Originally Posted by
MePoocho
Hey Folks,
Being a 'NewBie' I've gotta ask....... What chain will give the longest wear if cleaned / oiled weekly, used on paved flat roads, not in wet conditions, and cost will not get me tossed out of my house. I'm not a concerned with weight just durability. Heck my shoes weigh more than most of the French or Italian rode boys and their bikes.......
Campagnolo C9.
I have a Shimano 7 sp road bike and have gone through two (2) KMC Z51 chains in 300 miles each chain. I ride 77.5 miles five days a week. Use the Park chain cleaner each week to clean and oil the chain using various oils. I measure wear using Park's CC 3.2 'go-no-go' tool and at 250 ~ 300 miles several areas of the chains are at the .75 limit.
1. That doesn't sanity check. While most people don't match my 4000-4500 miles out of Campagnolo C9/C10 chains (at which point they've elongated less than 1/32", but have degraded shifting from side plate wear), it's not 1/5th of what you should be getting on a road bike.
2. Don't use chain checkers because apart from Shimano's they measure wear/tolerances in roller dimensions and clearance which don't matter because they don't affect pitch. Get yourself a foot long ruler. Shift into big x small. Pull the derailleur cage aft to put some tension on the bottom run. Measure between the same point on pins that should be 11" apart (left side, center, etc.). Replace the chain when you get 11 1/16" between pins (chains aren't metric - links are 1" and half-links 1/2"). In theory you're supposed to measure 12" of chain because that makes 1/8" 1%, although 11" means you still have fine marks in the right place on a foot long ruler, it'll definitely fit on bikes with short chain stays, and waiting to replace until you reach 0.55% elongation instead of 0.5% isn't going to result in excessive cog and ring wear.
3. Stop messing with cleaning because you don't want to remove the unbeatable factory lube and solvents can do more harm than good. Install a new chain. Leave it alone until it ceases to run silently (that means more mechanical noise, not abnormalities like squeaking). Add the chain lubricant of your choice when it's not silent. Wipe the outside off with a paper towel before and after lubrication. I get about 800 miles out of the factory lube, and 100-400 out of reapplications depending on weather - the rainy season radically decreases required lubrication intervals.
This means I go through a chain every 3 to 4 weeks. Any suggestions...?
Riding a lot I go through two chains a year (8400 miles last year).