Standing up on the pedals.....I've changed my mind.

[asterix]

LOVE that video

It isn't allowed to be shown in France. Presumably for reasons of national morale,

 

[GrasB]

Want to swap i do close to 500 feet of climbing in the last 5 miles of my commute , maybe 2- 3 chains year over 4000 miles , and thats on an 8 speed so they last a bit longer than the higher geared bikes.

I tend to get about 3000 miles out of a 10spd chain I'm aiming to do about 900ft climbing over a 25 mile commute - I can more than that but aiming for over 1000ft every time limits me to a set of very small number routes.

 

[numbnuts]

Does it knack your chain a lot faster though?

I think it does as I hardly ever get out of the saddle and I get at least 6500 miles out of each chain

 

[gbb]

I think it does as I hardly ever get out of the saddle and I get at least 6500 miles out of each chain

And this goes some way to perhaps explain WHY i wonder (only wonder mind) if honking wears the chain quicker. Why, despite my giving my chains very good care, do they wear appreciably after 1000 miles.
Not saying i'm right, not saying it IS the cause, but something wears my chains far quicker than other riders.

It's reasonable to think honking MAY be the cause
Th logic is simple really...the harder you ride, and there's a tremendous amount of pressure going through the chain pins when you're standing and going for it, the higher the wear rate HAS to be on those pins.

Anyway, just a theory . Two chains a year on my summer bike is acceptable. Its not as though i'm heartbroken about it...just always wondered how some like numbnuts get such high mileage.

As a comparison at the other end of the scale...i wished i'd asked the mechanics at the TdF prologue in London how often the pro's change their chains...and why ? Safety or wear.

 

[Bodhbh]

For me it's a sign of weakness! I had an OP a couple of years back and since it's been uncomfortable to strain much. I find it much easier to accelerate from a standing stop stood up, rather than grinding, or spinning and faffing around with alot of gear changes. But even straining stood is a bit of no no, shame as used to love honking over flyovers and whatnot without loosing speed.

 

[Jezston]

Chain wear? Half link chain, yo. What chain wear?

 

[GrasB]

I think it does as I hardly ever get out of the saddle and I get at least 6500 miles out of each chain

And this goes some way to perhaps explain WHY i wonder (only wonder mind) if honking wears the chain quicker. Why, despite my giving my chains very good care, do they wear appreciably after 1000 miles.
Not saying i'm right, not saying it IS the cause, but something wears my chains far quicker than other riders.

It's reasonable to think honking MAY be the cause
Th logic is simple really...the harder you ride, and there's a tremendous amount of pressure going through the chain pins when you're standing and going for it, the higher the wear rate HAS to be on those pins.

The 3 big factors for chain wear (in order of importance) is maintenance, conditions & average power output. For me the time for best chain life is the warm dry days in summer, on these days you'll find me attacking hard out of the saddle a lot more on inclines driving power into the pedals. In winter when I'm needing to clean the drive train on an almost daily basis due to it getting covered in mud, water, salt, etc. I get lowered chain life (this is also when I hit the cassette hard too), despite spending much less time out of the saddle. But while my peek power is much lower my average power isn't reduced that much (maybe 10% lower). In fact my road bike's chain life is the best of the lot as when I'm group riding my average power is noticeably lower despite me riding out of the saddle a lot, but in a kind of lazy way. However the one thing I find that kills the chain off in double quick time is leaving chain lubrication for more than 3 days worth of commuting (or over 150 miles) even in summer, it's a sure fire way to get low chain life on my bikes.

 

[gbb]

The 3 big factors for chain wear (in order of importance) is maintenance, conditions & average power output. For me the time for best chain life is the warm dry days in summer, on these days you'll find me attacking hard out of the saddle a lot more on inclines driving power into the pedals. In winter when I'm needing to clean the drive train on an almost daily basis due to it getting covered in mud, water, salt, etc. I get lowered chain life (this is also when I hit the cassette hard too), despite spending much less time out of the saddle. But while my peek power is much lower my average power isn't reduced that much (maybe 10% lower). In fact my road bike's chain life is the best of the lot as when I'm group riding my average power is noticeably lower despite me riding out of the saddle a lot, but in a kind of lazy way. However the one thing I find that kills the chain off in double quick time is leaving chain lubrication for more than 3 days worth of commuting (or over 150 miles) even in summer, it's a sure fire way to get low chain life on my bikes.

I know this is taking the topic off a tangent really, but its interesting anyway.
Maintenance ? for me it's generally chain off, wipe clean, immerse in an oil bath for an hour or two, hang to drip excess, then wipe, refit and wipe again.
Conditions ? Summer riding only, maybe a little winter riding if its not wet or salty out there, Don't even deliberately take it out in the rain.
Frequency ? For me, the chain gets maintained every 100 miles maximum using the method above.
What else is there that will prematurely wear a chain ? apart from the effort you put through it.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Just a thought - What's the difference in pressure on your knees between standing and sitting on climbs?

