[Closed] 12 chains a year??

I’m running GX

that's your problem right there.

Something's not right...XT cassette and KMC X11-93 chain, often a couple hundred km a week, on bike since December, lax attitude to drivetrain cleaning - currently at 0.25 wear. Coming from a 3x9 setup I had concerns about 11 speed durability, but have been pleasantly surprised.

well on my gauge a new chain starts about 0.5 and I dont replace it until 1. SRAM 1x11. Get a gauge and do your chains yourself and save money. I get 4 chains easy to a drive train over the year. Put a new chain on and measure it and go from there.

On 1x11 this <<span style > he’s had to replace his cassette < means the front ring is too big. He should drop down a size or 2 and get a better chain line ie pedals mostly in the centre of the cassette on the metal rings. The biggest ring is made of  aluminium so it wears quickly. Should only be used for the very steep bits. Or, get fitter 🙂

Start maintaining your own bike and you will save a load of money.

Yeah, I'll swdp chains and the like - but surely GX isn't that fragile.  Plus - starting wear at .5 on your gauge? Is that a thing for SRAM drivetrains?

What type of chain lube are you using?

The original chain on my Voodoo needed replacing after ~500 miles IIRC, while using a dry lube, Progold Prolink. With dry lubes, you need to keep on top of frequent re-lubing, especially if you ride in wet weather and/or ride over wet terrain.

Just as my Progold bottle was running out, PX had another sale and I got a lifetime, 1l bottle of Muc Off C3 Wet lube for £7! The Voodoo's second chain is now on 2500+ miles since autumn 2016, while my ~15 month old Cube road bike with over 3000 miles on it is still on the original chain. Wet lubes are water resistant, which means they will protect your drivetrain longer with a less frequent re-lube, but they do hold on to any muck that hits the chain and turns it into a mucky paste (which if you leave it too long between drivetrain cleans, will start to damage the drivetrain).

Drivetrain cleaning is quite easy these days with those tools that hook on to the chain while you turn the cranks, then using some of the de-greaser on the cassette and chainrings with an agitator before rinsing off and then drying before re-lubing. But I think there is a "danger" of over-doing big cleans that will also increase the wear rate, stripping chains of lube from deep inside links if you don't meticulously re-lube... Moderation is the key, like so many things in life!

that’s your problem right there.

Not. Really dry and dusty was about 12-1500km a chain for me at worst

I change my chain once per year in the spring and cover 2000 miles per year riding all year round and that is fixed gear so the chain is always moving and under quite a bit of load uphills due to the one highish gear.

Presumably that is because I am using sturdier chains which are not being put at the lateral angles they endure with gears or am I just lucky with chains?

That is 100% a problem with the gauge, and why would you replace a chain at 0.5% anyway? I thought 0.75% was the 'recommended' point at which to replace, and I've pushed it a bit beyond that and got away with it.

I'm pretty sure new chains 'start' at 0.25/0.5% anyway, as someone above alluded to.

 I’m mechanically incompetent and cba learning (would rather be on the bike or doing something else) – so I drop it off at a well-known bike shop in teh peaks

That's your basic problem... you at least need to be able to adjust stuff yourself to know when its working correctly or not and causing wear..

This weekend I snapped a spoke

Rhetorical I know but did you check your spoke tension before riding?

Just going around and check the tone as you ping with your fingernail... then grip in pairs and see if any are loose.. then tighten ... Over a couple of years the wheel will get a bit unbalanced unless you or LBS then do a proper job but just keeping the spokes reasonably tightened will prevent broken spokes in all but the most severe cases.

Directional chain fitted wrong way?

Wrong speed chain fitted?

Incompetent bike mechanic?

I've found the GX 11 speed stuff to be very hard wearing(full steel cassette) but change chains at .75 which I would guesstimate is around 600(winter) to 800 miles of riding and ride mainly in an area where I evenly use/wear the full range of gears.I tried the cheap SRAM chains and  found them to wear fast so went back to my trusty KMC X11-93  .If I did indeed change the chains at .5 as they now seem to advise I reckon I would be getting through  12+ chains a year .

They’re pulling your plonker aren’t they?!

Im a year or so into a chain on my bike and I haven’t even checked it. I have a new one to go on but may have left it too late. Not sure.

