Originally Posted by
lolguy
I'm certain there is a "your mileage will vary" component to the question but how many miles should I get out of a chain?
1000 - 10,000+ miles. Depends on weather, lubrication, perhaps whether you mash big gears or spin small ones, perhaps cleaning (I'm unconvinced - I just add lubrication when my chain ceases its usual silent operation, but I've spent most of my life in temperate climates without much moisture and might have done better in Seattle if I did not stick with that approach).
Get a 15" ruler, measure between pins that should be 12" apart center to center, and replace when it hits 12 1/16" which is about 0.5% of elongation.
Chain checkers apart from the $45 Shimano TL-CN41 also measure roller inside diameter wear which is less important because it does not change pitch.
I clean and lube the chain every 1,000 miles with Chain-L and maintain the bike well.
That could be too infrequent.
Bike is starting to ride and shift a bit sluggishly and was thinking of changing the chain. While not entirely handy, I can perform routine work on the bike myself. Would the chain qualify
Yes. Get a chain tool to split / shorten chains and use a master link of some kind to connect the ends (KMC missing links are $2-$3 each. Having the chain tool and a master link with you at all times (mine is in a small saddle wedge pack with a spare tube and 5mm hex key) is a good idea because it lets you finish your ride after breaking a chain although you'd want to start with chains sized longer than you get with big x big (I've broken 2 or 3 chains over the last 20 years).
Maintenance on this bike has been great. Replaced the rear tire once and the front is still original but I'm going to change that soon, anyway. Thanks
When you wear out the rear tire you want to move the front to the back and put the fresh tire on the front because the thicker rubber on the new tire makes it less likely to puncture and a flat up front is more likely to cause a crash than one in back.