I ride a ss as a commuter. The chain was originally a 10 speed ultegra chain which probably had a few thousand kilometers and has since been shortened and seen a very rough rust inducing winter.

Should I even consider replacing it? What would be the benefit of doing so other than the added speed?

If it's been heavily rusted, I'd replace it just to avoid possible breakage. Breaking a chain when you're out of the saddle and pumping really sucks.

I had the chain fall off a ss borrowed from a resort. Gets exciting in a hurry because with coaster brakes no chain = no brakes! If this is the case with your bike, then yes, you should replace that worn, rusty chain.

I paid like 8 dollars for my last chain. Figure I can replace whenever at that price point.

$8 for a chain isn't a luxury that I can afford.

I suppose if the only downfall is the potential to snap I can live with this. My bike is a freewheel, so I should stand a high rate of survival if such an incident should occur.

Come on... you have a spare 8 dollars. I paid a little more than that but I replace my chain and cassette every year. The way I look at it is that I save enough money in gas that I can take care of my bike.

The measurement between 12 pairs of links is 12 inches when new, when that measurement reaches 12 1/16 and before it gets to 12 1/8 you need to replace it if you want to preserve the more valuable drive train parts.

If a chain was badly rusted I'd replace it regardless of the wear.

On an SS you just need good chain and don't have to spend more than $10.00 and that new chain feeling can't be beat.

I run KMC 7 speed chain on my 3/32 SS drives and can get that for as little as $5.00... it lasts a really long time when it's properly maintained.

I survived my chain snapping as well, but I wasn't very happy about it. After I was able to uncross my eyes and take a few minutes to establish whether or not my genitalia were still three dimensional, I reattached the (now shortened) chain and pedaled very gingerly home. I spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch with an ice pack in my pants.

Chain rust is just on the surface. I don't buy that rust can make a chain break unless it's been sitting in the weather for 20 years or something.

As far as I'm concerned, replace the chain and the cog if it's skipping or sucking into the gear. Other than that, just lube it and keep riding.

With my multispeed bike, I try to replace when the wear indicator says (a Park measuring tool) which for me with lots of dirt and rain means about 1800 miles. However, after a few chains it doesn't matter, the new chain skips anyway. At that point I put the old chain back on and ride it until it skips with the old chain, which is usually at about 4000 miles. I'm in that situation now; a new chain a few months ago skipped, so I got the least worn of my old chains, put it on and am still riding with it.

Also, it's a bit presumptuous to tell people what they can and can't afford. If a guy says he can't afford 8 bucks, then he can't afford it. I know people who are in that position. It's pretty rude to argue with someone who says they can't afford something.

Thanks, I think I am going to keep riding it unless I find a chain for cheaper or I believe that the current chain could be dangerous [which I doubt].

The first thing to do is to measure the chain and see if it's stretched. If the chain is stretched then you should replace it. Worn out chains will wear out your chainrings and sprokets and it will just be more expensive down the road. Now if it's just rusted then lube it with some oil and continue riding.

You can also eyeball it. Look at how the chain sits on the gear. If it is not snug and in complete contact (look for gapping at the top and bottom where first contact is made) then replace it.

I rode 9000+ miles last year and I went through:

3 Cassettes (9 speeds)
3 Chains
3 middle chainrings

I need to change them altogether or else I get chain slip which is dangerous and has led to one accident. Basically when i change the chain I need to change the cassette and the middle chaninring.

There are complications in so far as that if I keep on going with one chain I will accellarate the wear on the large chainring which is an expensive option. I can last a year without having to change the large ring if I change my chain when my Park tool tells me to (1% stretch).

Like everyone else that does high mileage I want to keep costs down but is running for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE on one chain a false economy?

I'd really like to get this sorted as I don't know which is the best way forward. In my experience there is not a great deal of advice for high mileage riders where, in this instance, riding with one chain for as long as possible causes more wear on other components (the large chainring). I think cervello48 has asked quite a searching question.

I'm not surprised at the number of chains, but am surprised that you needed that many cassettes and chainrings. My annual mileage is a little higher but I probably don't ride as often in the rain as you're likely to in Scotland. I usually get about 4000 miles on a chain before it's worn enough to be 0.5% elongated (1/16" over a 12" distance - I don't trust chain checkers and rulers/yardsticks are usually free at the hardware store). If I replace the chain at that point I find that the cassette will usually still be good and will typically last through 3 or 4 chain replacements (about 15,000 miles). As soon as I install the new chain I take a test run going through all the cogs and applying plenty of pressure to see if there's any skipping - if there is then it's time for a new cassette.

