New chain = new cassette as well usually??

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
The LBS say i need a new cassette as well as a chain...fair enough, I am not an expert, but the cassette looks fine to me and nothing is slipping...but it has gone a long way...so my question is...Is it common practice to automatically change the cassette at the same time as fitting a new chain or am I being fleeced again?....oh...and what about the three big front cogs??
 
i usually change just the chain every couple of thousand miles or so. everything works ok. eventually you do need a new cassette as well.
if i put a new chain on and it slips then that is the time i put a new cassette on.
 
Gerry Attrick said:
It's good practice, but not necessarily needed. A worn cassette will cream cracker a new chain in a few miles.

yes seconded. when i put a chain on i ride round the block using all the gears, if it slips then it's new cassette before any damage is done.
if the rings are getting a bit done at this time i put the old chain back on and run the lot into the ground before putting all new on.
 

yello

Guest
It's a school of thought to change cassette and chain at the same time. I tend to opt for a '2 chains per cassette' pit stop strategy but it really does depend on how worn things are looking. Hate to say it given what you've said about your LBS but I'd be inclined to trust them and go with it. It's not like it's a bad thing to have a new cassette!
 

Joe24

More serious cyclist than Bonj
Location
Nottingham
Depending on how worn it is, depends if it needs changing. Get them to show you how worn it is if you dont trust them, or look on Sheldons page and do the measure thing.
I had 2 chains on my last casette untill i left it too long. On my 2nd chain on the 'new' one that was put on. But then my last chain lasted just over a month.:sad: I didnt wear my chain-rings out when i wore out the casette, so unless your chain is really bad, then you will probably be good on the front rings.
Measure your chain BTFB and find out.
Oh, and make sure you clean your bike when you have a new casette and chain on. Make it look as near new as you can and take a picture of it, make it look like you really take care of it :becool:
 

dodgy

Guest
This subject comes up here every so often, even in my short time here :becool:

Measure your chain, not by the amount of miles you do, but by actually measuring it. I use a Park Tools chain wear guide, change the chain before the tool drops through the chain and you can easily change the chain without changing the cassette.

I'm on the 5th chain on my road bike and the 4th on my MTB. No slipping on either when fitting a new chain.

Dave.
 

PatrickPending

Legendary Member
Location
Leicester
I'll second what dodgy says, I change my chain when my park tool says its due for a change, so far on my 7th new chain (averaging 4/yr - i do 14000km on this bike in all weathers) and so far no need for a new casette
 

Mr Pig

New Member
My whole transmission, chain, cassette, chain rings, are well worn but still work! I'm not even thinking about a new chain because I know I'd need to change the lot and I'm buying a new bike soon. The thing is that the worn stuff still all works perfectly!

So might it be cheaper to run everything until it fails, or starts to cause problems, then change the lot at once? Interesting...
 
PatrickPending is closest to the truth which is that if you replace your chain regularly your other transmission components will last indefinitely. My mountainbike chain-rings date from 1995 and the XTR cassette on Ms Mickles bike has done over 25,000 km. Bike shops get so used to seeing bikes with neglected drivetrains that they start to believe the myth that chains and cassettes need to be replaced together. The fact that they make more money might come into it too. What really gets up my goat is when cycling magazine hacks repeat this nonsense when they really should know better.
 

dodgy

Guest
Depends how much you're willing to spend on a chain. (responding to Mr Pig ref his last sentence)

Dave.
 

dodgy

Guest
Oops, sorry Mr Pig, what I meant was if you're into saving your drive train from damage due to worn chains, you have to change your chain more frequently. I change the chain on my road bike roughly 2 times a year (dependent on how much use I'm getting out of my other bikes). 2 chains can cost anywhere from £10 to £50. So if you replace your chain frequently with a cheapish but well made chain, then it's probably the cheapest overall option compared with running your kit into the ground.

My preference is to buy chains when they're the right price on eBay, and I only go for either SRAM or Ultegra level Shimano chains. That's a spend of roughly £18 a year and I'm confident that I'll never need to change the cassette or chainrings for the life of the bike (I keep my bikes for 3 years).

Cheers,
Dave.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
I seem to remember an article in Cycle which said cheapish chains were just as good as the expensive ones. I avoid a manufacturer's cheapest chain and buy the next one up the range.
 

Mr Pig

New Member
byegad said:
I seem to remember an article in Cycle which said cheapish chains were just as good as the expensive ones.

More expensive ones might be lighter? I remember asking if dearer cassettes lasted longer and the guy in the shop said 'not necessarily. Sometimes they're more expensive because they're lighter and actually don't last as long'. In fact I've been told on a couple of ocasions that the guys who work in Dales bike shop all run 7 speed cassettes as they last so much longer than 8 or 9 speed ones.
 
Top Bottom