Acceptable chain wear?

[botty]

I've have just done my weekly clean and chain check and appear to have worn out a wippermann connex 808 chain between December 13th and today. At my reduced winter mileage that's likely to be about 400 miles. OK I have a couple of longish 1 in 5 hills on my commute that I grind up and the chain is used in all weathers but it gets cleaned and lubricated weekly and I'm only 60Kg.

In the last 6 months I have gone through 4 chains now, 2 Shimano and 2 wipermann. Summer weekly mileage is probably 2-300 and winter 100.

That seems a bit poor to me. Are wippermann chains so bad? Is my Rohloff chain wear tool over pessimistic? I'm using the A check mark as I have alloy stronglight front rings fitted.

In conclusion is there another make of chain with better wear characteristics? If the Rohloff wear indicator tool is pessimistic is there a more accurate on I can use? Any other advice on getting the 1500 to 3000 mile range other people seem to quote for chains.

[Valbrona]

The A check on a Rohloff checker refers to aluminium sprockets and not chainrings.

I have always thought of my Rohloff checker as being 'under-pessimistic', and I now er on the side of caution.

[Mick F]

Wearing a chain out so quickly seems to me to be a lack of cleanliness and not using a proper chain lubricant. It could be that you're not measuring properly of course, as I've no experience at all of the Rohloff chain checker.

I measure my chains with a steel ruler. People who do this tend to use a 12" one, but I have a long one and it shows up the wear far more easily if you use a 39" one like mine. It was only a cheap thing, bought from a cheapo tool shop.

Best measuring device is a ruler - longer the better.

Best way to clean a chain is to put it in a jar half-filled with degreaser and shake it vigorously for a few minutes, then wash in hot soapy water, then rinse in hot clean water, and hang up to dry somewhere warm.

Best way to lubricate your beautifully clean chain is any of the propriety chain lubes on sale.

Best way to treat a chain, it to clean it regularly (as above) and lube it regularly too. If this needs doing daily because you have a dirty gritty commute, so be it, but buy another chain or two so you can have a clean one on and one in the wash.

[botty]

Isn't "chainring" the cycling term for 'big sprocket at the front of the transmission".

The chain is cleaned weekly, not by removing but with a thorough clean in situ with transmission degreaser and a toothbrush. Then it has a proper lubrication with bicycle chain lube, just finished off a bottle of green line wet.

[Graham]

Isn't "chainring" the cycling term for 'big sprocket at the front of the transmission".

The chain is cleaned weekly, not by removing but with a thorough clean in situ with transmission degreaser and a toothbrush. Then it has a proper lubrication with bicycle chain lube, just finished off a bottle of green line wet.

That doesn't sound like a great procedure to me. A possible receipt for an unhelpful mix of water, degreaser and oil, all together, on the wearing surfaces.

I would only put water and degreaser on a chain if - like Mick F - there was a certain process for cleaning off ALL the degreaser residue and drying off ALL the water before applying the oil.

[botty]

I can certainly change to that method of cleaning. The bicycle is in daily use. The only way I could make that work is to have 2 chains on the go. Do other commuting cyclists go through that process to get more than 500 miles from a chain?

[fastpedaller]

Isn't "chainring" the cycling term for 'big sprocket at the front of the transmission".

The chain is cleaned weekly, not by removing but with a thorough clean in situ with transmission degreaser and a toothbrush. Then it has a proper lubrication with bicycle chain lube, just finished off a bottle of green line wet.

That doesn't sound like a great procedure to me. A possible receipt for an unhelpful mix of water, degreaser and oil, all together, on the wearing surfaces.

I would only put water and degreaser on a chain if - like Mick F - there was a certain process for cleaning off ALL the degreaser residue and drying off ALL the water before applying the oil.

The only time I suffered REALLY poor chain wear (like your indicated hundreds rather than thousands miles) was when I cleaned regularly with a 'scrubbing cleaner' type gadget, and then lubricated shortly after. From my experience I agree Mick F has a better process!

[TonyR]

The chain is cleaned weekly, not by removing but with a thorough clean in situ with transmission degreaser and a toothbrush. Then it has a proper lubrication with bicycle chain lube, just finished off a bottle of green line wet.

Not a good idea. You are making the outside of the chain where dirt doesn't matter all nice and shiny while washing the dirt into the bushings and pins where it does. Fit the chain with a quick link so you can take it off easy and do the Sheldon Shake as mentioned above. And I think you can get away with cleaning less often. It doesn't matter if the chain looks dirty on the outside and you only really need to take it off and clean it when the lubricant is going and you need to add more. Adding new lubricant to a dirty chain will just wash it inside again so clean and then lube.

As to the person who suggested you might need to do it daily, do you really have the time? And when you add up all the degreaser, lubricant and time I bet you it pretty quickly adds up to much more than the cost of a new chain.

[Mick F]

As to the person who suggested you might need to do it daily, do you really have the time? And when you add up all the degreaser, lubricant and time I bet you it pretty quickly adds up to much more than the cost of a new chain.

Time-wise it takes five minutes to take a chain off and clean it, and another five minutes to wash and rinse it. How long it takes to dry depends on where you hang it. If you do use two chains, the time taken is easy, maybe even three or four chains and do them all at once.

As for cost, that is a moot point, but even if you clean a cheap chain only once or twice, it's better than not cleaning it at all and risk ruining your cassette and chain rings.

Oh, and the more frequently you clean your chain, the easier and quicker it is.

[botty]

Thanks less often and different will be the way forward now then. New chain on so we will see if there is a difference.

[Valbrona]

Isn't "chainring" the cycling term for 'big sprocket at the front of the transmission".

No. A chainring is a chainring.

You were probably not born or not into cycling when aluminium sprockets were more common.

[botty]

No. A chainring is a chainring.

You were probably not born or not into cycling when aluminium sprockets were more common.
Valbrona

Confused now. Sprocket to me means a round thing with teeth used with a chain. Motorcycles have front and rear sprockets.

My bicycle maintenance book from Zinn defines chainring as 'a multiple-tooth sprocket attached to the right crank arm'?

[Mick F]

Yes, a sprocket is how you have described it. It's a toothed wheel that engages with a chain.

However, in order to differentiate the front ones from the rear ones, cyclists tend to call the front ones chainrings, and the rear ones sprockets.

[mercalia]

I dont use my bike in the rain but i get atleast 1600 miles from cheap 8 speed chains( thats where I have got to since getting a speedo) . I have been "cleaning" every 100 miles or so just run the chain though an old nylon sheet by hand getting rid of any grit, rubbing it with a fist full of sheet,working with fingers, then relube from the inside with chain saw oil a bit of chain at a time , then let it soak in for an hour before rub off any excess to make sure none sprays onto wheels. nylon (bed)sheet seems to do a good job. also some kind of front mudflap is important to stop grit getting onto chain in first place. also clean the chain rings and sprockets, remove any grit, same the jocky wheels.

[TonyR]

As for cost, that is a moot point, but even if you clean a cheap chain only once or twice, it's better than not cleaning it at all and risk ruining your cassette and chain rings.

That is only a risk if you run a worn chain not a dirty chain.