Replacement Chain

[flecc]

Of course it does also depend on what kind of shift performance you're willing to accept. If I could live with the odd skip or slight hesitation in changing gear then my chains and sprockets would last 3x longer ;-)

This is where throttle control is an advantage. Power continuing during gear changes means the changes can be slower without excessive loss of speed.
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[mountainsport]

Of course it does also depend on what kind of shift performance you're willing to accept. If I could live with the odd skip or slight hesitation in changing gear then my chains and sprockets would last 3x longer ;-)

I'm a bit of a perfectionist I hate the sound and feeling when riding of gritting grinding squeaking banging shuddering ticking rubbing bumping I just prefer a smooth operator as Sade would say but she is not on about bicycles or is she?

MS.

 

[Gubbins]

In my experience...
Scott e_aspect 910 /Bosch CD. Replaced original chain at 1800 miles. Now done 2500 on original chain ring and cassette. Chain is cleaned regularly in an ultrasonic bath as would be the cassette it would fit in. I use a park tool to measure wear takes 10 seconds so don't understand all this fuss about measuring chains.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Of course it does also depend on what kind of shift performance you're willing to accept. If I could live with the odd skip or slight hesitation in changing gear then my chains and sprockets would last 3x longer ;-)

Who changes gear? A hub-motor gives the same power/torque whichever gear your in!

Hmmmm! I was thinking: Does the average female cyclist get a measuring stick out to check their chain? How do they get on?

and.....

When I was a schoolkid, I used to cycle to school 4 miles each way every day for three years, plus a lot of longer trips for fishing and bait-digging, but I would never have thought to check my chain wear. Neither did I ever replace it. I think in those days, chains used to last the life of the bike?

 

[flecc]

I think in those days, chains used to last the life of the bike?

They certainly did, and so did most of the bike components. When I joined the trade in 1950, seeing original components on 1930s and even 1920s bikes was commonplace.

I still cannot understand why today's bicycle parts are seemingly so fragile, considering the huge advances in metallurgy during and since World War 2.
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[Gubbins]

They certainly did, and so did most of the bike components. When I joined the trade in 1950, seeing original components on 1930s and even 1920s bikes was commonplace.

I still cannot understand why today's bicycle parts are seemingly so fragile, considering the huge advances in metallurgy during and since World War 2.
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It's the weight!

 

[flecc]

It's the weight!

Do you mean bike or rider!

If the bike, you might be surprised at the moderate weight of those bikes from long ago, but riders, yes they certainly have grown very much larger since food rationing ended.

Seriously, those cannot account for the frailty of so many parts now, pedal, BB and wheel bearings failing well within two years, chain and sprocket wear rates ridiculously high with very short lives. If anything yesteryear's riders were stronger cyclists than most today since most rode at least twice daily, so their wear rates should have been higher pro rata.
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[Gubbins]

Do you mean bike or rider!

If the bike, you might be surprised at the moderate weight of those bikes from long ago, but riders, yes they certainly have grown very much larger since food rationing ended.

Seriously, those cannot account for the frailty of so many parts now, pedal, BB and wheel bearings failing well within two years, chain and sprocket wear rates ridiculously high with very short lives. If anything yesteryear's riders were stronger cyclists than most today since most rode at least twice daily, so their wear rates should have been higher pro rata.
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My Boardman big chainring lasted 900 miles so I took it back to halfords to complain. My argument was that my mtb had done double the miles in muck and wet and was still fine. The manager suggested that the chainring on my mtb was 3 times the weight and much stronger, and also that the lighter components become the more fragile they become!
Seems to make sense.
I now have an mtb double chainset on the Boardman.... Made it into an old man's bike so see how long it lasts... Chainring on Scott e-bike still ok after 2500.. That's miles not kilomiles...

 

[flecc]

I doubt that three times the weight Phill, but even if true, why do they think it reasonable to pare off so much weight that it makes the parts fail so early. I call that bonkers design.

You've now corrected that stupidity, well done.

But it has to be said that all today's bikes have parts that fail far too early, regardless of type or weight. There's no way that they can be commuted on daily for a decade or more with hardly any attention. My conclusion is that it is deliberate to create rolling incomes.
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[amigafan2003]

Who changes gear? A hub-motor gives the same power/torque whichever gear your in!

