skipping chain - watched a vid....is this true?

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Mushroomgodmat

Über Member
Location
Norwich
So, my chain skipping. Not a big deal, I think my rear cassette needs changing. Its done about 4k miles.

but I was watching this vid, and the chap says that your chain should be changed every 500miles - which is a months riding for me.

But is that true? Im about 6k miles in on this particular bike and im onto my 2nd chain. According to this chap I should be on my 12th chain by now?

 

dodgy

Guest
If he was right, I'd be spending 40 quid a month on chains.

I'm not.
 

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
Chain wear is dependent not just on pure mileage, but on the weather, how clean and well lubricated the chain is kept.
Get a chain checker
Replace chain on condition.
Running a chain with significant amounts of wear (usually said to be more than 0.75%) will bugger the cassette*, so that new chain will skip on old cassette.
Alternatively run both chain & cassette to death.

*he said, waiting on delivery of new cassette :wacko:
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I'm just in the middle of changing mine (literally) - I've never changed my chain at 500 miles. I'm changing my cassette after several thousand miles (not added it up).

As always I'm making a big job of it - started yesterday but couldn't get the cassette off (had to wait for some muscle to come home in the evening), carried on this morning. Having put the new cassette, lock ring back on etc, about to mount it back on the bike, I noticed that one ring was sitting too close to the next one ..... one of those ah ha moments when I realise that little bit of metal that I hadn't used was meant to do something!!!:whistle: Pity I had just tightened up everything as much as I could. Luckily turn out to be not as tight as before and I've now fitted the little circle of metal!:laugh:
 

Chutzpah

Über Member
Location
Somerset, UK
I definitely wouldn't change a chain after only 500 miles. Mine's done just under 2000 now and is between 0.5 and 0.75 wear.

I heard an interesting maintenance schedule the other day that someone was swearing by:

Keep three chains - A, B and C
Fit a new cassette and fit new chain A
After 500 miles, take off chain A and fit chain B
After 1000 miles, take off chain B and fit chain C
After 1500 miles, remove chain C and refit chain A
...and so on.

He argued that it makes his cassettes last a LOT longer (as the chains are effectively wearing slower in relation to the cassette, if that makes sense) and more than negates the cost of purchasing extra chains.

Anyone tried anything like this? I log my maintenance so it would be easy for me to do.
 

dodgy

Guest
I definitely wouldn't change a chain after only 500 miles. Mine's done just under 2000 now and is between 0.5 and 0.75 wear.

I heard an interesting maintenance schedule the other day that someone was swearing by:

Keep three chains - A, B and C
Fit a new cassette and fit new chain A
After 500 miles, take off chain A and fit chain B
After 1000 miles, take off chain B and fit chain C
After 1500 miles, remove chain C and refit chain A
...and so on.

He argued that it makes his cassettes last a LOT longer (as the chains are effectively wearing slower in relation to the cassette, if that makes sense) and more than negates the cost of purchasing extra chains.

Anyone tried anything like this? I log my maintenance so it would be easy for me to do.


Very popular with bearded people. Sort of makes sense if you can be arsed.
 
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