Damn! I just checked the chain on my Cannondale R500 and it's starting to wear!
... It failed the 0.5 mark on the Park Chain tool but passed the 0.75 mark ...

And, it's only 20 years old!
... I guess they just don't make things like they used to!

Thanks for the replies y'all. It appears 3000 miles per chain with oiling and cleaning now and again is what most people here are doing. My chain was taken off for a full bath twice in 3000 miles and was oiled every few weeks or so.

If using the arc method, remember that derailleur chain is designed to "arc." You WANT a laterally-flexible chain in order to get easier shifts.

1/8" track chain, on the other hand, is designed to NOT arc. With one chainring and one cog, you want that chain running as straight as possible with no lateral movement that could unship the chain.

This is the main reason for using 1/8" chain on fixies and IGH-equipped bikes, or why it would be silly to use a 3/32" chain on your fixie.

Modern 3/32" derailleur chains would also bear some watching once you put more that 5,000 km (3,000 miles) on them. Because the pins are flush with the side plates, you don't have a "margin of error" if the pin starts to drift. I used to replace the timing chain on the tandem once every three drive chain changes, until I had the timing chain break on a ride. This leaves the stoker to get us both home under her sole power, and she's not capable of that! This is also why you never reconnect a modern derailleur chain (9 spd or higher, but a good idea for 8 spd as well) with anything but a master link or Shimano pin. The timing chain on my tandem is made from 6- or 7-spd chain. Cheaper, and with longer pins, so some margin of safety.

I guess there are two strategies to chain & cassette replacement:

1) replace the chain before the cassette cogs wear out because chains are cheaper than cassettes.

2) wear them both out together, and replace both, but after thousands of miles.

I think (1) works better if you are concerned with performance. Also, the cogs on a cassette will wear at different rates depending on your gearing preferences. So at some point you may get one cog skipping.

I try to use a combination of the two strategies. I will replace derailleur chains when they get worn, but I try to only replace the worn cogs on the cassette. If you use Shimano cassettes, you may need to drill out the pins that hold the cog segments together. And then good luck finding replacement individual cogs!

Luis

The elimination of the Bushing tube around the pin, part of the inner link assembly,
made the chain laterally more flexible for Derailleur drive trains,

But the surface to spread the wear over is reduced..

Bushingless chains create the equivalent surface for the roller and pin, to contact
from the Metal displaced to make the Hole, in the side plate, inner ones.


In single speed drivetrains. full bushing chain are a bit longer wearing.

but 3/32 of that type are uncommon, compared to the wider 1/8".

The chain on my new bike seems to self coat and generate a black film that finds it's way onto the cassette/gears. Indulge the nooooby ness here please. Is the black coloration from the crank set teeth, which are also black paint ? Metal oxide ? Or just road dust and lube film ? The front gears, the crankset teeth, the I-Tree in Marley-Speak, appear to be painted black. Why would they do this ? - Road Bike ridden about 200 miles to date on dry pavement only.

Bear in mind that 8 speed and under chains tend to last longer than 9 or 10 speed chains.

You should try riding more than 150 miles a year.

For me, chain life varies with time of year/weather, but ~1500 miles.

One year, or about 6,000 mi, on a bike with hub gears and partial chaincase.

Paul

I commute 23 mi. r/t about 200-220 days a years.

I get about 2,000 miles on a Dura Ace 10spd chain......and I get about 6,000 miles on a cassette.....I run a triple and spend most of my time in the big wheel....sharks teeth appear around 12,000 miles. I don't even remember the last time I shifted down to the granny wheel.

I do clean the chain every week and about once a month, take the cassette off and clean that...if I ride in the rain during the week, I do wipe the chain off and relube when I get home.

have tried different lubes, etc. to try to get a longer chain life, but it just hasn't had an effect....tried going to an Ultegra 10spd chain...had no effect....2,000 mi., so I went back to a Dura Ace chain (slightly better shifting, although cost was considerably less)

All of the above. Fine metal particles from the chain, cogs, and crankset combined with foreign material picked up from the road are all mixed in with the chain lube. Aluminum cranksets (non-painted) tend to produce more coloration than steel. If you ever get that chainwheel gunk on your clothes it is almost impossible to remove. I have a T-shirt that has had a chianwheel tattoo on it for several years despite dozens of washings. I think the aluminum particles are the major culprit in the semi-permanent marking of clothes. All other grease except chain residue will wash out of shop aprons/rags.

Tri Flow will make your drive train blacker than black if you ride in dusty conditions... especially if it is over applied.

+1, Sixty Fiver, I use and like Tri-Flow but I have to keep things clean and do the wipe down religiously of the chain and cassette/chain wheels or the black gunk gets out of hand. The modern 10/11 speed chains have more arc engineered in to allow them to shift the wide range needed over the old 10-speed, as we called them, as well as the 6,7 and 8 cog chains, that the faster wear is a fact of life. Metallurgy it what saves them from disintegrating from the thinness of the plates now and the aluminum cassette's cogs wear faster, too. I can get several years or around 5,000 miles on modern chain with proper maintenance. My 1997 R500 had a change last year for the original chain because I changed out the drive for all 105 components.

It is still cheaper to replace a chain and a cassette/chain wheel for modern bicycles than motorcycles, open class motocrossers can eat a chain alive in short order and unless you want to speed things up the sprocket and counter-sprocket should be replaced too. I'll stick with my bicycle from now on.

