Animal A Bike Co BMX Tom White Kevlar Folding Tyre 2.00
When should I replace my bicycle chain?
I am talking about a roadbike, not a mountain bike or BMX.
A friend of mine recently told me he 'heard' you should replace your chain every 2000 miles. If that were true, I'd have to replace my chain about 2x per year. Seems like a chain out to last a little longer. This is average commuting, recreational, and sporting about the town type of usage. Is my friend right?
The life of a chain depends on how well it is maintained and the conditions it operates in. A well maintained (regular clean and lube) and not kept outdoors were it is always subject to the elements can last many thousands of miles. Kept in poor condition and neglected a chains life may be as short as 1 thousand miles. I"m a bike maint. fanatic and the chain on my road race bike now has over 4k miles on it this year, I’ll toss it no matter what the wear is at the end of the season when I do my year end maint. on all my bikes. If you are concerned about chain wear (or as some call it chain stretch) get one of those cool little tools that measures wear or it can be done with a ruler.
Here is some additional help;
‘http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html’
‘http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=24′
Chain lifespan depends upon the type of chain. With road bikes, the 10 speed chains are very narrow and have a lifespan of about 1,200 – 2,000 miles. I broke one after 1,500 miles. 7, 8, and 9 speed chains last longer. One way to see if your chain needs replacement is to use the Sheldon Brown (RIP, Sheldon) ruler test. Look for the word "Measuring" on ‘http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html’
HTH
Like everyone else is telling you, the care of the chain has a lot to do with the duration of it’s life. The other factor is the make and model of the chain.
A Shimano HG chain lasted me 1,000 miles. I replaced it with a Sram 991 and it has over 4,000 miles on it with no signs of wear.
The interesting part of this is that the 2 chains received the exact same cleaning and lubrication, and riding under the same routes and conditions.
I am told that the order of quality is: 1. Wipperman, 2. Sram, 3. Shimano.
It will depend on how well you perform maintenance and the ridding conditions. I have about 2,200 miles on my road bike chain and it doesn’t show any wear on it at all. I clean and lube it about every 200 miles or so and use a good chain lube. I use the procedure on the link below.
‘http://bicycletutor.com/chain-wear/’
i had one shimano 8 speed road bike chain last 12,000 miles
or maybe it was 14,000
depends
5000 isn;t unusual
2000 is pretty short
road bike chains don;t get too much dirt really
rain is bad
more dirt thrown up onto them
some people clean and oil religiously
others fear that lubing will carry dirt inside the links and accelerate wear
moderate and replace it when it;s worn
wle.
If you ask around, you’ll find that a 9- or 10-sp chain can often make it to the 2000 mile mark…or beyond.
Of those situations where a chain only lasts <1500 miles, much can be attributed to poor maintenance and/or worn cassettes and chainrings. Strong, muscular riders that mash climbs in high gears can also stress a chain more. There is no magic forumula, unfortunately.
Some people claim to get 3k-4k out of their super narrow chains. Campy drivetrains are known for getting a bit better lifespan than others. Otherwise, there is no heirarchy for which chain is best. They’re all made similarly and will wear similarly under similar riding conditions by the same rider on the same bike with the same drivetrain.
You’re right, it does seem like a chain ought to last longer. But they don’t. 9- and 10-sp chains were developed for competitive cycling. A commuter that puts thousands of miles on his bike each year and wants to keep maintenance to a minimum is best off with a singlespeed or IGH, both of which use the widest and longest wearing chains available.
depends on care and the use you give it and your power. get a chain elongation gauge or you can even make your own. if it extends about 4 mm it is time to change it
bikingthings
How long is a peice of string? depends road ridin mountain bikin ridin in the wet or dry. even how you ride and look after the bike.