Herzog1911

Hi there--

So I bought a new bike last September (Fuji Absolute 1.4) and I have been determined to stay on top of maintenance so the bike will last a long time. I always oil my chain after every 100 miles, because that's what was recommended on the bottle of chain oil I use. Once a month I would clean my degrease and oil it, and I would just wipe it down with a rag once a week.

I thought I was taking such good care of my chain, but I decided right around 1400 miles that I should get a chain wear indicator so I will know when it needs to be replaced, although I figured I'd be good for some time still. Well, I got the Park indicator and checked my chain, only to discover that not only did the .5 side fit easily, but also the .75 side.

Panicking that I might have damaged my cassette, I searched online and found out that you can check for wear with a 12" ruler. I checked that way and found that wear was an 8th of an inch!

I ordered a new chain immediately and put it on my bike, hoping for the best, but sure enough the chain was skipping badly on the rear cog I ride in most. All of the other cogs were fine under pedaling pressure, except for the one I ride in most.

So my question is, what am I doing wrong? Can I expect to burn through chains every 1200 - 1300 miles? Maybe the chain brand and model is just not quality? The chain is a KMC X9.93. Anything obvious I should or should not be doing?

I'm waiting on a new cassette to arrive now so I can get back to riding.


Thanks for your help.