Originally Posted by
rje58_too
I'm obviously doing something terribly wrong! I lube my chain and drivetrain, check the chain wear every few months (and replace when needed) and try to do normal routine maintenance, including keeping the drive train reasonably clean.
I've never gotten a crankset to last anywhere near that long!! And I'm not riding department store bikes, I've got three Treks and a Fuji. Lower end Treks, but still...
How does anyone get a crank to last that long? What am I doing wrong? I've never gotten even close to 10k....
I apologize, I don't mean to highjack the thread. CONGRATULATIONS on whatever you're doing to get that kind of mileage on a crank - and touring too! Wow!
some folks think that if they can still see teeth on a ring, it must be good to go
... others can see the change of tooth profile, note the irregular profiles around the ring, and deside to quit torturing their chains by installing new parts
...... and still others never look at their chainrings, Ever, until the drivetrain starts making nasty popping/crunching noises, or they wrap their crotch around the top tube during a steep climb.
i just tossed a 32t 4 hole mtb ring in the scrap bin last night... the teeth were visibly eroded, about 3/4 original height, and the tips had rounded off from a slipping chain... it came to this shop in a box of parts i got for free... someone thought it was still useable..?...
i once replaced the chain and sprockets on a Honda CL350 after the customer brought us a clutch kit, and insisted that it be installed...
the rear sprocket was nearly bump free, no actual semblance of teeth remained... the chain was piano string tight, and missing bushings.. it was so tight that the rear suspension was reluctant to move...... the countershaft sprocket was a bit better than the rear, but not by much... i dutifully installed the clutch kit... the old plates were well within spec, but "the customer is always right" was iun effect... He came in to pick up his daily transport a day later... bill paid, he got on his bike, fired it up, (The Valves and Cam chain not liking THAT at all!) and eased out the clutch lever.... ZZZZZZZZZZZ! The chain went into full slip mode.."You Didn't Change My Clutch! he screamed... the Service Manage walked out into the Alley, Dropped the cluct parts on the pavement, and walked back into the shop... not one word....
after several minutes, the customer finally walked back in and asked how much a new sprocket and chain set would cost...
a week later, he rode his neglected CB350 home..... no crunchy noises, and no chain slipping sounds were heard...
the chain adjusters needed new nylok nuts... they had been vise-gripped to death, over the years........