Probably a pointless chain stretch question

[DaveReading]

Er, no, they clearly mean down. Or do you change up on seeing a dirty great hill? If so, i bow before you.

OK, next time you're out, try starting a hill by spinning, Then stand up without changing gear and see if you can get your legs to go round as fast.

 

[Slick]

[QUOTE 4639423, member: 9609"]My 80 year old mother is the proof of this, shes does about 2000 mile a year (seriously). I am sure the chain she has on it at he moment has been going two or three years, so maybe 5 or 6000 miles. But she pushes up hills, freewheels down the other side and never goes above 7mph - I will do a ride with her from time to time, (15 mile ish) but jeez does it take a long time.[/QUOTE]
Don't know about anyone else, and I certainly don't want to be condescending in any way shape or form, but I think that's amazing. Enjoy.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

[QUOTE 4639423, member: 9609"]My 80 year old mother is the proof of this, shes does about 2000 mile a year (seriously). I am sure the chain she has on it at he moment has been going two or three years, so maybe 5 or 6000 miles. But she pushes up hills, freewheels down the other side and never goes above 7mph - I will do a ride with her from time to time, (15 mile ish) but jeez does it take a long time.[/QUOTE]
great lady, well done her. love seeing the older generation still enjoying their lifelong passtime. i remember eyeing up a rather lovely old carlton in the bike rack at a café stop and its owner came back and told me it was her one bike from back in the day, that she'd had re-enammelled for her 70th birthday…

 

[Dogtrousers]

Indeed, it is wear not stretch. The rate of which for any given chain is down to the strain put on it.

Totally pointless semantic point: A worn chain will be longer than an unworn one. That seems compatible with any reasonable definition of "stretch". It elongates with use. Sounds like stretching to me. Sure, the link plates may not have elongated but the chain has.

I did warn you that this post would be totally pointless.

 

[Salty seadog]

Totally pointless semantic point: A worn chain will be longer than an unworn one. That seems compatible with any reasonable definition of "stretch". It elongates with use. Sounds like stretching to me. Sure, the link plates may not have elongated but the chain has.

I did warn you that this post would be totally pointless.

Ha ha, but nothing has stretched... Shall we for semantics sake call it chain elongation...

 

[DaveReading]

Ha ha, but nothing has stretched... Shall we for semantics sake call it chain elongation...

I flew on one of those stretched DC-8s once. It must have taken a helluva pull to make it nearly 40 feet longer.

 

[Salty seadog]

I flew on one of those stretched DC-8s once. It must have taken a helluva pull to make it nearly 40 feet longer.

Concorde ued to stretch during superonic flight.

 

[maxfox44]

Erm, I seem to have opened up a rather hot and touchy subject. Genuinely didn't mean that. I was really just checking that a chain of my mileage is unusual, but not unheard of

 

[Slick]

That's going to stir a debate.

Told you.

 

[ColinJ]

Chains do not snap if increased force is applied, unless they are already damaged (hopefully not). The force needed to break an undamaged chain is beyond the heaviest, most powerful rider to produce. @blazed - please post a video. The main reason chains part is because of a messed up change with significant force applied (eg as the road 'unexpectedly' turns sharply up and the rider finds him/herself at the wrong end of the cassette, stands up to exert maximum force to climb and changes at the same time). Sometimes you just have to stall and sort it out when stationary

Well then, it must have been an amazing coincidence that I warned of THIS CHAIN FAILURE a few seconds before it happened!

(The musclebound bodybuilder non-cyclist did NOT change gear, that was the problem! He used brute force to force the pedals round on a climb.)

 

[MarkF]

Erm, I seem to have opened up a rather hot and touchy subject. Genuinely didn't mean that. I was really just checking that a chain of my mileage is unusual, but not unheard of

My Dawes Discovery 501 is on the original chain, I bought it in 2007 and it's done about 10k miles. Apart from tyres and brake pads, it's on the original everything.

 

[Blue Hills]

Don't know about anyone else, and I certainly don't want to be condescending in any way shape or form, but I think that's amazing. Enjoy.

+1

 

[Blue Hills]

My Dawes Discovery 501 is on the original chain, I bought it in 2007 and it's done about 10k miles. Apart from tyres and brake pads, it's on the original everything.

How does the drive feel compared to your bikes with less miles on their drivetrain?

 

[Blue Hills]

Totally pointless semantic point: A worn chain will be longer than an unworn one. That seems compatible with any reasonable definition of "stretch". It elongates with use. Sounds like stretching to me. Sure, the link plates may not have elongated but the chain has.

I did warn you that this post would be totally pointless.

Fair point - every time chain wear comes up someone dives in to tsk tsk about the term "stretching". They are possibly on health and exercise forums pointing out that people's limbs don't actually stretch.

 

[Blue Hills]

[QUOTE 4639409, member: 9609"]http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/s?q=z7+chains&cat=direct

bought a pack of 6 a while ago - I bin them off at 0.6% which is 7 or 800 miles, or every couple of months - 1½ miles per penny so seems good value[/QUOTE]
Thanks - I think I have one sat around - surely you can let them run a bit longer than that? - I use SRAM - as they are good for breaking for cleaning. I had the idea that this was maybe more problematical with KMC and that perhaps you couldn't re-use the link?