Veloce chain life

[gbb]

You may remember this post...circa 1000 miles on a 10 speed KMC chain
https://www.cyclechat.net/

At the time (7 months ago) i fitted a Veloce chain, well it's just worn to the 0.75% mark (and only just 0.75%)...with about 1200 miles on it. Sadly my computer went FUBAR so i lost the actual mileage, but 1200's near enough. So it fared better than the KMC. Lubing on the veloce was weekly or about every 100 miles, remove chain, wipe clean, soak in engine oil, drip dry, wipe then refit.

Next chain ? a Shimano 105.

Will a SRAM quicklink fit the 105 chain ?

 

[ianrauk]

Shimano 105 chains are the weak link (excuse the pun) in the 105 groupsets. They seem to wear very quickly. I always stick to KMC.

 

[HLaB]

not that really answers things. My best bike has a kmc chain and it gets typically 1,500 miles to 0.75% the last one I bought is lasting a bit longer maybe because I've been using the Mickle Method and not breaking it and using chemicals.
On my other 10 spd bike it came with a 105 chain (closed with a kmc link) it wore fast (>0.75%) but held strong until I replaced it a few months back at circa 5600miles. I replaced it wit a SRAM one mainly because SRAM was cheapest its still isn't at 0.75% but it has only seen 225miles so far

 

[Trickydicky]

Why do u change your chain so often?

 

[gbb]

Why do u change your chain so often?

I ask myself that...maybe i'm expecting too much.
I'm not a plodder, always pushing myself and the bike (in my own modest way), often get out the seat and honk hills, it all puts more stress on the chain, take good time to regularly lube the chain...but it still wears.

10 speed chain ?. My old 8 speed, the chain just went on and on, even with winter use. Old 9 speed, i immediately noticed how much quicker the chain wore...and even more so with 10 speed.

 

[yello]

I'm somewhat surprised. I ride KMC chains (both 9 and 10 speed) and get thousands of km out of them before the Park Tools wear indicator gets to 1%. Even before I used the 'Mickle Method', I was getting better than 1500 mile out of a chain.

 

[HLaB]

Why do u change your chain so often?

There some evidence to say that changing a chain at 0.75 % on a wear indicator means that no damage is done to a cassette and you get several chains to one cassette instead of having to buy a new cassette each time or even worse chainrings each time.

 

[gannet]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who only gets ~1200 miles to a chain...

just replaced the last one (SRAM 971) at 1200 at 0.75% wear - but even that was too late for the cassette as it was slipping on the 4th and 5th cog...

Switched to a Connex Wipperman 9sx as they are supposed to last longer - we will see!

anybody any thoughts on chain rotation and whether it is worth it? IE using more than one chain per cassette by swapping the chains over every 100-200 miles??

 

[HLaB]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who only gets ~1200 miles to a chain...

just replaced the last one (SRAM 971) at 1200 at 0.75% wear - but even that was too late for the cassette as it was slipping on the 4th and 5th cog...

Switched to a Connex Wipperman 9sx as they are supposed to last longer - we will see!

anybody any thoughts on chain rotation and whether it is worth it? IE using more than one chain per cassette by swapping the chains over every 100-200 miles??

Typically on my better bikes I get 3 chains to one cassette; at a guess that's (3x20+45=£105); funds are a bit tight at the moment so I ran the last chain to 5500 miles (about 3.6 chains if Id rotated perhaps). (1x20+45=£65) certainly seems cheaper to me. I don't know the exact maths but just running trial and error on these numbers (its always seems to be cheaper to run just one chain and replace the whole lot).

 

[John the Monkey]

anybody any thoughts on chain rotation and whether it is worth it? IE using more than one chain per cassette by swapping the chains over every 100-200 miles??

I do that on the commuter - I change chains every two weeks, which works out at around 300 miles per rotation - a bit early to make any judgement on chain/cassette life though.

 

[Trickydicky]

There some evidence to say that changing a chain at 0.75 % on a wear indicator means that no damage is done to a cassette and you get several chains to one cassette instead of having to buy a new cassette each time or even worse chainrings each time.

YEr but it isnt worth it till you get up to a Dura Ace or the like group sets, due to the fact chains are expensive! and cassettes are not much more. N how much is a chain ring now? What damage are you realy gona do to the excenvice bits (Frame, forks ,STI leavers ,wheels) if you dont change your chain every 1000 miles?

"I do that on the commuter - I change chains every two weeks, which works out at around 300 miles per rotation - a bit early to make any judgement on chain/cassette life though. "

Do u not end spending a fortune on chains? that is over £500 a year? You could replace you whole group set for that price? Is it worth it?

 

[gannet]

I was thinking more like, run a chain 1 for 200 miles swap to chain 2 for another 200 miles, then swap back to chain 1 for another 200 etc...

idea being that the cassette wears into 2 (or more) chains rather than just the one.

I just can't decide if it's worth it

 

[Trickydicky]

BUt then ur constantly breaking the chain! which damages it more.

 

[John the Monkey]

"I do that on the commuter - I change chains every two weeks, which works out at around 300 miles per rotation - a bit early to make any judgement on chain/cassette life though. "

Do u not end spending a fortune on chains? that is over £500 a year? You could replace you whole group set for that price? Is it worth it?

buy the cassette, buy three chains.

Chain one on for 300 miles.

Change to chain two for 300 miles

Change to chain three for 300 miles

Back to chain one.

And repeat, until chains reach the point at which they need changing, as gannet says.

And no, you're not constantly breaking the chain, other than at the quicklink (I use KMC, personally).

whether it's worth it depends on the cost of chainrings, cassettes, chains. I use KMC 9 speed chains that cost between £12 & £15, cassettes at around £30 - £40, and FSA milled chainrings (as opposed to the stamped ones) that I can't remember the prices of.

I've done the "run it into the ground" thing, and didn't like the billshock to get the bike moving again. Even if there's marginal benefit overall, I'd sooner have a series of small outlays than one eyewatering one. YMMV.

 

[gannet]

BUt then ur constantly breaking the chain! which damages it more.

using a quick link causes no damage...