How long should a chain and a cassette last?

[lordofthemark]

Last Sunday, as I rode by Gravelly Point, I happened upon an REI tent – they are doing promotions as the opening of their new store comes upon us. In addition to handing out fliers, and swag (high carb type foods, and little reflective thingies) they were offering free tune ups. Though I get an annual tune up from Bikenetics, I went for it, figuring they could at least fill my likely underinflated tires (though I knew they were least over 50psi, I did not know how much, as I have not yet pulled the trigger on a new gauge/pump) As it happened they were about 60, which made me happy, and they pumped them to 80, which made me more happy.

But perhaps more importantly, and less happily, they pointed out that my chain was stretched beyond – I forget what the standard was. Which meant it needed replacement. And that in all likelihood the cassette did too – and they then showed me the teeth wearing out on some of the gears.

They are original to the bike, which now has about 4300 miles on it. They said that is not a bad life for a chain and cassette.

My questions
1. Is that true? is this about how long a chain and cassette should last?
2. Can I wait till my Bikenetics tuneup to replace them (A. I do that in December, around the anniversary of the purchase, and prior to BAFS. B. I have not had particular problems changing gears, but I suppose it could be smoother)
3. How much is this gonna cost?
4. I presume this is NOT something I want to try doing myself, as a maintenance newb.

Topic

[dkel]

Interlude: I talked to a guy last night who had his cassette serviced by a shop, and when they reassembled it, they swapped positions of two of the cogs. He has to shift twice at that spot, then back one, then twice again to access those gears in order. He’s been riding it that way for years (which is the weirdest part of the story).

Ok, back to arguing about bearings.

[Vicegrip]

I guess I missed the argument part. :rolleyes:

[huskerdont]

Apparently I don’t worry enough about bearings and need to start.

[dkel]

@Vicegrip 147242 wrote:

I guess I missed the argument part. :rolleyes:

We argue about everything on this forum, don’t we?

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dkel 147246 wrote:

We argue about everything on this forum, don’t we?

“SOME A-HOLE DIDN’T TURN OFF HIS HEADLIGHTS WHEN I APPROACHETHED HIM THIS MORNING!!!!”

“PEOPLE WHO WEAR LYCRA AND RIDE CRABON BIKES [and don’t wear sandals] ARE A-HOLES!!!”

just teasing!!!!

I would like to add that bikes are such beautifully simple devices that we often forget that they’re the mechanical equivalent to a car with no hood or doors. or bumpers. or seatbelts. If you don’t attempt to keep them clean and lubricated in some reasonably sound fashion, sh*t’s gonna wear out really fast.

[BobCochran]

@hozn 147060 wrote:

I stopped checking chain wear since it didn’t matter — just run until it skips — BUT for my next road bike config, I am probably going to start measuring and changing chains in short intervals since I am looking at more expensive ($160-180) cassettes…

More expensive cassettes? What does a more expensive cassette give you over a cheaper one? (Asked for my own education, I need to learn.)

[BobCochran]

For the original poster: my last chain replacement was around 1400 miles on my newer bicycle. My 2009 Giant had to have the cassette and chain replaced at about 1100 miles. It is my fault. I need to be a lot better about chain cleanings and lubes. In fact there is this little voice in me right now, “Go get the Jamis on the stand right now clean it.”

Bob

[TwoWheelsDC]

@BobCochran 147378 wrote:

More expensive cassettes? What does a more expensive cassette give you over a cheaper one? (Asked for my own education, I need to learn.)

It’s one of those “if you have to ask, you shouldn’t bother” type of questions. Mostly the difference is weight, and even then it’s a matter of a few tens of grams…it’s actually one of the more cost-effective weight reductions, but basically imperceptible to 99.9% of cyclists.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@BobCochran 147378 wrote:

More expensive cassettes? What does a more expensive cassette give you over a cheaper one? (Asked for my own education, I need to learn.)

less weight, better shifting, better durability. Shimano 105 represents great value for road 10/11spd. I haven’t yet fiddled with the new-ish Tiagra stuff, but i suspect it’s nearly the same as 105, for a few bucks cheaper. Sun Race is good value for the crazy wide-range MTB stuff, otherwise, just go with lower-end SRAM. For anything fewer than 9 speeds, there’s no point to spending more than $40 or so on a cassette.

[hozn]

@BobCochran 147378 wrote:

More expensive cassettes? What does a more expensive cassette give you over a cheaper one? (Asked for my own education, I need to learn.)

So, I’m looking at 11-speed 11-40t cassettes which is making these a bit more expensive without even striving for lower weight, etc. But for my road bike I was looking for something lighter than 400g. So I’m trying a Shimano XTR 11-40 cassette; we’ll see how it goes (uses titanium for some of the bigger sprockets), I picked up a “lightly used” one for $100, so it wasn’t crazy money. That saves around 70g compared to the Sram XG1150 (which costs around $100 new). Generally I wouldn’t really consider saving weight on a high-wear item, but on my road bike I use at most one cassette a year, so that’s worth it to me. I have saved less weight for a bigger markup elsewhere. I might consider SEQlite 11-40t cassettes (where largest cog(s) are aluminum) and may also decide that 11-36 is enough range for my 50t front around here.

[hozn]

@hozn 147183 wrote:

On that note, my BB is sounding pretty creaky today. I think the culprit was my “gravel” ride last weekend.

So, I took out my BB today and a whole bunch of water poured out of my frame. (And sure enough, the DS bearing was completely shot.) I guess (1) removing the bolt from my chainstay bridge was dumb (I’m guessing that’s how the majority of the water is getting in) and (2) I’m annoyed that my frame doesn’t have a drain hole in the BB. I fixed #2 with my drill before installing the new bottom bracket.

I ordered a Wheels Mfg road BB and 2 sets of extra angular-contact bearings (which were surprisingly cheaper than the standard ABEC-3 bearings). But for now, I’ve just put in an external Hope BB from my lightly-used parts bin.

[BobCochran]

@hozn 147392 wrote:

So, I took out my BB today and a whole bunch of water poured out of my frame. (And sure enough, the DS bearing was completely shot.) I guess (1) removing the bolt from my chainstay bridge was dumb (I’m guessing that’s how the majority of the water is getting in) and (2) I’m annoyed that my frame doesn’t have a drain hole in the BB. I fixed #2 with my drill before installing the new bottom bracket.

I ordered a Wheels Mfg road BB and 2 sets of extra angular-contact bearings (which were surprisingly cheaper than the standard ABEC-3 bearings). But for now, I’ve just put in an external Hope BB from my lightly-used parts bin.

Did you take any photos of the procedure you followed? Although I have no skill with bike repairs to speak of, I’m always interested in things mechanical. It is interesting to see how a repair was done.

Thanks

Bob

[hozn]

@BobCochran 147398 wrote:

Did you take any photos of the procedure you followed? Although I have no skill with bike repairs to speak of, I’m always interested in things mechanical. It is interesting to see how a repair was done.

Thanks

Bob

No, not this time. I just drilled carefully and slowly so I wouldn’t add a modern-art etching to my BB shell then I used some fine sandpaper to deburr it and then scotch brite green pad to restore the ti brushed finish on the outside of BB.

My second-favorite feature of titanium is the fact that you can easily fix scratches in the raw finish. (First favorite is it not rusting — even when it has water in the BB shell for extended periods of time.)

[Author]

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