Originally Posted by
CliffordK
What type of chain? Speeds?
I was blowing through my HG73 chains pretty quickly, so I've decided to try a Campy-9 chain on one bike. Still seeing how well it will last.
I've got a 6800/HG701 chain on another bike. It seems to last a bit better, but rapid wearing scared me a bit, so I did replace it once, a bit early as my cassettes were much more expensive than the chain.
I do think the old 5/6 speed freewheels were much more durable than the current generation of cassettes. The new cassettes shift smoother, but progress isn't everything.
Perhaps I should consider going back to a freewheel for the winter commuter.
It seems to me that my chains started wearing out faster not when moving over from freewheel to cassette but from 6/7/8 speed to 9+ spd drivetrains. Narrower chains seem to stretch a bit faster to me. I remember thinking that my chains were wearing more quickly when I was pulling my two youngest sons in Chariot/Burley trailers or TagAlong TrailABikes, oftentimes with loaded panniers. So, load via hills or weight may be a factor. Also, my chains used when touring, heavily loaded, rain, mud, grit, tend to get replaced when I get back home or before heading out for long haul again.
I usually run two chains per cassette.