I'm always changing gear on my hub motor bike to get the right cadence. For example, if there's a head wind and I'm doing 22mph then I need gear 6, no wind and 24mph needs gear 7, tailwind and 27mph needs gear 8 and downhill needs gear 9. A litlle rise in the road and slowing down by a couple of mph requires a gear change etc.

When I was a schoolkid, I used to cycle to school 4 miles each way every day for three years, plus a lot of longer trips for fishing and bait-digging, but I would never have thought to check my chain wear. Neither did I ever replace it. I think in those days, chains used to last the life of the bike?

You also didn't have 9/10/11 spd cassettes with deralieurs that can shift gears quicker than you can blink and can shift whilst under heavy load without skinning your knees on the hadlebars!

 

[Gubbins]

Heres something else to chew on.. My mother who is still going strong at 93 tells me that when she was a young girl, I suspect about 13 or 14 years old, her and her father cycled from Dewsbury (west Yorkshire) to Redcar (Cleveland) some 83 miles! She cant remember if it was before or after her bike was upgraded from a single speed to a 3 speed..... And, they thought nothing of it! They often rode 30 or 40 miles and all they had to worry about was punctures and she cant remember her bike ever breaking down or needed worn out parts replaced.. Roll back to the 30's! Progress seems to be a two edged sword..

 

[SRS]

It's the weight!

It's built in obsolescence.
It is no accident that a lot of things wear out quicker than they should.

 

[Gubbins]

My problem is the 11 tooth sprocket that hardly lasts 400 miles. The sprocket appears undamaged but the chain can jump it.
Did consider deliberately 'hooking' the teeth with a dremel.

Offspring had the same problem.. Drove him up the wall.. Issue was new and old parts together! New chain was ruined by worn chainrings, new chainrings were soon worn by the compromised chain,causing it skip on the smaller cogs under load. So! answer was compete new drivetrain all at once go.... expensive but problem solved. A friend who has been a club racer for 60 years and still going changes the complete drivetrain every 1000 miles. OK if you have the money..

 

[mountainsport]

They certainly did, and so did most of the bike components. When I joined the trade in 1950, seeing original components on 1930s and even 1920s bikes was commonplace.

I still cannot understand why today's bicycle parts are seemingly so fragile, considering the huge advances in metallurgy during and since World War 2.
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Because of greed flecc

MS.

 

[mountainsport]

Heres something else to chew on.. My mother who is still going strong at 93 tells me that when she was a young girl, I suspect about 13 or 14 years old, her and her father cycled from Dewsbury (west Yorkshire) to Redcar (Cleveland) some 83 miles! She cant remember if it was before or after her bike was upgraded from a single speed to a 3 speed..... And, they thought nothing of it! They often rode 30 or 40 miles and all they had to worry about was punctures and she cant remember her bike ever breaking down or needed worn out parts replaced.. Roll back to the 30's! Progress seems to be a two edged sword..

Even a four edged. Respect and regards to your mother bless her

MS.

 

[neptune]

I would say that it is planned obsolescence. We see it in other goods besides bikes. If it is built to last,you will never need to replace it. Brought up in a rural village, I never saw a new bicycle until I was 11 years old. I did not even realise that new bikes existed. I believed that in the begining, God created the Heavens and the earth, and sufficient bicycles to serve mankind until doomsday. A few years back, both my grandsons got new bikes for Christmas. which they only rode occasionally. By summer, both bikes suffered from worn out wheel bearings.

 

[Gubbins]

Even a four edged. Respect and regards to your mother bless her

MS.

Thanks! I am sure she will be highly amused when I tell her that her cycling exploits are being discussed on line.

 

[mountainsport]

Thanks! I am sure she will be highly amused when I tell her that her cycling exploits are being discussed on line.

I'll be highly amused if she asked to have a go on your ebike and she will be awarded for the worlds most courageous mum .

MS.

 

[Gubbins]

I'll be highly amused if she asked to have a go on your ebike and she will be awarded for the worlds most courageous mum .

MS.

Yes that would be fun.... She is pretty good in the upstairs department so I will ask her if she remembers what bike she had... I am guessing it would have been a Raleigh. Was there anything else?

 

[awol]

The thing which got me checking my chain was trying to find a creaking sound when pedalling, I went to clean/lube it and noticed the small rings inside the chain/between the links look loose but there is no cog slipping and gear change is nice and smooth.
For now just for quickness I've ordered the same make/model chain simply so I know it should fit, then I will have time to look maybe at the better quality ones.