marley mission

picked up a tool recently for checking chain wear:

https://cyclesmith.ca/merchant/1229/i...in_gauge_m.jpg

and on one bike that runs fine the gauage slides all the way past max indicating that its time (or past time) for a new chain

in talking to my LBS - he thought since all is well with how its running its best to keep riding it as is due to the idea that i would probably be looking to replace the freewheel as well

now - you could say that this will ultimatley be the case anyhow but just wondering what you would do - at least in the immediate

edit - i should mention that the costs of tooling up and my having a few too many bikes to attend too have my current biking funds strapped a bit - so i dont mind putting off picking up a new chain / freewheel for awhile if the bike is running well

bobbycorno

Sounds like your LBS is right: you'll need a new fw when you get a new chain, so as long as it's not skipping, keep using it and start saving up to replace both at the same time.

SP
Bend, OR

marley mission

only thing i thought though is it possible that the freewheel hasnt been damaged and my only expense would be the chain...only way to answer that i suppose is to throw on a new one

old's'cool

If your chain is appreciably stretched, the wear on your chainrings & cogs will increase exponentially if you continue to ride with that chain (they will become hooked at an accelerated rate).

John E

Do not discount the possibility of chain failure. I follow Sheldon Brown's advice of replacing a chain at 1/2 percent elongation (1/16" per 24 half-links). The elongation is due to erosion at the pivots, rather than stretching of the plates, and it does accelerate wear of the chainrings and cogs.

sailorbenjamin

Do you have a piece of new chain that you could wrap around the old freewheel to see what it would look like?
What's your freewheel? I've got some extra 5 or 6 speed ones that go up to 28.

2manybikes

I have 9300 miles on the chain, cogs, and rings on one bike, works perfectly. And two others with chains over 6,000 miles with no problems. It depends on the chain and you.

prathmann

I'm currently doing what your LBS suggested on one of my bikes. The chain is worn well beyond its normal replacement point but 1) the freewheel has already been through 3 chains and is probably due to be replaced and 2) I want to switch to a slightly wider range freewheel anyway. So I've been putting off the chain replacement and plan to replace the freewheel at the same time.

raverson

+1

marley mission

If your chain is appreciably stretched, the wear on your chainrings & cogs will increase exponentially if you continue to ride with that chain (they will become hooked at an accelerated rate).

i agree...

thanks all for the advice - its really a matter of time on this one - what happened is this - as i really got into CV this past year - and wrenching - i have been learning and tooling up as well as accumulating CV rides - so...i have slowly but surely been attending to their needs as time and my wrench IQ / tools allowed - i track data sheets on all my bikes with particular attention to when i do overhauls / issues that are arise, etc.

chain wear is something i have neglected somewhat in past just using a ruler - picking up a chain wear tool recently has allowed me to probably more accurately gauge this issue - since i pick up my bikes in various stages of disrepair (we're talking flea market stuff) they require usually quite a bit of working to become RTR

anyway - i'll be attending to these chain / freewheel issues as time / funds allow - thankfully i have accumulated most of the important tools that i need to mostly avoid the LBS for maintenance issues

quick question though - i just checked on another bike with this new chain checker and after checking about half dozen spots - my results were quite varied - hitting points from 'max' to 4 or 5 on the tool - thoughts on that...

prathmann

I've found the ruler method of checking to be pretty consistent. It's also cheaper and more convenient than a special tool since there's always a ruler lying around somewhere.

Sixty Fiver

Chain wear checkers are notorious for giving false readings on the high / worn side and the best measuring tool is that ruler.

If the bike is running smoothly and you plan to replace the freewheel then wait until you are ready to do that unless of course the chain starts skipping due to excess wear.

I run some very hard to find and downright rare freewheels and never let my chains get past that extra 1/16 of wear to extend their life as long as possible.

If it is a readily available freewheel I worry less.

randyjawa 

Chains wear, no matter what you do. Proper lubrication and avoiding contamination will ****** the wear, but not stop it, simply because perfect lubrication and contamination free, are dreams rarely achieved.

A worn chain will transfer its worn state to both the freewheel cogs and crank rings. The smaller the cog, the faster the wear on chain and cog. The smaller the ring, the faster the wear. The stronger and heavier the rider, the faster the wear.

Eventually, a worn chain will destroy both the freewheel cogs and crank rings (can start to get pretty expensive). Replacing a chain, and running it on worn cogs and/or rings, will greatly accelerate the chain wear and, most likely, result in the chain skipping on the smaller cogs.

