Snapped chain - how common?

[HLaB]

WD 40 is all I have used and I get about 6500 miles out of each chain, I do clean it on a regular interval and spray between rides, most of the time I sit and spin so this may have a bearing on the mileage I get from each chain.
ps never had one break.......as yet

It sounds like you are better on maintenance than I was as a kid your other point about riding style is probably apt too I've only ever snapped a chain when going up hill in a high gear.

 

[byegad]

WD 40 is all I have used and I get about 6500 miles out of each chain, I do clean it on a regular interval and spray between rides, most of the time I sit and spin so this may have a bearing on the mileage I get from each chain.
ps never had one break.......as yet

I got 5000+ miles from SRAM PC951 chains when I was commuting. I tend to run the chain dirty and spray heavily with GT85 to clean the chain when the grunge looks, or more importantly sounds too bad. Then after drying the chain a drop of a good synthetic chain oil on each roller before riding again. I changed them at 0.75% worn according to a Park tool gauge and never had a broken link. I too sat and spun.

Now I'm riding recumbents with 2 2/3rds normal length chains I get more miles. After 5600 miles on one trike it is on its second chain, but the original was OK for length, merely filthy, so it got a thorough clean and hot grease bath and is ready to go back on when I feel the present one would benefit. The other trike, mostly used on wet roads and in the winter has over 4000 miles on the original chain and has recently passed the Park tool test so will probably see another 4000 miles before replacement.

 

[e-rider]

WD40 isn't a very effective lube!

 

[battered]

WD40 isn't a very effective lube!

That's true. It's useful on door hinges and nice and easy to use, but it's mostly petrol with a splash of light oil added so it lubricates accordingly. Light oil is actually better.

 

[Tynan]

I've broken two chains in less than two years, neither had been split prior to breaking

comuting in short I think, an awful lot of starts, sometimes in the wrong gear or not quite changed, it's no great biggy seems to me