A thread on chains

[UseItOrLooseIt]

I have had the same chain on my bike for about 20 to 30 downhill rides. My roommate says this can damage the bike pretty badly. at this point is it only the chain i need to replace, or a whole lot more?

[northshore]

Originally Posted by UseItOrLooseIt

I have had the same chain on my bike for about 20 to 30 downhill rides. My roommate says this can damage the bike pretty badly. at this point is it only the chain i need to replace, or a whole lot more?

I've had my chain for much longer. As long as you clean the chain and lube it accordingly the chain can last for awhile. Also if you are experiencing mis-shifting it could be your chain has stretched over time.

[UseItOrLooseIt]

yeah, there's definitely mis-shifting. a new chain oughta fix it?

[biglimey]

good way yo check if a chain is worn, is to use a steel ruler and look at the pin thats at the 12" mark. 12 1/16 OK 12 1/8 or more time to say bye bye buy...

But if it's mis-shifting you may have run it too long and might have to swap the cassette. Once a chain is at the 12 1/8th point it will start accelerating the wear on the cassette and front sprocket. Be carefull putting too much load on the pedals when you first put on a new chain, as if it is worn the chain will skip (and you may find yourself painfully straddling the top tube)

[mytrustysteed]

does anyone see a big difference between shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace chains?

[SnookDawg]

Originally Posted by mytrustysteed

does anyone see a big difference between shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace chains?

Weight is about the only difference as far as I can tell

[faded1004]

have you thought about sram chains? personally, i like how it is easy to link together... tool-less is nice...

[mytrustysteed]

Originally Posted by faded1004

have you thought about sram chains? personally, i like how it is easy to link together... tool-less is nice...

Isn't there an issue with using Sram chains with Shimano parts?

My chain is ok right now so I'm a little nervous to change it right before Sea Otter

[mtnbikej]

Originally Posted by mytrustysteed

Isn't there an issue with using Sram chains with Shimano parts?

My chain is ok right now so I'm a little nervous to change it right before Sea Otter

I have no problems running a SRAM PC-991 on my XT cassette.

[RacinJason]

The sram power link works well on the Shimano chains.
You can run a sram chain on the all shimano drive train with no problems.
I miss match all the time in order to get the litest set up and never have any shifting issues.
I like XTR gog sets and I like sram chains and X9-X0 der's & shifters.
You can buy a chain stretch gauge or you can measure the links with a ruler.
At 12 inches your chain should be at centerpin to pin or at least real close.
if it is past that it is stretched.

I like the 991 sram chains a lot I use them on everything. The hollow pin is nice also if you want light.

KMC is stepping it up and pitting out some lite chains. I am still a little bit skeptical though.

I keep my chains clean and they last. The single pivot bike tend to blow trough chains a little faster than others. My DH bike hardly get chain stretch either because I am too weak or I just don't do enough climbing on them.
On the XC bikes I check for chain stretch every 3 ride but clean and re oil them every ride. When they stretch it seems to go all at once from my experiences.
Every time I have had a chain break it has caused a crash or a pedal strike to the back of the leg and a pulled muscle.

I hope that helps somebody

[adrianko43]

I didn't know chains needed to be replaced so often. I've been riding on the same chain for 2 years, and it seems fine, no skipping or anything. Is that normal?

[Pickettt]

A worn chain will start to damage your chainrings and cogs. Both of those items are far more expensive than a chain. Get a chain checker for three or four dollars. Campy chains require a caliper, however. Next topic: failure. I rode a chain for six thousand miles once, it decided to break on me during a road sprint. It took an entire year for the torn ligaments in my ankle to heal. Trust me, it's worth a few bucks ($30-$50) to tend to your chain.

[faded1004]

i think it has to do with all the climbing... as an engineering student, i can understand most of the stress would be from uphill power climbs.

i think downhill is alot of strss on the derailleur?

btw, i have lx crank + lx cassette + sram chain and it has been great. i don't ride too much, but then again i am just a beginner... everything is working great for me...

Originally Posted by Pickettt

A worn chain will start to damage your chainrings and cogs. Both of those items are far more expensive than a chain. Get a chain checker for three or four dollars. Campy chains require a caliper, however. Next topic: failure. I rode a chain for six thousand miles once, it decided to break on me during a road sprint. It took an entire year for the torn ligaments in my ankle to heal. Trust me, it's worth a few bucks ($30-$50) to tend to your chain.

glad you recovered... since i have a full suspension bike, i hope to minimize my injuries from broken chain by trying to stay in my seat on power pushes...

[foofighter]

Originally Posted by Pickettt

I rode a chain for six thousand miles once, it decided to break on me during a road sprint. It took an entire year for the torn ligaments in my ankle to heal. Trust me, it's worth a few bucks ($30-$50) to tend to your chain.

OUCH.

I was on a short but steep climb and my chain not being properly lubed and maintained decided to rerail it self on me as I was out of saddle power down just then it redrailed and THANK GOD i was leaning to one side when it did or else I would have had no need to get snipped because the top tube would have taken care of that for me

[back of the pack]

Originally Posted by faded1004

have you thought about sram chains? personally, i like how it is easy to link together... tool-less is nice...

I thought I liked sram's amd the power link too, that was until it fell off riding Fully yesterday. It was a quick tool-less fix since I had a spare in the saddle pack, believe it or not I was able to get out of the Path for under $5.00 (had to pick up a new spare).

[hoovermd]

As a SSer, I'm not in touch with any shifting issues, but a good strong chain is definitely my friend.

I'm not too picky about the brand, just that I run 9 speed chain and I always carry both an extra 4 inches of chain and some quick connect links.

I'm partial to the Wipperman links. Seem to be really reliable and easy to service w/o tools.

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by back of the pack

I thought I liked sram's amd the power link too, that was until it fell off riding Fully yesterday. It was a quick tool-less fix since I had a spare in the saddle pack, believe it or not I was able to get out of the Path for under $5.00 (had to pick up a new spare).

I've also had a couple instances where the Powerlink came apart. Unfortunately, they happened in fast downhill areas, and I didn't realize my chain had exited until I got the the bottom and had to pedal again. Both times, I had to hike up and get my chain. As a result, I've learned that Powerlinks are no good for geared bikes riding in rough conditions. They do work great for my singlespeed and road bikes.

There's a lot to be said for replacing chains often. On my DH bikes, I've had chains last a reasonably long time. However, that hasn't always been the case. Last year, when I did a trip to Whistler and Northstar, after NS, my chain was toast. It wasn't stretched, but a lot of links that were boarderline about to come apart.