What is the mechanism which "wears the side plate holes oval"? Are the pins moving in the side plate holes? If not, what causes the wear of which you speak? Help us all understand. Maybe it's explained better in a link you might share?
As above the pins are peined over at the end, the plates rotate around the pins as they go round the chainring and cassette, this movement causes the wear eventually, the rollers also rotate round the pins tooYes, the pins do move in the inner plate holes, which wears them oval.
Don't motorcycle chains have seals between the plates and the rollers, in order to keep, I assume road dirt and water out as much as is practically possible, unlike a bicycle chain? Just going on what my work colleagues have said, who are really into their motorbikes.... and an addition of dirt / road grit or worn off teeth particles to the lubricant, forming an abrasive paste, quicker than quick.
The trouble is that it is quite a job to get the particles out/off.
And one next ride over a single spot with dirt suffices to inflict a repeat.
All that work I see as a waste of time - I have better things to do.
So, my goal was/is to reduce it as much as possible.
Since I ceased lubricating the chain, I had nearly zero cleaning work.
And yet, the rate of chain retensions, and their magnitude (how much the eccenter has to be moved in order to get the required tension) both decreased.
But as said, testing this became only possible when the chain was protected against rain.
Since I finally found a working cover construction (that special shaped rubber seal), this became possible.
And this topic is the conclusion I drawed from the experience over the months since the cover.
Probably by the end of summer, I'll need to replace chain and rear cog.
I will put on the second in line of that Regina 420 oroy chain, but the newer model of my second purchased batch.
Unlike the first, the rain cover now allows to NOT put oil on it.
These motorcycle chains have a white grease on them. Also sticky. So I think I'm gonna try to wipe it off the externals as much as possible.
And then see if the wear story confirms the current.
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Not all, some, usually those for bigger forces, have. Their price tag is alot... "heftier".Don't motorcycle chains have seals between the plates and the rollers, in order to keep, I assume road dirt and water out as much as is practically possible, unlike a bicycle chain? Just going on what my work colleagues have said, who are really into their motorbikes.
Whether that latter is (one of) the case(s) or not, does that even matter?Deliberately not lubricating a mechanical transmission on the basis that it wears slower if not lubricated, is totally bonkers thinking.
Any supposed reduced rate of chain elongation on an unlubricated chain, is almost certainly due to the fact that rust takes up more space than the metal it is formed from.
I think I prefer this guy's view over the OPs -
Lab testing confirms: Clean your damn chain - CyclingTips
The alternative,Oil-based lubes can indeed still be efficient, but the way they attract dirt means you need to be more fastidious with your cleaning regime.
Minimum cost, minimum work.
That's my goal.
Some people prefer to caress their bike like their wife.
My focus is to get the non bike related jobs done, treating the bike as a wheelbarrow - minimal maintenance.
AgreedOnly one thing causes chain elongation, the holes in the plates wear oval and the pins wear with a groove in them, therefore making the chain longer when under tension, unlubricated metals rubbing against each other wear themselves away quicker than those lubricated
Attending to lubrication implies attending to cleaning to avoid grinding paste.I don't spend hours doing things like pointless cleaning & polishing my bikes either, but I do attend to the lubrication of the moving parts regularly.
Run your chains to the point of mechanical failure, both lubricated and dry. We'll see which regime is better then.
+1I don't spend hours doing things like pointless cleaning & polishing my bikes either, but I do attend to the lubrication of the moving parts regularly.