Ive got A measuring thing and I’ll try it soon and see where it’s at. What I might do is just put the new one on and see if it meshes ok. If yes then great, if no I’ll stick the old one back on and ride it / the cassette until they no longer shift / stay in gear ok.

I find most of the chain checkers are not much use with modern chains, have one that says a new chain is almost 0.7!  Since going to the 12" measurement method (see Sheldon Brown's pages for details) I'm getting 8-900 miles out of chains in all conditions whereas before I was changing them every 4-500.  Usually get 4 chains to a cassette on XT 11 speed so far.

Not just you. Myself and another lad from one of the groups I ride with both have had chain issues on GX.

One thing though... I think they have an initial stretch they do quite quickly and then slow down. I get through about one every 1000 miles.

I'm considering trying one of the more pricey 12 speed chains off of the xx1 Eagle.

I change my chain once per year in the spring and cover 2000 miles per year riding all year round and that is fixed gear

Are you changing it just because you think you should? I have a Rohloff on my all year round off road commuter and I only change the chain when the rear sprocket is knackered and that can be 3 or 4 years. Chain is oiled with whatever is lying around, for the last few years that has been gearbox oil and is rarely if ever cleaned just the occasional wipe over before adding more oil.

1000 miles or 1600 km seems fairly resonable for a chain from my experience of MTB and GX have taken them beyond 1 before and the cassette was fine, though the biggest death of chains I had on that drivetrain was snapping and a couple of snapped chainrings that took the chains out.

Why not try the NX one and just swap them out.

I have no idea what 0.5 or 0.75 is on a chain checker, but just measure it instead. Changing between 1/16" and max 1/8" over 12 links usually sees  me go through 2 chains a year.

there are areas around where the dust / sand is very aggressive... when biking in or close to dunes / close to the sea the drivetrain chews up VERY quick.

Luckily, where I live, all my bikes with Deore 2x10: this stuff lasts. More of a brake pad chewing area...

I've had new chains that have been 0.5% worn.

Bike I've just bought second hand has GX, the previous owner changed the drivetrain 200-300 miles ago and the chain is at less that 0.5.

I have a Rohloff on my all year round off road commuter and I only change the chain when the rear sprocket is knackered and that can be 3 or 4 years.

There have always been two camps when it comes to chain replacements: those who replace at the first sign of wear to preserve the rest of the drivetrain, and those that run the whole lot into the ground and replace the lot (chainrings, cassette, chain etc.) in one go.

I've never worked out which is cheaper, but for me I've always changed chains early. My reason for this is mostly so if I trash a chain, I know that I can buy a new one and it will work. Once the transmission wear gets above 1% (maybe less) then the chances of a new chain working are virtually nil and unless you have a used, spare lying around, you'll be faced with an immediate, expensive bill. Also, I reckon that I get more life out of my kit by doing it this way, albeit at a cost of more maintenance (which is only my own time).

It's a bit of a religion, tbh, and I'm not sure there's a right answer as to which way is best.

Are you changing it just because you think you should

I am changing it because the chain is worse for wear after the winter.  Put new one on in Spring where it goes well through Summer and Autumn then it get a much harder time during winter so replace after winter

Change at between 0.75 & 1%

I've managed to get a bit over 4(!) years so far out of an 11spd X01 cassette used all year, all weather in the Peaks so far. It's quite noisy now but still works OK. Reckon 2-3 chains per year

1/16" is a bit over 0.5%, 1/8" is a bit over 1%.

And DO BA to learn some basic mechanicing stuff. Unless you live right next door to that "well known shop in the peaks", you can fix most stuff in the time it'll take to drop the bike off, let alone collect it again. You'll actually have more riding time. (although equally if you're the kind of guy who keeps shops like that alive, crack on spending oodles with them. They're my goto for the once a year I end up with something I can't sort myself, or really weird spares issues, but they won't survive on my trade alone)

Measuring chain wear is not as easy as you might at first think:

http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-004/000.html

And DO BA to learn some basic mechanicing stuff. Unless you live right next door to that “well known shop in the peaks”, you can fix most stuff in the time it’ll take to drop the bike off, let alone collect it again.

