Could do with some advice from you knowledgeable folks please.....

[Panter]

Regarding my transmission.

Chain number 2 is now worn to the first indicator, so I was just going to get another replacement.

However, when I checked the cassette, some of the cogs are a bit shark-toothed although most are fine.
So, should I change cassette and chain now or should I now just run them both into the ground and then replace both (especially with Winter fast approaching?)
I assume its not worth just chainging the rings that are worn as presumably the ones that look Ok will be on the way out too?

If I do just run them into the ground, will the front chainrings suffer at all?

Edit: Bike is an SCR3 '07 which has done a smidge over 2000miles if that helps...

 

[Noodley]

buy both, but keep running them til they fail....i.e. skipping. Unless you are doing longer rides in which case change now as once is starts skipping then you are buggered..

 

[Fab Foodie]

Run 'em thro' the winter and replace in the spring. Chainrings will probably be OK.

 

[Panter]

Thanks fellas, appreciated

 

[jimboalee]

I measure chain wear as 12 1/8" over 12 links. Hooked teeth are a visual thing. If the teeth are hooked, the new chain won't seat perfectly.
Yes, the advice about changing chain and cassette is good, but if the bike has only done just over 2000 miles, was it being ridden along a sandy beachside cyclepath? 2000 miles is not a great distance. I would expect 10000 miles from a chain.

 

[Panter]

2000 miles is not a great distance. I would expect 10000 miles from a chain.

It's, er, ahem <coughs> under a fair bit of strain TBH

 

[mickle]

Hold on a wee minute. Modern cassettes feature profiled teeth which allow the chain to move easily from one sprocket to another. Don't mistake profiled teeth for worn teeth, some of them are very shallow indeed.

 

[Panter]

Ok, thanks Mickle. I'm reasonably sure it is worn though, it's only a cheapy cassette and some of the other rings look Ok.

I'll try and get a picture up later if that helps.

 

[Fiona N]

When you replace the cassette and chain, consider getting 2 or even three chains and running them simultaneously - well, you know what I mean, not actually all at the same time.
I change the chain every time I do a proper bike clean - every couple of weeks in the salty winter - which is easy with the Powerlinks and similar, so that the wear is spread over all three chains. By the time all three chains are dead, it will be time for a new cassette too. And this way, you never have the potential problems of running a new chain on a partly worn cassette.

 

[Panter]

Thanks Fiona, sounds a good plan.

Unfortunately, my level of organisation means I'd never know which was which, if in fact I hadn't lost the other two altogether at changeover time


Here's the pics of my cassette:

 

[Randochap]

Grind a gear

A Park Tool CC-3 chain checker or equivalent is a good investment (around $14, here in Canada) that will save a lot more in the long run.

At .75 you can usually get by with a chain replacement, though sometimes takes a bit to wear in. At 1.0, furgeddaboudit -- you're in for chain/cassette.

The new 10-sp. (and now Campag has introduced 11-sp.) wear very quickly and, if you're running higher end stuff, neglect can get very expensive very quickly!

I've worked at a bike shop the last 2.5 years and I can tell you more money is made by shops from this simple oversight than any other repair.

Of course, the main factor is riding conditions X maintenance. We get a lot of winter rain here on the West Coast (and much worse weather in the rest of The Great White North!) The most common mistake: A. lack of regular cleaning, and B. Over-lubricating. Liberal lube, add road grit, and you have a nice grinding paste

Sorry to say, above pics are a prime example of the aforementioned sin.

 

[Panter]

Thanks for that, I do use a chain checker religiously, thats what I meant by falling into the first wear indicator (the 0.75% on the Park tools one.)

Sorry to say, above pics are a prime example of the aforementioned sin.

How dare you Sir, I've been lubing absolutely as per the Mickle method below, as advised, ever since I got my bike

Right then, 'Unckle Mickles Foolproof Chain Maintenance Programme is as follows.

(1) Purchase a bottle, not an aerosol, of proper chain lube (not WD85, not GT40, not 'oil', not 3 in 1, not even basil infused virgin olive oil although any of the above will work better than nothing. Just) of the kind manufactured by Finish Line, Pedros, White Lightning etc and sold in your local bike shop.

(2) Wipe your chain with a rag (Cotton. Old T shirts or sheets are ideal) until no more black gunk comes off on the rag. I do it with the bike in a work stand, set the bike in top gear and drag the lower run of chain through the rag.

(3) Apply lube to the chain ensuring that every link gets a drop. If the chain is warm all the better. Then spin the pedals backwards a few times, this allows the lube to get to the inside of the chain by capillary action.

(4) Wipe the chain until the rag comes clean.

(5) Lube.

(6) Wipe.

(7) Wipe.

(8) Ride a few miles and wipe again.


As a general rule aim to spend ten times longer wiping the chain than applying lube and the last thing you do is wipe it.
There should be no lube on the exterior surfaces of the chain save a thin barrier against oxidization.

No degreaser. No chain cleaning machine. Job done in four minutes.

Repeat as often as you like, the more often you do it the cleaner your chain will be and the longer it will last.

 

[Randochap]

Missed that nugget

Thanks for that, I do use a chain checker religiously, thats what I meant by falling into the first wear indicator (the 0.75% on the Park tools one.)




How dare you Sir, I've been lubing absolutely as per the Mickle method below, as advised, ever since I got my bike

Yep, "falling into" is the danger zone.

Ah, yes, there be wisdom from comrade Mickle. Old socks work wonders. Banish the grey goo

 

[Panter]

What do you reckon then folks, is my cassette clapped out?

 

[mickle]

Whack a new chain on, it's fine I reckon.