Originally Posted by
moochems
8 speed
Just northwest of DC
Rode with studded tires through the winter, going out of my way to ride on some of the worst days of this winter. I also ride on the local dirt/crushed gravel path which is pretty good at funking up your chain.
I probably could have gone longer on that chain, my end of winter maintenance session would have felt incomplete though.
Melted paraffin is no joke, I've read it performs the best too. Performance as in faster, robs less watts. I don't care at all about that though, I get excited just by thinking about stretching the useful life of the components.
8 speed chains last a real long time. The one I replaced lasted two years, two chicago winters, about 7k miles. Maintenance consisted of looking at the chain and thinking "I should oil that" (I actually did oil it a few times, using an unnamed commercial chain lubricant, but I've spent more time writing this than I did oiling it. And I type fast.) That's on an IGH with pretty close to perfect chain line, not a derailleur bike, which makes a difference, but not a huge one. Chainring and cog show no obvious signs of wear.
9 speed chains are where the life gets shorter, and where concern about extending life makes sense.