That's the way I see it, anyway.

marley mission

great info guys - lots to consider
how about measuring chain width - where do i put the calipers?

ie - could you explain the numbers here in a chain advert i was looking at on ebay:

KMC Z30 Bike Chain 5/6 Speed 1/2 x 3/32” x 116L NEW

TugaDude

Chain is for 5 or 6 speed drivetrains according to KMC (probably work also on 7 and 8). Links are 1/2" x 3/32", so it is for 5/6/7/8 speed drivetrains, not 9 or 10, due to width. 116 links on the chain (this is useful in case you are running a triple up front and a large cog in back, you need to make certain you have enough wrap.

bradtx

Chains won't often wear evenly along their entire length, in particular on FG bikes.

Brad

spock

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

I found the method above to be pretty accurate.

One time I left the chain for way too long. Freewheel started to wear out and I thought next time I'll just replace both at the same time. All was well until I noticed a crack on one of the links when I was cleaning the chain. Wouldn't want it to brake while I'm riding.

eddubal

KMC Z30 Bike Chain 5/6 Speed - Brand/Model/Gear cluster size it's usually used for.
1/2 x 3/32” x 116L NEW - Pitch x Inner Width x Length of chain

Pitch is the link pin to link pin measurement. Bike chain is usually 1/2" other mechanical chains can vary according to their use. Very rarely will you see a different pitch on a bike.




oops. Tug beat me to it...

cudak888 

If your chain is severely stretched, you will notice one of two things:

A. Your chainring teeth will have indented at the pusher edge (the teeth will look like a shark fin)
B. Assuming the chainring has not given into the chain's wear, the chain will ride UP on the chainring, exposing gaps under the chain, when on the chainring.

Less noticeable - by eye - is wear on the freewheel cogs. It is almost impossible to accurately gauge a freewheel's wear in this manner. However, it is quite easy to know if it is with a new chain - a worn freewheel causes the chain to skip on the cog with the most wear; often the lowest cog, if the previous rider was shifter-shy.

-Kurt

Amesja

I wouldn't ride a chain that was worn past the limit even if I were needing to replace the freewheel/cogs because it is also damaging the chainring(s) which are more expensive and sometimes much more difficult to source. Your mechanic is probably right that your freewheel will need to be replaced with a new chain if he has looked at it and determined that it is visibly worn. Simply replacing the chain will often create a worse riding experience than riding on that worn chain because it will slip and jump. Both may need to be replaced at the same time because putting that new chain on worn sprockets will just ruin the new chain in short order.

Back to my first point. If you have a different bike to ride and can't afford to replace both the chain and the FW then don't ride it unless you are willing to spend even more in the future to replace the chainwheel(s) too. If the chainwheel(s) are also badly worn then go ahead and ride it until it won't go any more as the damage has been done and you will be replacing everything anyhow.

miamijim

Very true, my mtb chain was excessivly worn so I replaced it. The new chain skipped on my cassette so I put the old chain back on, I'm going to ride it with the old chain for as long as I can. If you do this be aware that running a heavily worn chain can cause premature excessive wear to your chainrings. One of my rules is that if you can see alot of air under the chain when you pull it away from the chainnring its time to replace it regardless.

marley mission

its making me wonder if the chain is truly worn - i will check again with the ruler along several points of measure

center point to center point of the link bolt over 12 full links should be 12 inches on the dot if i am correct

ColonelJLloyd 

When in doubt throw it out. There's being frugal and there's being cheap. Chains and modern HG freewheels are relatively inexpensive. When you have the cash just replace both.

Amesja

I agree. I can't imagine how a simple checker like the park CC3 can give false negatives. Either it fits in or it does not. It's a solid bit of metal sized accordingly to how far apart the notches must be in the chain itself. It is Go or No-Go.

If the checker slides in then the chain is out of spec. -Period.

Chains are $10. What is the big deal? It's the first thing to wear out on the chain and if you catch it in time it won't destroy the rest of the drive system. Why risk it? The Park tool only costs $10 too and is so easy to use I never bother to use the ruler system. It's a PITA. Just throw the tool on and check Go/No-Go. A chain breaker is $10 too. For $30 you have the gauge, the breaker, and a new chain. What is $30? Sheeeesh!

It's not worth needing to try and find a correct C & V chainwheel that is both visually/aesthetically period-correct and fits your bike and has the right number of teeth. Not to mention the cost. It's just NOT worth it...

work4bike

That's why I don't bother with changing a chain out between cassette change outs. In my experience I'm spending more money by periodically buying chains, but doesn't really add much life to my cassette. It's important to note that I try not to ride on a favorite gear ratio, always changing it up. Maybe I get a little less time out of my cassette, but not so much that I'm saving money, because of the extra I spend to change out the chain.

WRT the chainring. I've never worn one out, always got a new bike before it was due for a change. My current bike has over 18,000 miles, I've been thinking about just keeping this bike until the chainring wears out, just to see what it's like.