You also spot stuff that's causing wear ... and correct it

although equally if you’re the kind of guy who keeps shops like that alive, crack on spending oodles with them. They’re my goto for the once a year I end up with something I can’t sort myself, or really weird spares issues, but they won’t survive on my trade alone

picking my wheel up later today (hopefully) ... keep Chris the local mechanic in business  because he'll fit the new bearings quicker and better and he can redo the spokes whilst it's in after 2+ years of me keeping them reasonably tight and reasonably straight.

@daern - I seem to switch between the two strategies, like you I've no idea which works out cheapest. It always feels like a big hit to wallet when you do it all in one whereas the cost is spread out when you do it incrementally.

I like the rationale about trashing a chain.

Your chain is worn to over .5”

0.5" - as in half an inch over 12" / 12 links (usually measure wear over that length)?

That's huge. 1/16" is used, 1/8" is well worn to 1% stretch. Generally best to hang a chain and measure dist across 12 pins.

if you mean 0.5% via a chain checker, that's normal in a new chain. 0.75% is worn in but OK, 1% is starting to mean a new chain may not mesh with the cassette when fitted (but there's wear-it-back-in work-arounds for that anyway).

 like you I’ve no idea which works out cheapest

Buying in bulk when reductions are highest 😀

This does tend to push me more to replacing chains more often as I usually paid <50%.... and changed the chain-ring I'd had sitting in the spares anyway... but can't truly say which is cheaper... but it doesn't feel so bad replacing from the spares as looking for the cheapest on-line and then juggling if you pay for fast delivery etc.

I work on the basis that unless my chain looks brand new it is dirty and will be grinding itself and the cassette and sprocket down.  if you oil a dirty chain you are lubricating the grinding effect.

Also you cant see the dirt inside the chain.

so after every ride I remove the chain and soak it in petrol over night and then clean the rings and cassette - removing them also if I cant them looking like new.

I should add I only do this on my XTR bikes - the pub bike just get oil on the dirt.

you could use 2 chains one on and one soaking and then swap them after each ride - this would be better than 12 a year!

Fotorat - that sounds like a lot of work!

I work on the basis that unless my chain looks brand new it is dirty and will be grinding itself and the cassette and sprocket down.  if you oil a dirty chain you are lubricating the grinding effect.

Wow sounds like overkill, have you tried not doing that 🙂

Fotorat – that sounds like a lot of work!

It's really not ... I used to do this on 10 speed (perhaps not EVERY ride and I just shake it around in a jar) but when the "non-reusuable" links came with 11sp I stopped. It also changed being able to just replace the expander ...

the amount of particles that come out even after a chain scrub is quite surprising...

I don't keep a chain diary (and its a different chain being 11sp) but my perception is the chain lasted a lot longer

SRAM GX

3000m on one Cassette

3 chains

1 chain ring

Mud and filth for most of the year in Central Scotland,

Ultimate Bike Solution now called "Flaer" through the winter as this helps to shed the muck off the drivetrain but does need applied before and after every ride. Most of my riding pals use the same and seem to get similar results although I'd say the SRAM cassette is harder wearing than the Shimano ones I've used previously.

In the dry weather I use Finish Line wet lube occasionally when needed.

The 3rd chain, 2nd chainring and original cassette have been on for over 14 months and only got changed a few weeks ago - by the time I get onto a 3rd chain I just run the whole drivetrain till it is dead.

I am in the camp of not changing it until there's a problem, then just changing the whole lot if necessary (sometimes use this as an excuse to upgrade, e.g. bin a knackered 10sp drivetrain & fit Eagle).

No-one uses chain checkers surely, except bike shops trying to sell you a new chain?! 😂

No-one uses chain checkers surely, except bike shops trying to sell you a new chain?!

Got one in my tool box so I can see what is going on.

No-one uses chain checkers surely, except bike shops trying to sell you a new chain?!

I do and I also have an accurate steel ruler (which, tbh, is much better). Check my post above - you fall solidly into one camp and, in such a case, there's no point in measuring the chain as you know it will be worn. You just need to make a judgement call as to when to change the whole transmission.

I had a ParkTool adjuster chain checker (the expensive one - it's rubbish BTW because it can wobble at an angle and when you're measuring such a small amount any angle on it is going to make it worse):

I used to get a new chain to 0.5 on it in about 350-400km. Change the chain. Noises coming from drive train. Would sometimes wear in and go away but not always. Did this a few times, same problem, drive train noisy on new chain.

