Remember to clean your chain

[vvill]

I remember that thread. (I can’t be bothered to clean my chain that well. As long as there is lube on the inside I don’t really mind if it’s not pristine outside.)

I’m only thinking of changing my chain because of the stretch/mileage. There’s no noise or shifting issues and the cassette teeth look fine. I am quite tempted to just leave it another 2400mi and then change both chain + cassette at 5000 or more. The only thing then I guess is the chainrings. How often do those need changing? Mine have 5800 mi on them right now.

[GuyContinental]

@vvill 40341 wrote:

The only thing then I guess is the chainrings. How often do those need changing? Mine have 5800 mi on them right now.

I don’t subscribe to the “change the front rings along with the chain and cassette” theory- even high end rings are considerably thicker than a comparable cassette cog and IMO wear significantly slower. In theory, I change mine when they are hooked or causing shifting problems, in practice I’ve never had one survive long enough to replace, I’ve always busted a crank, upgraded or destroyed the ring (MTB).

In your case, if you don’t have shifting problems, get more diligent about the lube and replace the cassette & chain when you need to (yes it will wear faster now that it’s worn but who cares, you are going to toss it (or make art out of it) anyway.

[bobco85]

Good news! I successfully replaced the rear derailleur, gave it new cabling, and after riding it today, I got tired of only being able to use my largest and smallest gears. Then I took a look at the rear cassette and decided to replace it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2297[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2298[/ATTACH]
Note the 4th gear sporting some shark fins.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2299[/ATTACH]
Took it in to Performance Bike and they replaced the cassette (it’s shiny and pretty) that had an additional tooth (slightly better for hills).

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2300[/ATTACH]
My new rear derailleur Shimano RD-3400 Sora (GS Medium cage, 9-speed)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2301[/ATTACH]
My happy bike, ready for more riding.

Lesson learned: I will remember to clean the chain more often now!

[Author]

Posts