Bicycle Mechanics - Magnetic chain crud.

I discovered that much of the black sediment in my Gatorade bottle of solvent, in which I regularly immerse my chains for cleaning, could be picked up by a magnet. I assume that the sediment must actually be steel that has worn off of the chain but was held on by the lubricant. My two chains are lower priced KMC Z72s, both with about 1500 miles and measuring nearly 1/16 inch over the 12 inch mark. I wonder if more expensive chains are more resistant to wearing down like this?

I discovered that much of the black sediment in my Gatorade bottle of solvent, in which I regularly immerse my chains for cleaning, could be picked up by a magnet. I assume that the sediment must actually be steel that has worn off of the chain but was held on by the lubricant. My two chains are lower priced KMC Z72s, both with about 1500 miles and measuring nearly 1/16 inch over the 12 inch mark. I wonder if more expensive chains are more resistant to wearing down like this?

Probably not. It's the nature of the beast. Chains wear out.

Probably not. It's the nature of the beast. Chains wear out.
True, but not in 1500 miles unless they have been abused or run in very harsh conditions.

True, but not in 1500 miles unless they have been abused or run in very harsh conditions.

+1. As for abuse, take a close look at your chainrings and cogs. Worn out rings will chew through chains.

True, but not in 1500 miles unless they have been abused or run in very harsh conditions.

Flanso didn't say how much material was present nor did he provide us with any information on his riding conditions nor lots of other information. Even a few hundred milligrams of steel shavings could look like a lot on a magnet. 1500 miles could leave behind a detectable amount of shavings.

For example 100 to 200 mg of iron is easy to detect with a magnet in Total cereal (http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000034).

Part could also be hematite which is prevalent in some parts of the country. This is a iron ore that is magnetic. No idea if it is common in your area or not. Take a magnet and drag it through dirt in the area for 50 feet or so and see if it picks up anything, then drag it along pavement and inspect again.

Higher priced chains do frequently use harder alloys and surface hardening treatments that resist wear better. The owner of my LBS favors Wippermann chains as he reports much less stretch when using them.