Bill

My chain was of course severely worn. The LBS mech warned me that the cassette may need changed as well, and to get it changed immediately if it evidences any skipping. So far, so good, however. I think I'll just wear out this KMC chain, and get them both changed next year... maybe even the crankset. Something that will keep my pants out of the sprockets would be nice!

This is another dumb question but, is it time to replace my chain when it is loose in some areas?
How much longer does the chain have? Ive had bikes before, but this is the first time ive actually used it long enough to wear it down.

The chain tension can be perfect, you move it a bit and the chain becomes waay too lose.

Keeping chain clean/lubed is key to longevity.
Living in the desert (AZ) we get minimal rain/cruddy weather.
I've use the hot wax method on my chains since the mid 1970s.
Drive chains on our tandem last anywhere from 6,000 to 9,000 miles. A crossover chain on tandem will last twice a long.

I'm afraid I don't really understand the question. How can a chain be "loose in some areas" but not in others?

If you mean that the chain tension alters when, for example, you change gear, that sounds more like a derailleur problem than a chain wear problem. Can you explain in greater detail what is happening?

Its a dirty world, you just have fine particles of the stuff sticking to the chain ..
as you move along the surface of it.

A Mop for your Floor, chain cleaner for your bike chain.

Now I'm laughing at myself.

I have no idea how many miles I get from a chain. I'm constantly fiddling with my bikes changing cranksets, cassettes and the like. I'll leave a used chain on if I install a used cassette but I always install a brand new chain with a brand new cassette. For maintenance I ride until the chain starts making noise, then I'll clean it with a rag and MAYBE some WD 40 and dribble on the least amount of chain lube that I can manage.

If I suspect chain wear I'll measure my chain with a steel ruler (don't trust chain checkers) but I can't remember the last time that I changed a chain just because it had elongated.

Quick and short answer is "Yes, do replace your chain. It is just a matter of time before the now worn sections take out more of the chain and can ruin the cassette and chain wheels. It may be a short time or it may be a bit before it happens. My question now would be when and where it will happen if it should jam up or break. If you don't change it please carry a quick link, a few lengths of chain and a breaker when you ride. Some riders may say to keep riding it, they have not had chain fail in a while so it is okay. You need to decide if it is alright.

Bill

Well, golly. You chaps seem to change things more often than me

I popped my spouse's bike in for service before (as in another thread) passing it on to a new possible keeper on a 'sale or return'.

Computer said 7000 kms. I fitted the computer after a couple of years use, so I guess a conservative 10kms.

I don't look after hers as much as I look after mine (her bolt heads don't get quite so much brasso and qtips - stop smirking at the back) - but in this sandy and saline place both bikes get a chain rotation through one rag with Simple Green and another with Pedros or Castrol GTX after every outing.

I asked for a new chain and cassettes if needed - answer 'They're fine, no need'. After Helsinki to Stockholm 2005, London to Copenhagen 2007, Vienna to Budapest 2011, weekly 50 kms minimum, sometimes many more

Is my shop slacking? I don't think so

I have one of these too. Measuring the chain wear by the ruler approach was always a pain for me because it is a pretty small amount and I was never confident that I was getting a good reading. The Park chain checker measures the gap. If the checker falls into the gap, the chain is worn. If it does not fall into the gap, it is still good. It is quick and easy and virtually fool proof. It also has 2 measures that you can use, a .7% wear and a 1% wear. I use the .7% so if it hits that, I can go get a new chain before I start eating into the rear cluster.

The rate of chain wear is determined largely by how clean you keep your drive train. I read a post from a guy who cleaned his whole drive train after each and every ride. He said his chains lasted for over 10,000 miles. I clean my drive train about every 400 miles and/or everytime it gets wet.

I'm just a Luddite that still uses the wider 5-6 speed chains because I still use a 6-spd freewheel, not the skinny modern 7-10 cog chains.

Chain wear is one of the reasons I'm fastidious about cleaning my bike (especially the chain!) after riding in the rain, and why I pretty much detest riding in the rain. Proper chain maintenance (cleaning and lube) takes time! Well, it is a LOT easier now with on-bike cleaning tools than 30 years ago with a can of kerosene and a toothbrush!

Besides, a clean, properly lubed chain uses less pedaling effort than a dirty chain! The reason is simple. That extra effort you're expending with a dirty chain is what it takes for the road grit to abrade the chain metal away... Heck, 35 years ago when I used to ride centuries in the rain, I'd even spray my chain down with WD-40 at the rest stops! Not the best solution, but better than riding with a dirty chain!

Maybe I should get my chain checked. It's the original chain and I have about 6200 miles on the bike and therefore the chain as well.

Well, the rear Derailleur wasn't shifting right(the LBS adjusted the cable a few weeks ago btw) so I decided to take it into the LBS to have it checked and adjusted again. I let the tech know what was going on and he said he could do it then. Since reading this thread about chain life, I had him check that as well. The tech stated that it was still good, but I should think about changing it out very soon(within the next few hundred miles). I asked if it would be an issue for him to do it while I was there and he said it wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I was talking to the owner and he was actually surprised that I got 6200 miles out of the chain and still had some miles left. The tech did discover one reason why my rear shifter wasn't shifting efficiently--the cable was being held together by only 3 strands of wire at the brifter out of the all the strands in the cable! Needless to say, I had him replace that as well.