sprint X with standard idlers as supplied on trike from ICE.

It's now done 12,000 miles and is kept indoors for most of the year (couple of months outside on tour). I have no reason to suspect them but as I head off to Europe on camping tour for a couple of months most years I try and make sure to replace stuff that might be near it's life to make sure it doesn't fail mid tour away from getting replacements fast & easily. (Sometimes I'll put the older part back once home where failure is less of an issue).

Question: How long do idlers generally last. I appreciate it probably depends a lot on many factors but maybe what sort of range of mileages? It has to, do they tend to wear evenly or is one subject to more wear (front one has a slightly larger chain deflection if that's relevant).

Many thanks.

Ian

 

[a.twiddler]

12,000 miles on a set of chain idlers sounds like pretty good going to me. My impression with the two bikes I've had with idlers is that they get a hard life. I only had them for a short time. We never think about the little jockey wheels whizzing around in the rear derailleur yet they seem almost everlasting. Something else usually breaks first. Chain idlers turn more slowly and often have an uneven load so it's a hard life. If they're the same size it might be worth swapping them over to even out the wear.

The people to ask are probably ICE themselves. If they're cheap enough, it might be worth keeping a couple as spares.

 

[Psamathe]

The people to ask are probably ICE themselves. If they're cheap enough, it might be worth keeping a couple as spares.

I do actually have a spare set (purchased at same time as a new set of tubes (lots of smaller orders and delivery costs add-up). So really thinking if I should be changing them before next tour.

I don't like being wasteful with parts but at the same time don't want them failing mid tour. eg I'll sometimes replace perfectly good disk brake pads before heading off and then put the old ones back on when I return home.

Thanks all.

Ian

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Going to depend on whether you replace the chain in a timely fashion. But the power idler will go first, whilst return much longer lasting.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I've just replaced all my drive system, chainrings, chain, sprocket, etc, on my ICE sprint.
The chain tubes and idler had done over 50k miles and I simply changed them because I couldn't be bothered to clean them.
How does the bearing feel when you spin it as that's what tends to go first and I find the jockey wheels on the Rohloff chain tensioner tend to wear out first.

 

[yostumpy]

The idler on my Velotechnik Streetmachine GTE is all plastic and was supposed to have two O rings to keep the chain quiet. Well, anyone that has one of these, knows that the O rings don’t last, and then the chain noisily eats away at the plastic idler, trying to cut it’s one teeth into it.
BUT……
I have the answer. I happened to have a drive belt for a Kirby vacuum cleaner hanging around, and I though, hmmm, that looks about right. So I carefully cut it in half , width ways so I ended up with two narrower ones. I stretched one over the outside cage, and fitted it ‘knurled ‘ side up, so I could see how it was wearing, and I centered it slightly with a flat blades screwdriver.
Result?………

As quiet as the church 🐁, and after several thousand miles, not a sign of wear. Available on t’web part number 301291 for a few pounds.
happy days.

 

[Psamathe]

I've just replaced all my drive system, chainrings, chain, sprocket, etc, on my ICE sprint.
The chain tubes and idler had done over 50k miles and I simply changed them because I couldn't be bothered to clean them.
How does the bearing feel when you spin it as that's what tends to go first and I find the jockey wheels on the Rohloff chain tensioner tend to wear out first.

I'll double check the bearings but I've no reason to suspect them and was thinking more about preventative maintenance. I've got a couple from ICE (not the expensive TerraCycle ones). Main ly as heading off for a couple of months touring in EU and any failure would cause real grief (delays getting replacements) so question was more about if they might be getting towards the end of their expected life.

Whilst the Sprint has done 12,000 miles the Rohloff was an upgrade from derailleur fitted only a year ago (so its chain tensioner will still be fairly new).

Thanks
Ian

 

[Tigerbiten]

I used to do 5k mile tours over summer. It was the was the normal service of new chain, tyres, cables, Rohloff oil change, etc before I set off. The main difference from cycling around home was a carried a spare tyre in addition to normal puncture repair kit and tools normally carried. I was almost guarantied to kill at least 1 tyre inside 5k mile. Cuts from broken glass/flint shards or the back tyre worn out from wheel slip on steep wet uphill climbs where the main killers.
Unless you're in the middle of nowhere, I've found a quick phone call to ICE will get a needed replacement part in the post the next day and to you a day or so later. So no major delay there.

Have fun on your tour ...

 

[Psamathe]

I've found a quick phone call to ICE will get a needed replacement part in the post the next day and to you a day or so later.

Nearly had to use that last year. Month into tour the Rohloff twist shifter n(ICE custom where entire thing twists) broke in that only the lower part would shift and the main part just freely rotated. Called ICE and they were very helpful but they said needed replacing (though I did wonder if some super strong glue might have bodged it). But I was close to Rotterdam, feeling uninspired (much of the tour to that point had seemed to be stopping at places I've previously visited) so decided to head to Hoek & ferry and replaced once home.

That said, getting the part under warranty was a bit of a "challenge" and would have been frustrating had I still been in campsites in EU) eg had to upload a video showing the failure to prove it was a genuine failure. Then took some time for me to actually get the part in the UK.

Ian