New chain and cassette after 1 year?

[master6]

Hi guys,
My bike went in for service today (was due for it as hadn't been properly serviced since about Sept) and the bike shop (I don't want to name it but it's one that generally gets the thumbs up from Canberra cyclists) wants to replace the chain ($59) and cassette ($120) because they are worn and rubbing. I'm willing to trust them, but I'm just a bit surprised about it because I've never worn either one out before. I've been riding regularly on this bike for 12 months (bought new) but only about 80-90km or 2-3 rides per week.
Any thoughts? I have to decide ASAP because I have events coming up this weekend and next week!

Do you lube the chain between lbs services?
Does your lbs return removed parts to you when they fit new items.?

[biker jk]

It very much depends on how often and well you clean your drive train and lube the chain. There's a bike in my household that has covered 13,000km and the cassette/chainrings are fine. The chains are getting around +5,000km as well. Buy yourself a chain checker.

[Cruiserman]

Suggest that the OP take the bike to a far more reputable and dare I say honest shop in Fyshwick. If you don't know which one then it is the one that has the most names in the white pages. They will treat you right be honest and give you a good deal.

[jacks1071]

Really rough estimate of use would be about 3500-4000km?

Without seeing it, you might have kept the chain too long which then causes excessive wear on the cassette. I normally get 3000km out of mine but with a lot of care. One of my buddies is about 96kg and he only gets about 2000km before he has 1mm of stretch.

Get yourself a measuring gauge for the chain and you can keep it yourself. I find that if you keep the chains up to the bike, keep them oiled the cassettes last a really long time.

[vinvin]

will help her avoid the temptation to be such a tight-ass that she lets it go too long and wears cassette rings etc.,.

Cheers

Robdog

Thanks everyone for their replies. I am definitely no bike mechanic and for the most part I'm happy to let the lbs do the tricky stuff. I did/do clean and lube it regularly, but it was such a cold, wet and gritty year on our roads, and I'm hopelessly short of time, so it probably did get away from me a bit.

The bike shop speculation was pretty amusing and only one of you was right in the end. Also, I'm sort of "friends of friends" with them, so I'm comfortable with taking their lead on this occasion and will monitor it more closely from now on.

Goodspeed, guys.

[DavidS]

I'm about to replace my chain, after about 2,500 to 3,000 KMs. The previous chain went about 4,000KM but I had to replace the cluster too as it was also stuffed. Now I clean and lube it myself and have a fat spanner chain wear tool to measure it with. Don't want the expense of another new cluster. It just seems that riding every day means you go through chains I suppose.

DS

[rowdyflat]

What the others said.The shop is trying to encourage business.
2-3,000 kms is nothing on a roadbike if lubed + you use most gears.
Its the lengthening of the chain due to rivet wear that causes the damage.
So new chain is exactly 12 links =12 inches.
When its 12+1/8th its starts to cause wear.
Options are 1.change chains often alternating 2 or 3 =too obsessive for lazy me but most economical .
2.Change chain + cassette when it starts to slip or before the chainrings wear too much=good.
3.Wait til the whole lot is RS at 12 + 3/16th inches.

[DavidS]

Well I replaced my chain and one of the rear cogs started slipping. What a bummer, had to replace cluster too. Next time I'm going to let the chain stretch more and replace both after more KMs. They just don't seem to last all that long. Hopefully the new chain will stretch a bit slower, are some brands of chain better than others?

DS

[Aushiker]

Really rough estimate of use would be about 3500-4000km?

Sounds about right. Push it for too much longer and you'll need to replace the chainrings too.

Hi

Not in my experience. I am on my second or third chain now which is going 9,000 km +. The one on the bike is not showing a level of wear to warrant a change when measured with a Shimano TL-CN41.

Andrew

[limetang]

Just used Sheldon Browns 12' Ruler way to measure my chain, no stretch at all in 4500km, cassette still looks as new (Ultegra 6600 the both of them)

Just to be sure though during a recent order of sale items from Ribble I picked up a Ultegra 6700 chain and 5700 105 cassette + chain whip for when the need arises, all for about $75

[twizzle]

Just used Sheldon Browns 12' Ruler way to measure my chain, no stretch at all in 4500km, cassette still looks as new (Ultegra 6600 the both of them)

Just to be sure though during a recent order of sale items from Ribble I picked up a Ultegra 6700 chain and 5700 105 cassette + chain whip for when the need arises, all for about $75

Either you are really light... or your 12" ruler isn't quite 12".

I have two rulers, one of them is off by ~ .7mm.

[Jangari]

Just had to replace my entire drivetrain over the weekend after 3150km. The chain was more worn than a chain testing tool could gauge (well above "1" with slack to spare) and my cassette was severely sharkfinned. In addition, I had had a chainring bolt come off once and the little ring was bent because of it, and also a couple of teeth missing from the big ring.

After amassing the parts off ebay and online bike stores (OEM chain, Ultegra cassette and SRAM chainrings, total $110) I took all to a local community bike shed workshop place, where members get to use tools and access volunteers' expertise for free. The new setup is absolutely beautiful. I don't remember this bike being so smooth. Prior to the replacement, gear changes were slow, sometimes requiring overshift and the correction(for going into smaller sprockets) or slight pulling of the shifter (to go up). The chain would often come off, slip down a gear and then back up, and occasionally (I couldn't easily replicate this) it would sit on the edge of the teeth of the chainring.

I probably could have extended the life of the cassette if I replaced the chain about 1000km ago, and if I'd noticed the missing chainring bolt when it happened, but I estimate I'd probably have had to replace the cassette after a couple of thousand more km anyway.

Above all, I'm getting a second bike for commuting (instead of taking my racer through Melbourne's northern suburbs doing 35-40km/h on quiet streets).

[ironhanglider]

Just used Sheldon Browns 12' Ruler way to measure my chain, no stretch at all in 4500km, cassette still looks as new (Ultegra 6600 the both of them)

Just to be sure though during a recent order of sale items from Ribble I picked up a Ultegra 6700 chain and 5700 105 cassette + chain whip for when the need arises, all for about $75

Either you are really light... or your 12" ruler isn't quite 12".

I have two rulers, one of them is off by ~ .7mm.

Which one? (or both by .35mm).



Cheers,

Cameron

[twizzle]

Just used Sheldon Browns 12' Ruler way to measure my chain, no stretch at all in 4500km, cassette still looks as new (Ultegra 6600 the both of them)

Just to be sure though during a recent order of sale items from Ribble I picked up a Ultegra 6700 chain and 5700 105 cassette + chain whip for when the need arises, all for about $75

Either you are really light... or your 12" ruler isn't quite 12".

I have two rulers, one of them is off by ~ .7mm.

Which one? (or both by .35mm).



Cheers,

Cameron

The one that didn't match the expensive vernier calipers.