Chain Lube
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@vvill 78580 wrote:
Interesting.
I have one bike I maintain minimally and it’s still on the original (7 speed) chain after over 7 years but only about 1000 miles. Ridden in winter, stored outside. Gets some generic 3-in-1 oil on the chain when it gets squeaky.
Now that I’ve posted this, the chain will snap next time I ride it…
Before I started riding more “seriously”, I knew very little about bikes so it doesn’t surprise me that a lot of people just ride their bikes and nothing else. Growing up riding almost exclusively on cheap X-mart MTBs or cruisers, I would get pinch flats on skinnier tires and still only use a small hand pump to reinflate (insufficiently) as I didn’t own a floor pump, and I never lubed the drivetrain. I knew how to patch/change a tube and that was all.
The chains for lower numbers of gears tend to be a lot more durable than the superlightweight 15 speed wonder-chains (in terms of abuse/low maintenance utility cycling, not necessarily high mile/high performance cycling). Back when I was a kid on a 10 speed (note: not all on the sprocket), I don’t remember anyone ever replacing chains–those things just ran forever. Also, it’s possible for a chain to continue working even after it’s past the point that it’s caused enough wear to the gears that a new chain can’t be put on without also replacing the gears. That said, if the bike is really low mileage, it can go a long time before things start falling off. People sometimes forget that it’s possible for a casual cyclist to only rack up a couple hundred miles per year.
@mstone 78586 wrote:
The chains for lower numbers of gears tend to be a lot more durable than the superlightweight 15 speed wonder-chains
Yep, that’s why I mentioned it was a 7 speed chain. I use 7 speed chains on my SS bikes too… 3/32 not 1/8th though
I was a little wary of putting a new rear wheel/cassette without replacing said chain (which I did two years ago), but it’s been fine.
I imagine in the many places in the world where bikes are really just a cheap mode of transportation, chains aren’t lubed much but continue to work mostly satisfactorily.Riding as a kid I can’t imagine any of my bikes got significant enough mileage to require a new chain before they got outgrown.
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