2500 mile service should I expect to have to change cassette & chain?

[John the Monkey]

Never had less than 10000 miles out an 10 speed Ultegra cassette even running a chain for 5000 miles , I take it the OP has 11 speed though so they might be different quality.

That's good going. When I ran one cassette to a chain, I'd reckon on 3,000 miles ish - that was on a commuting bike though, so it was out in all kinds of conditions.

 

[boydj]

New chain is a given. Try the new chain on the old cassette - if it works without skipping on the most-used gears, then fine, otherwise a new cassette is required. A worn chain will cause excessive wear on the cassette and 2500 miles on a chain is a lot, but it does depend on the riding conditions.

 

[slowmotion]

If the chain and cassette were both new 2500 miles ago, I would only replace the cassette if chain wear had reached 0.75%, but that's just a personal (and possibly flawed) opinion.

 

[keithmac]

I'd try a new chain first and it it slips in certain gears do the cassette. If it's a ballache taking it back just do the lot..

 

[keithmac]

Not totally in context but you can see in this pic how chain stretch can destroy a sprocket, I was surprised they managed to ride it down..

 

[dodgy]

I get 3 chains per cassette, sometimes 4 if I'm lucky.

 

[Bonacentral]

How long is a piece of string - or a chain!?

I'm not ultra anal about how many miles I do or cleaning my bikes. I don't like my chains turning black and if any shifting isn't smooth and silent then I attend.

Recently done a clean and stretch test and am apparently due one. Cassette is still in VGC..

 

[rogerzilla]

I ruin a chain in 500 miles, but that's all-weather commuting and with basic 1/8" chains for £4 here's no point cleaning them between replacements - just add oil a couple of times.

Usual rule of thumb is to replace chain when a nominal 12 inches of chain measure 12 1/16" hanging down. If it gets to 12 1/8", the cassette is probably ruined too.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I think gbb has provided good advice. I purchased the Park chain checker which I use to confirm my chains length. You can go online and learn to do it with a ruler but chain tools are quick and easy.

A chain that gets stretched will cause the cassette to not perform smoothly. If the gears are not changing smoothly, it is a good indication that you waited too long to replace the chain. (However, I have waited too long and not seen much issues with performance).

No. A worn chain does NOT affect gear changing at all. Not in the least.

 

[gbb]

No. A worn chain does NOT affect gear changing at all. Not in the least.

At OPs stage of wear I'd probably agree (bearing in mind we don't have the actual wear figures AFAIK) There is a train of thought that extremely worn chains, ones that can slop about with side play can cause shifting issues, but that's a very extreme amount of wear.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

At OPs stage of wear I'd probably agree (bearing in mind we don't have the actual wear figures AFAIK) There is a train of thought that extremely worn chains, ones that can slop about with side play can cause shifting issues, but that's a very extreme amount of wear.

No, even a brand new chain can easily bend the distance required to shift two or three gears in one throw. Bearing in mind that the bend range just extends as the chain shifts, you'll always be within the chain's flexible range.

Further, a bushingless chain's mode of wear doesn't increase it's lateral flexibility.

 

[gbb]

Copy and pasted from a BR article...
What about that chain ‘slop’ mentioned earlier?
Some riders who don't put a lot of torque into their drive train will wear out the chain rollers before wear becomes apparent on a traditional chain checker. "Think of petite riders, or riders that may be of average size but spin a higher cadence," says Quade. "These riders will wear the roller down (side to side, not OD/ID) and the chain gets sloppy side to side but isn't 'stretched'.”

Murdick backs this. “As chains wear, they develop more lateral flexibility, which comes from friction between the inner and outer plates," he says. "That can affect shifting even before the effects of elongation are felt. In fact, the differences in initial lateral flexibility on a new chain vary greatly between chain manufacturers and that does have an effect on shift quality and durability.”

As for a solution, Quade says it’s not so simple. “These chains can be harder to spot for a home mechanic who isn't putting a new chain on somebody else’s bike on a daily basis," he adds. "This wear can cause some pretty sloppy shifting, which is perhaps the easiest way to spot it. The chain will lag behind shifts, similar to the feeling of dirty cables or a B-tension adjustment that's to far out.”

It's all conjecture anyway re OPS chain, but obviously conclusions differ ...and that's the way of the world, nothing is black and white.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Copy and pasted from a BR article...
What about that chain ‘slop’ mentioned earlier?
Some riders who don't put a lot of torque into their drive train will wear out the chain rollers before wear becomes apparent on a traditional chain checker. "Think of petite riders, or riders that may be of average size but spin a higher cadence," says Quade. "These riders will wear the roller down (side to side, not OD/ID) and the chain gets sloppy side to side but isn't 'stretched'.”

Murdick backs this. “As chains wear, they develop more lateral flexibility, which comes from friction between the inner and outer plates," he says. "That can affect shifting even before the effects of elongation are felt. In fact, the differences in initial lateral flexibility on a new chain vary greatly between chain manufacturers and that does have an effect on shift quality and durability.”

As for a solution, Quade says it’s not so simple. “These chains can be harder to spot for a home mechanic who isn't putting a new chain on somebody else’s bike on a daily basis," he adds. "This wear can cause some pretty sloppy shifting, which is perhaps the easiest way to spot it. The chain will lag behind shifts, similar to the feeling of dirty cables or a B-tension adjustment that's to far out.”

It's all conjecture anyway re OPS chain, but obviously conclusions differ ...and that's the way of the world, nothing is black and white.

I don't know who or BR is/are, but the quoted Quade is certainly not an engineer. Besides, he uses the word "Stretch", so I can't take him seriously.

It is ridiculous to think that the roller can wear sideways without causing pin wear. How on earth does he propose that you pedal with less torque than the tiny lateral force applied to a chain that's not running in a perfect chainline. He proposes a pedaling torque of say 10 or 12 NM for thousands of kilometers. C'mon!

Further, have a good look at the number of links between the guide pulley and sprocket - the chain shift area. See for yourself if you think flexibility can influence this. Just turn your bike upside down and look at this.

 

[Drago]

Sure, you know Quade...

 

[John the Monkey]

Sure, you know Quade...

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