Have you ever heard of this "test" for cassette soundness?
08-08-25 | 09:20 AM
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 12,585
Likes: 4,751
If you hit that 0.5% more point in 2000 miles, I have to ask if you run often in gear combos that keep the chain at a angle between the front and back. Or you pedal with high power at a low cadence too much.
I did wear out my first 11 speed chain in about 5000 miles. And it was over the 0.5% mark before I realized it. I dd very often climb the short hills here in the big ring and lowest rear sprocket. And that kept a lot of angle on the chain. Which I can't help but think must worn it faster.
On my current bike with Di2, I have it set up so that the chain won't go to the extreme two low sprockets on the rear when in the big ring. And I currently have 8000 miles on it. And it's still has not reached 0.5%
I use to ridicule the anti-cross chainers. They seemed to be a cult forecasting doom and gloom to any that ran their chains in the big big combos. They made it seem like the bike's drive train would blow up. But now I think they might have been on to something. They just didn't know how to express it other than say don't do it.
I did wear out my first 11 speed chain in about 5000 miles. And it was over the 0.5% mark before I realized it. I dd very often climb the short hills here in the big ring and lowest rear sprocket. And that kept a lot of angle on the chain. Which I can't help but think must worn it faster.
On my current bike with Di2, I have it set up so that the chain won't go to the extreme two low sprockets on the rear when in the big ring. And I currently have 8000 miles on it. And it's still has not reached 0.5%
I use to ridicule the anti-cross chainers. They seemed to be a cult forecasting doom and gloom to any that ran their chains in the big big combos. They made it seem like the bike's drive train would blow up. But now I think they might have been on to something. They just didn't know how to express it other than say don't do it.
08-08-25 | 10:10 AM
#27
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,177
Likes: 956
From: Chicago area
Bikes: Airborne "Carpe Diem", Motobecane "Mirage", Trek 6000, Strida 2, Dahon "Helios XL", Dahon "Mu XL", Tern "Verge S11i"
I got one of THESE out of curiosity. My understanding was that it was for chainrings but not cogs... which doesn't make sense to me. I notice that on the page I linked to, it seems to imply that it *does* work on cogs. At any rate, it seems to work on the single-speed cogs on my folding bike. I have yet to test it on a cassette, except for a single cog shown below.
Here is the gauge on a new cog; the gap indicating absence of wear is easily seen.
Here's the gauge on an obviously worn-out cog. It seems to work as advertised, though it isn't necessary for wear this severe.
Here's the gauge on an un-used Shimano cog. There appears to be a very small gap consistent with "still usable". :-)
Here is the gauge on a new cog; the gap indicating absence of wear is easily seen.
Here's the gauge on an obviously worn-out cog. It seems to work as advertised, though it isn't necessary for wear this severe.
Here's the gauge on an un-used Shimano cog. There appears to be a very small gap consistent with "still usable". :-)
Last edited by sweeks; 08-08-25 at 11:29 AM.
08-08-25 | 10:21 AM
#28
Cantilever believer
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 2,973
Likes: 4,490
From: Phoenix, AZ
When Hyperglide and ramped/shaped sprockets first came out, I remember one humorous comment made by the old-guard gear freaks when those fancy newfangled overly complicated cassettes first came out was "They're shipping them pre-worn-out!" But then people rode them and discovered shifting under load was no longer an exercise in roll-the-dice noise generation, and the thinking shifted to "OK, just maybe Shimano's on to something here..."
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Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
Richard C. Moeur, PE - Phoenix AZ, USA
https://www.richardcmoeur.com/bikestuf.html
08-08-25 | 10:48 AM
#29
Facts just confuse people
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 19,083
Likes: 6,920
From: Mississippi
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
If the chain and sprocket aren't causing any issues for propelling the bike or shifting, then why replace it? The only good answer to that is that a worn out sprocket increases the wear on the chain. But at what point of sprocket wear? And will replacing the sprocket to save the chain from having to be replaced sooner be more or less expensive than just leaving the sprocket to wear until a new chain skips on the sprocket when pedaling.
It's more just a personal preference thing to do. Not a real need to do.
It's more just a personal preference thing to do. Not a real need to do.
08-08-25 | 11:27 AM
#30
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,177
Likes: 956
From: Chicago area
Bikes: Airborne "Carpe Diem", Motobecane "Mirage", Trek 6000, Strida 2, Dahon "Helios XL", Dahon "Mu XL", Tern "Verge S11i"
I adhere to the "Chains are cheaper than gears" philosophy. I probably replace chains that have some life left in them, but the cassettes last almost indefinitely. I have yet to replace a chainring.
Last edited by sweeks; 08-08-25 at 11:30 AM.