Running the old chain too long (beyond the 0.5% elongation level) will definitely wear out the cassette cogs faster and make it much more likely that they'll need to be replaced. But I don't see that effect on the chainring teeth - and my chainrings last much longer than my cassette cogs. I did recently replace one, but it had about 100,000 miles on it (I had flipped it over at 60,000 miles to even out the wear).

If you're not going to replace the chain ever then why did you ask?

If you're not going to spend $5 on a chain then why is your name cervelo?

You can get a decent SS for cheap. The 10 spd chains are not, but you don't need one. If you don't replace the chain soon-ish based on wear (lengthening) then when you do finally replace it you may be replacing cog and chainring, too. Far more of an issue on derailleur bikes than SS / fixed, but it is still an issue that extreme wear from a stretched chain will cause issues.

Like the AAMCO guy says - you can pay me now, or pay me later.

If you change the chain more often, you won't have to change the rest of it as often. I change the chain every 1800 miles, and I go through about 4 chains before I need a new cassette, and I have yet to need a new chainring. Given that chains cost < $10 and cassettes are more like $30, I think it's a better idea to go through 4 chains and 1 cassette in 8000 miles than 3 chains, 3 cassettes and 3 chainrings in 9000 miles.

If I change at 1800 miles, I get no skipping with the new chain until I've been through at least 3 or 4 chains. At some point, of course, you will need a new cassette anyway.


As soon as I forget and leave my chain go more than about 2200 miles, I'm boned. I need both a new chain and cassette.

A few years ago I had a worn out cassette (skipped with a new chain) and I asked my LBS owner/mechanic and he agreed: just put the old chain back on and ride it into the ground. After all, it works fine and you've got nothing to lose anyway. Once I give in and do this, I generally push my chain+cassette to 4500 miles or so. In fact even then it wasn't causing me any trouble, I just figured I had the parts already so I'll put them on.

OP: my only concern with running a chain really, really long on a SS would be that if the cog and chain got really worn, there might be some tendency for the chain to skip off and jam between the frame and the cog. I had this happen to me once when I was a kid and it caused a crash. Admittedly, that bike had coaster brakes which locked up instantly at high speed with me pedaling like a demon.

I wanted to know if there was any potential danger or risk that I might not be aware of running an old chain for a long time. If the more experienced commuters/cyclists knew of some mechanical issue that I wasn't aware of, I would be more inclined to rethink my decision.

The bike that I am riding is an [extra-small size] cervelo which uses 650c. Smaller riders have a difficult time finding bikes with proportional geometry - this bike fits me well. So, although one might mind a decent ss for cheap, I cannot find one that fights 'right'.

I might consider replacing the chain earlier if it accelerates the wear on my chainring. This is something I haven't really considered.

Your rear cogs will wear faster than your chainrings, given the cogs' increased number of revolutions, relative to the rings, per pedal stroke. I endorse the "AAMCO" principle given above: your drivetrain components will wear out, so it makes sense to minimize your replacement costs; and the best way to do that is to prolong the life of your cogs and rings by replacing your chain as soon as it shows signs of "stretch."

Damn, you must be near bankruptcy if you get a flat!

In my experience a SS / IGH chainline is much less forgiving of a worn ("stretched") chain than a derailleur system, and even seems to wear them out faster. It's not that the chain will break (which can happen, but it's rare); but a worn chain develops a tendency to work its way off the teeth. The usual solution --to move the wheel back a little to tighten the chain up-- doesn't work for long. If you're not having any trouble, then you're fine; but be advised: sooner or later you will need a new chain.

Sorry, I meant SS chain. Not questioning your investment in a good bike that fits. Just suggesting a little more investment in a small cheap but hugely important replacement part to keep it running well. Sort of like having a Ferrari and not changing the oil. BTW, for a given chain quality point, SS is cheaper than 7 spd cheaper than 9spd cheaper than 10spd. I'm not really sure why, perhaps it's more machining etc., I'm pretty sure it is less metal, but the trend holds up. I wouldn't expect to pay more than $10 for a SS chain but it is tough to find a 10spd at $30.

I agree that a worn chain causes much weirdity in a single crank/cog setup and did not mean to dismiss that. My imprecise comment on it being "more of an issue" with derailleurs was based on there being more expen$ive $tuff to replace. But even my SS chainring costs more than a couple of chains.