Is this bad?
 

So as not to jack the "Chain Stretch" thread I'm going to make this one.

My '03 Hahanna still has the original chain. It's never been fully removed unless the dealer took it off at the six month or whatever free service. That would have been over three years ago.

How bad does this look?

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...I/IMG_0265.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...I/IMG_0266.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...I/IMG_0268.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...I/IMG_0270.jpg

It's difficult to tell just from pics--except that everything is dirty (by the way, a cleaner drivetrain will last longer).

Take a ruler and measure 12 links of the chain beginning at the center of any pin. The 24th pin (you don't have to count--it should be obvious) on a brand new chain will be at the 12" mark. If not, estimate how much further it is (1/32", 1/16", 1/8"). Once it has reached 1/8" it needs to be replaced (but preferably sooner). If you let it go too long, the stretched chain makes the teeth of the cassette and chainrings conform to the new pitch of the chain (i.e., wear excessively).

If your chain is past the 1/8" mark, you will need a new cassette (and possibly chainrings) when you replace the chain or else everything will not mesh properly and skip around.

It looks to be off by about 1/16" which is better than I thought.

Time for a chain then..

+clean :D

... Brad

So I'm looking at some chains here and I'm rather confused. When it says "7 or 8 speed blah blah" that's how many rear gears you need for it to work, right?

Looks dirty. Does the chain skip or not shifty reliably even after correct adjustments?

Yes. Last week it slipped enough that I went down...

If you leave the chain on a bike or 3 years and it's not total toast you must not be riding hard enough... Also I suggest having a cassette on hand or a least make sure you can get one before changing the chain as it is likely to slip around on the cassette evn on one with no visual damage. I think you have an 8 speed.. I had to order an 8 speed cassette as no bike shop in town had one under 55 bucks..

edit.. can't tell if it is 8 or 9 speed from the pics

It's an 8.

And I only really starting riding this year..

I got an awesome 5 dollar 8 speed cassette from nashbar.. trust me if you change the chain be sure to have one.. if you don't need it you'll need it if you wear another chain for sure

Yes...how foolish of everyone to ride only as much as we "want to" instead of as much as you want us to. The world will try harder to meet your standards.

OP...ride as hard or easy as you feel comfortable. If you only go through a chain in 3 years, good on ya! I'm envious. If you go through several a year...welcome to the club, but don't let somebody tell you that you aren't cutting the mustard b/c your bike lasts longer than his.

OP .... don't let people here convince you your not a slacker

See my last post, I only started really riding this year. Anything in the last couple was just a bit of road stuff, I've ridden a lot harder this summer than ever before and look foreword to continuing that trend next year :)


That is after this baby gets rebuilt, at least somewhat. Too bad I am pretty much uber-noob when it comes to technical bike stuff..


On a related note, what are these gears?

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...I/IMG_0273.jpg

Really dirty?

I think even I could have figured that one out..

What are they called and what is their purpose, other than to collect dirt?

They are called jockey wheels, which are part of your derailleur, which is what shifts the chain from cassette ring to cassette ring. They help keep tension on your chain via the spring/s in the derailleur, and help guide the chain when you shift. And you don't need to replace them since there is not much force being imparted on them in a pedal stroke.

Ok...sorry, but I couldn't resist :)

The upper gear(or cog) is called the jockey pulley...it guides the chain from one sprocket to the next on the cassette.

The lower gear is called the tension pulley...and it keeps tension on the chain throughout the different gear combinations.

Ah ok. Pull 'em off and clean them really good should suffice then?

Should I look into getting a..um.. front.. cassette... thing while I'm at it, or are the effects mostly on the rear?

What do I need to know about buying deraileurs? I'm not sure the front one is entirely healthy...

Also, roughly how much can I expect to pay to have a rim straightened?

Once you remove the chain to replace it.... I would clean everything as best as you can. Use a flat screwdriver to scrape off the heavy gunk...and then a toothbrush with some de-greaser should work fine.

I would try replacing just the chain first. You indicated that it's only stretched 1/16". Try the chain before you go replacing the cassette and chain rings(front gears)

Look here for more info:
http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

wow thats really really dirty

Try these for keeping it clean
http://www.parktool.com/products/det...=5&item=CM%2D5
http://www.parktool.com/products/det...4&item=GSC%2D1

+1 i was just suggesting that after replacement of the chain there could be additional problems to be prepared for

Another note on replacing chain rings: If you generally ride in only one chain ring, such as low, middle, or high, you may be able to replace just the chain ring that is shot. I'm not sure what type of crankset you have, but keep that in mind. If you want to read up on maintenance, it seems you want to do it yourself which is a good way to get to know exactly how your bike works, I suggest investing in some sort of reference manual. I use "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance", but there is Park's Blue Book, or Park Tool's website from above, the Sheldon Brown website from above, and many others. I like to have a hard copy to have on hand as a quick reference when I'm working on my bike, oh and I find it to be a good read for in the bathroom... Seriously, Zinn is awesome, IMO.

Well, the thing about getting parts is that I'm poor.. so hopefully I'll get what I need under the christmas tree. I'll ask for a cassette just in case and, well, it's free :p

And yes, I have been brought up with a DIY nature. My family does all of our own work :) I'll look into a reference book.

Well clean it all up so its spit and shine and resend the pics.

I'll probably do that but it'll be a while. I don't feel like tearing it all apart until I'm done riding for the year and, at the current rate of snowfall, that could be a while.

On an unrelated note, I've set a goal to completely destroy my rear tire by that time :D