I always prided myself on never standing up. Got the muscles, so power on up, standing is for wimps and all that!
A specialist has told me about this lubricating lining on the back of the kneecap. Put too much force through it for a few years and you'll wear it off - and the result is the sort of pain I'm in when I cycle now.

How much of that damage is due to staying sat versus a near straight-legged stand on the pedals?

Food for thought when I'm reaching for the ice packs!

 

[400bhp]

I know this is taking the topic off a tangent really, but its interesting anyway.
Maintenance ? for me it's generally chain off, wipe clean, immerse in an oil bath for an hour or two, hang to drip excess, then wipe, refit and wipe again.
Conditions ? Summer riding only, maybe a little winter riding if its not wet or salty out there, Don't even deliberately take it out in the rain.
Frequency ? For me, the chain gets maintained every 100 miles maximum using the method above.
What else is there that will prematurely wear a chain ? apart from the effort you put through it.

Out of interest, what chains do you use on what speed bike and broadly speaking, how long do they last?

I am just changing to my 3rd chain for my 9 speed Tiagra cassette on my Cannondale bought in September 2010. The first 2 chains (Shimano HG53) lasted about 1500 miles each on average.

I am out of the saddle a lot and have usually prefer the lower cadence route.

 

[Dan B]

All other things being equal I'd expect there to be less force through the knee when sitting because some of your weight is supported by the saddle. But if your saddle is too low or if you bob around a bit when standing then I can see that you would be moving your knee through a greater range when sat, and perhaps applying force hurts it more at smaller angles. They advise squatters not to go beyond 90 degrees, don't they?

 

[GrasB]

I know this is taking the topic off a tangent really, but its interesting anyway.
Maintenance ? for me it's generally chain off, wipe clean, immerse in an oil bath for an hour or two, hang to drip excess, then wipe, refit and wipe again.
Conditions ? Summer riding only, maybe a little winter riding if its not wet or salty out there, Don't even deliberately take it out in the rain.
Frequency ? For me, the chain gets maintained every 100 miles maximum using the method above.
What else is there that will prematurely wear a chain ? apart from the effort you put through it.

I've been using Finish line cross country, dripping the lube onto each roller then wiping clean (aka the mickle method), this seems to work better than any other method for keeping chain stretch down to a minimum & the drive train nice n' quiet. Though my drive train never sparkles like it did when I was cleaning it with degreaser etc. the chain lasts longer, though not the cassette & chainrings, (I think they're bludgeoned into submission by contact forces rather than are worn away by friction).

Out of interest, what chains do you use on what speed bike and broadly speaking, how long do they last?

I am just changing to my 3rd chain for my 9 speed Tiagra cassette on my Cannondale bought in September 2010. The first 2 chains (Shimano HG53) lasted about 1500 miles each on average.

I am out of the saddle a lot and have usually prefer the lower cadence route.

I use 10spd SRAM & Wipperman chains. I'm getting up to 4000 miles out of a chain before it's hitting 1%, or about 3 chains a year.

 

[400bhp]

I use 10spd SRAM & Wipperman chains. I'm getting up to 4000 miles out of a chain before it's hitting 1%, or about 3 chains a year.

Thanks. Chain number 3 ordered yesterday is an SRAM

I suppose there is a trade off between time spent looking after chain and sprockets and cost.

For my bike:
Cost of new chain = £13
Cost of 9 speed cassette = £20

 

[gbb]

Out of interest, what chains do you use on what speed bike and broadly speaking, how long do they last?

I am just changing to my 3rd chain for my 9 speed Tiagra cassette on my Cannondale bought in September 2010. The first 2 chains (Shimano HG53) lasted about 1500 miles each on average.

I am out of the saddle a lot and have usually prefer the lower cadence route.

On my old 9 speed Bianchi, one chain (KMC) each year.
Since moving to the 10 speed,
Original KMC, didnt record the mileage, but it wore moderately quickly.
Next KMC, then another i can't remember which...same'ish wear rate.

New cassette, chainrings and KMC chain...1000 miles and worn to 1%
Then fitted a Veloce chain...1200 miles.
Now just fitted a 105 chain..and the cassette is working fine, chainrings hardly show any wear.

 

[cyberknight]

I tend to get about 3000 miles out of a 10spd chain I'm aiming to do about 900ft climbing over a 25 mile commute - I can more than that but aiming for over 1000ft every time limits me to a set of very small number routes.

I `m like Sean Kelly i am so strong i wear out chains quickly , hold on a second that was a nice dream