Change my chain or ride it til it skips?

[Michael]

I know there are two schools of thought on this. Was wondering what Riv peeps like with these bikes.

I have Sugino cranks and some stock RBW cassette. All stock on the Sam.

1. Should I swap it early, or ride it till the cassette is trashed and then get a new 'sette along with a chain?

2. Also, I am under the impression that chainrings don't have to be swapped at all until they get shark toothed. Is this right, just cassette and chain swaps until then?

Thanks for any info.

Sorry if I asked this here before. I searched, but no find. Gettin' some miles on the Sam and was wondering.

[dougP]

Michael:

My opinion (you'll get others on this) is to swap out the chain early & often.  It's the (relatively) cheapest & easiest to change part in the drive train.  They are always available.  Since I started changing chains more frequently, cassettes last many times longer. 

Chain life is highly dependent on environment & lubrication / care.  I live in a benign chain environment (dry, little dust) and run chains around 3,000 miles and toss 'em because I can find 8 speed for $20.  If you're in a wet climate with lots of road salt/ grit and generally hostile conditions, I've heard of people only going 1,000 miles on a chain. 

The conventional wisdom of changing chains & cassettes at the same time is conservative.  It's recommended by bike shops because you brought them the bike with "shifting problems" and they want you to leave with "problem solved" and not be back next week with "it still doesn't shift like it used to".  My cynical side says this also sells a lot more parts. 

As to the chainrings, you are correct.  Since most of us tend to use one ring for most of our riding, they don't wear out all at once.  Just replace the worn one(s) when they look crappy.  When they get shark finned they also tend to be noisy. 

dougP

[hsmitham]

Michael,

+1 on every thing Doug said. I also live in that same benign climate and I've ridden a year with the same chain. I'm getting ready to change it out soon, probably take a good hard look at my cassette this week and make a determination on that too. If the cassette teeth are not sharp then it'll just be the chain. 

~Hugh

On Sunday, February 23, 2014 7:07:15 PM UTC-8, Michael wrote:

[Michael]

So is it as easy to do myself as just buying a new 9-speed chain,
matching the link count and then snapping together the master link?

Any tips?

[Hugh Smitham]

Yes. It's that simple.

-Hugh

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[Chris Chen]

And if you don't do it, eventually your chain, rings, and cassettes will wear and if you get chainsuck at an unfortunate place, you'll crash.

So replace the f'n chain. It's $20.

:)

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[Eric Platt]

My rule is after each winter replace chain.  No matter how many/few miles.  This year will probably only get about 150 to 200 miles on the bike with this chain.  But it will go away by late march. 

Personally not to the point where the cassette gets replaced after winter with that few miles.  Although probably should. 

Winter in MN means lots of sand/salt/chemicals on the roads.  It does a number on chains and chainrings.  That's also a reason some folks like steel rings. Slower wear. 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[Michael Hechmer]

I go a step further. I don't necessarily even replace cassettes when they start to skip!  Skipping almost always begins with the smallest cog, so I replace it.  Now when I buy a new cassette, I buy the best I can find and an additional small cog at the same time.  My experience has been that the higher end cassettes and chains shift better and last longer than the budget versions.

Michael

[Steve Palincsar]

YMMV. I have been using the same custom 13 t 1st position cogs for over ten yrs and tens of thousands of miles. It's the 2nd thru 5th that wear for me

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[Ryan]

As others have said....chains are the least expensive component of the drive train to replace...so replace early and often. Park sell those neat chain measurement tools. Downside of running worn chains (and then finally replacing them) is that skipping becomes evident when you do finally get around to replacing your chain

[dougP]

Sheldon shows a method for getting the correct chain length.  I was only taking out a few links so one time I just installed the full chain.  Couldn't detect any difference in shifting quality or performance.  This is on a wide range drive train, 13-34 cassette, 24-34-46 crankset.  Being lazy, that's what I've done now for several years.  Oh, and just lightly wipe off any extra goo on the new chain but don't bother trying to lube it.  Whatever that factory stuff is works wonderfully and lasts a long time. 

dougP

[cyclotourist]

Buy a gauge, and when it hits the .75 mark change it. Very simple. Buy a Sram, or other chain that has a removable link for future cleaning and replacement.

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

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[Michael]

That would be cool if RBW had a video of chain replacement!
They have nice wrenching videos.

[Zack]

They have instructions for putting the chain on in their derailer install and adjust vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpPz8K4laFE

[jandrews_nyc]

Can they be recycled instead of tossing them into a landfill?

[true]

Another thought on the chain skipping:

 

I have had even a new chain skip in certain cogs because I had it sized too long.

 

After sizing and removing 4 links in this particular case solved the problem.

 

As others have mentioned there are a number of variables that could cause the problem.

 

I have been impressed with some of the nicer KMC chains

and they also have the quick release type link

so it is easy to remove and clean or replace.

 

They are also reasonalbly priced, I think.

 

Regards,

 

Paul in Dallas

[Philip Williamson]

The chain should be fine in your recycling. Some shops (well, one I know of) keep a bucket specifically for metal recycling, and someone besides the garbage service picks it up. If you really are replacing chains on an aggressive schedule, you can save them for these people: http://www.resourcerevival.com/pages/recycle-your-bike-chain 

When your "chain recycling box" gets to 30 lbs, they send UPS to get it, no charge to you. 

Philip

www.biketinker.com

[dougP]

"Winter in MN means lots of sand/salt/chemicals on the roads.  It does a number on chains and chainrings."

This is the other extreme of environment that will eat drive trains.  Even a wet climate is tough because all that road grit gets into things.  That's why chain life is so variable. 

dougP

[Michael]

I am planning on using my old chain for disassembly/reassembly of links practice so I can fix broken chains easily if I ever need to.

[Michael]

Also seems like you could use them to make something useful around the house.

[Michael]

Home made chain whip.