Small to small big to big

[SpokeyDokey]

As a saddo engineer I get a great deal of satisfaction out of using machinery. Using that machinery in a sympathetic manner and thereby increasing its efficiency, and lengthening the time that that machinery lasts adds enormously to the sense of well-being of using that machinery.

Cross-chaining feels, looks and sounds 'wrong' to me, and I try to avoid doing it.

This mechanical empathy is the same thing that helps one feel feel when a bearing is correctly adjusted, or a nut is done up the right amount.

It all adds to the experience, and 'hurting' the machine grates internally with me.

I'm obviously off the bottom end of the empathy scale as when I cross-chain I hear nothing but the same noise as when I am not cross-chaining. Ditto it feels no different and when I'm big/big I am usually huffing and puffing up a hill and looking down at the whirring bits would be just about the last thing on my radar - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice anything awry if I did.

 

[lutonloony]

So readers digest answer is don't worry about it ( in the main)

 

[Justinslow]

So readers digest answer is don't worry about it ( in the main)

Untill it goes BANG!

 

[jowwy]

With sram 22 and yaw technology all gears are useable.........the same with the new 1x11 set-ups, all gears are available there too

 

[GrumpyGregry]

cf lubricating your chain ... do people still worry about that... life's too short.

Setting aside the false equivalence, most Cyclists worry far too much about lubricating their chains.

 

[Apollonius]

I have seen two cyclists walking home this week with broken chains. I suspect the sun has brought out the less experienced and that a bit of cross-chaining has caused the problem. Surely the right approach is to keep the chainline as straight as possible and only go to the extremes when necessary.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

As @Ajax Bay has already said, why not cycle with good technique?

But who determines what is "good" technique, and as technology improves, does the "good" change to keep pace?

I'd speculate that the evil that is cross-chaining is right up there with leeches.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I have seen two cyclists walking home this week with broken chains. I suspect the sun has brought out the less experienced and that a bit of cross-chaining has caused the problem. Surely the right approach is to keep the chainline as straight as possible and only go to the extremes when necessary.

Cross chaining doesn't cause a chain to break. I've broken one chain in a lifetimes riding and that was my own fault because I'd made a pigs ear of adding a link.

 

[slowmotion]

I bet you pull away in third in your car as well, after all it can do it, where's the harm?

I'll have a go at that challenge next time I get in the van. My chains tend to last for about 4000 miles before they reach 0.5% stretch. That works out at about 0.4 p per mile with a £15 chain. It's not that extravagant.

 

[fossyant]

And folk wonder why they break chains.

 

[lutonloony]

Is the correct answer and best practice.
Of course you can just ignore all this but why not cycle with good technique? For example, you can cycle with a low cadence all the time, but it's not good practice: it increases wear on one's knees and is harder work (so less efficient).
A chain works best if the front chainwheel and rear sprocket is directly in line. Cross chaining at the extreme results in an angle of 3 degrees (11 speed) and so the links under tension (ie along the top) are having to cope with this and in particular each link as it comes off the sprocket and again as it goes onto the chainwheel. This causes both wear and friction and thus reduced chain durability and efficiency. Try using this gear calculator and adjust the 'Chain angle' box which nicely illustrates the effect of keeping the angle down.

Thanks for the link, much easier to visualise now

 

[EnPassant]

I've never given it a great deal of thought either until recently, another one of the "if it's got those gears I'll use them" club.
But having recently been guided through replacing a cassette and chain by the folks here (see the thread in the maintenance section if your navel lint is already all plucked out) I did notice that the chain particularly on big big is far from an optimal line, and also since it's a cog more than previously, pretty tight too (48x28 from 48x27).
So for the last few days I've actually devoted more time (read "any") to avoiding cross chaining. Historically big big was my main failing, rarely used small small. Just come to some minor bump and think, meh, cba with a front change I'll stay on the big ring, then find my legs are not up to what my brain thinks they are and end up on big big. Modified now to dumping down from large chainring at the start of any uphill longer than a few metres, This may change a bit as I get fitter, but will still be paying more attention than I used to.

 

[slowmotion]

cross-chaining... do people still worry about that... life's too short. Unless you are the type that slavishly must adhere to "the rules".

I imagine that the therapy to sort out an obsession with your chainline costs a bit more than a few worn chains.

 

[fossyant]

If you small small, you'll find your chain trying to change to the big ring due to the pins and ramps on the larger chain ring.

It's not a mechanically good idea big big, as it also stresses the rear mech more than it needs to be.

 

[Tim Hall]

Two things:
1. Fixed wheel. You know it makes sense.
2. @User13710 's answer 26 caused me to need a new keyboard.