I bought a £5 ParkTool 0.5 fixed metal chain checker then ran a new drive train (all parts new) (I stuck the above one after 650km on a second bike with an old chain and I'm running that into the ground as it won't take a new chain and was actually 0.75 on the new fixed metal tool so no wonder it was making noises).

That all new drive was fitted on June 1st and I've used the fixed metal checker every week or so. On July 1st the 0.5 chain checker pushed in. That was 185km. 1 month. 1 chain at 0.5? So 12 chains per year? I can believe it.

I haven't decided if I should sling a new chain on and alternate two chains?? What to do?

BTW, running XT 11 speed shifters with, 30T Oval OneUp Cinch 6mm offset non boost, 11-46 SunRace Cassette and SRAM NX 11 speed chain. Needed a new hanger and rear mech after couple of years of abuse. Shifting now spot on again.

Blimey, I'm still using the same chain on my Capra and Jeffsy.  One is two years old the other a year old.  I never lube them.  I ride 5 times a week.

I never lube them.  I ride 5 times a week.

What do they sound like? Or do you ride in the vacuum of space?

I never lube my commuter chain in summer and it's fine. It's also a many years old 9 speed with several thousands of km use. I expect I will have my P removed for not being on 12 speed.

0.5% wear is pretty damn as new, time to change bike shops OP,  as this ones ripping the piss.

1) Putoline, I lube my chain less frequently than some on here change theirs!

2) If you live in the Peak  (It's singular! Not Peaks! You don't go drop your bike of at a shop in the Sheffields do you?) then different rules apply, yes SRAM recommend changing your chain at 0.75 if you live in the dry dustiness of California with their test riders, in the Peak you change your chain and cassette together sometime in late spring and accept that it's well over 0.75 by the time winter comes around at which point the grinding paste that makes up the trails has more of an impact on shifting than chain wear.

The biggest ring is made of  aluminium so it wears quickly

Not really true - the chain sits across a larger number of teeth so causes less wear the bigger the ring is. Unless the chain is worn...

I have a chain checker but I only use it to amuse myself how far I can wear my chain and still not have problems.  I'm very strongly in the 'run it until it starts causing problems and then change everything' camp.  The chain checker is well beyond its measuring capability on all my bikes (except perhaps my newest, which at 9 months old is probably well overdue according to the checker)

Do people really change chains that often? I'd probably get 2000 offroad miles out of one

I've been pretty impressed with the longevity of GX stuff, my GX eagle is 700 miles in and chain wear isn't at 0.5 yet despite half of those miles being through some disgusting conditions.

A mate who mainly rides dyfi (and it's horrific grinding paste grit) got 1500 miles out of an 11 speed GX set up and sold the bike with it still functioning great

Christ... Throw the chain checker in the bin. With 3 rings it financially made sense maybe but with 1x and narrow wide rings does it ****.

Don't think k you can compare rolhoff, my alfine lasted 7 years of being ignored. Only changed because it got embarrassing.

My 2013 Canyon is still on it's original chain, cassette and chainrings. XT 2x10. I have a few bikes but it is the one I use most often, especially in the winter. It still changes sweetly and whilst it is obviously worn, I don't intend changing it until I get issues. Just got lucky I guess.

i always use wet lube and give it a wipe every now and again.

Pretty well all the bikes I have in my work stand these days have 1x drivetrains. It's not so much the cassette that gets worn by a slightly 'stretched' chain, it's the chain ring. Makes sense though as people with 30 / 32t rings up front pedalling up steep grades in a 50t rear sprocket is putting a far bit of pressure on the ring. And of course you never shift out of it unlike the old days of 2x or 3x. And of course (again....) you can just ride the whole drivetrain into the grave and replace all at once if you want. Just gotta figure out which is more economical. But I've certainly ridden plenty of bikes where we've changed the chain at not much beyond 0.5 and the front ring feels like ass.

No-one is trying to rip you off. It's up to you if you want the latest greatest ultra wide range drivetrain. I had Sram Eagle for a few months but am honestly happy to have resurrected my hardtail with 10sp 1x and the chain, cassette and ring was hilariously cheap, and I don't really miss the range toooo much.

A fresh cassette  much nicer to ride with than a knackered one. Smoother and shifts better. So I'm in the regular chain changing camp, but then I am on 9sp still. Having said that if cassettes were £150 each I'd definitely be looking after them.