Originally Posted by
cyccommute
You've never replaced a chain? How long have you been riding bikes? A chain won't last forever, no matter how much lubricant..dry or wet...you slather on. A chain, as well as cogs and chain wheels, is a consumable. They will wear out. I average the same mileage per year spread out over several bikes as well but I'm not under the delusion that I will never have to replace a chain because I've been doing the same yearly mileage for the last 35+ years and have had to replace many chains.
Modern chains are even more delicate than the 5 and 6 speed chains of the past and wear more quickly. Throw dirt at them (mountain biking) or put them under high stress (touring) or throw salt a them (winter commuting) and you'll be replacing chains even more frequently. It's just the nature of the beast.
Well,....i mispoke as i thought about it. I have replaced a chain from time to time, but NOT because it was wore out. I like to change things up from time to time, and on some of my fixies and singlespeeds i've experimented with different cog and chainring sizes.
Rather than add in a piece of "new" chain (previously removed when originally set up) to a chain now with some miles on,.....i'll usually just start with a new KMC single speed chain and reserve the used chain should i ever go back to that gearing, or for use on a singlespeed buildup with shorter chainstays if it will then fit.
BTW,....i started riding a bike back in 1987, when i bought my 1st decent bike then. (1987 Schwinn Cimarron, which i still have). But for many years i was really busy working, 2 jobs a great deal, and had little time to ride or even think about riding.
That changed over 3 years ago, when i decided to lose some weight and eat better. 30 years as a bench jeweler/diamond setter and sitting on my arse a lot in that job, the weight seems to creep on. Biking almost daily now, even in the northeast winter,......i've dropped over 30 pounds and at 172 lbs at 5'10" i've got it under control now. Being sort of retired now at 56 years old, i've got lots more time to enjoy biking and working on building up frames that interest me.
......you centainly can't walk into a bike shope and find anything like the bike's set up the way I like them to be!
