Campy NR 42 tooth circa 1986 with 50,000 miles on it, still going strong with no shark tooth. Shimano 39 tooth replace at about 15,000 miles. Starts to shark tooth by then. Big rings, never. Come to think of it I have only had to replace Shimano and Suntour 39 tooth rings. Never any Campy 42 tooth.

Wow. I figure if I get 10,000 on a ring I did real good. Some of the cranks I use you take what rings you can get and they last a lot less.

My wife had an old set of Campy Nuovo Record rings she used for 35 years. Rode very regular and rode all weather but all short distances around town. She also weighed under 100 pounds most of those years, with a max of maybe 105. They looked maybe 1/4 used up. I took over those rings and they were done in a season. I can't ride as if I weighed 100#. Also never met anything that lasted like old Campy.

I put my Sugino Mighty Competition ring on my old Colnago in the late 80's, and it lasted until about 2 years ago. Quite a few miles.

I have other rings that are showing a lot of wear quickly. And other rings that look almost like new with 10,000+ miles.

One variable seems to be chain wear. If you are proactive with replacing chains early, the whole drive system will like it (cassette, chainrings, etc).

Let a chain stretch too much, and you could be replacing chainrings with 1 or 2 chains.

Also, not all alloys are created the same. 70xx series for the chainrings???

I've got 54,650 miles on a SRAM Rival 53/39 crankset with original rings. Shifts fine without any unusual noises or catching. No need to change.

I think riding style (not shifting under load, spinning etc) and keeping the drive train clean are the real determinants of longevity - not number of miles. Last week I just installed my 4th cassette and chain - yes I replace them both at the same time. I've averaged about 18,000 miles per cassette/chain.

I live in North Texas and ride all year long.....I'm retired and try to ride every day.

The wear is easy to notice… instead of a U-shape, the trailing side of the "U" takes on a rearward slat, which makes the teeth more pointed. Even so, the ring and chain pretty much wear together and work even when worn unless you change the chain... then, you probably will need to change the rign as well.

This is unbelievable.

What is your maintenance routine and what type of riding conditions do you typically encounter?

I have seen entire drivetrains completely destroyed in less than 5000KM by a lack of maintenance.

I can get close to those kind of numbers, in KM not miles though.

I'm not answering for armybike, nor do I have as many miles on my gear, but I've increased my cleaning intervals substantially over the past few years. I've been getting enjoyment out of a silent drivetrain and how smooth it feels when clean. I change the chain and cassette about 1x every two years. I still havent changed my crankset's rings.

Years = meaningless

My wife gets two years out of a chain, because she rides about 2,000 miles a year, doesn't ride in the rain, isn't heavy, and doesn't put out a ton of power. A meaningful number is to say she gets 4,000 miles out of a 10-speed chain.

I own a single component with over 18,000 miles on it: a Thomson Elite seatpost. I would never expect any wear item to last that long in my use, least of all a chain.

Thinking back to racing days we did not expect more than a few thousand on a set of Campy rings and I was hardly the roughest on equipment. Shops that serviced racers had stacks of rings, Regina cogboxes and SunTour cogboards. It all turned over quick. Quickest chainring wear ever was a guy who tried to dip a toe in track racing with what he had on hand. Tried to race on a Stronglight 93 road ring. The ring was clean, the chain tension was good, he asked me to check it for him. Three short races, one evening of racing, and that ring was powdered. This was not a monster, it was a 15 year old kid weighing maybe 140 and racing intermediates.

How long the ring lasts depends on how hard you kick the pedals.

I wipe my chain down with a clean rag every third or fourth ride.......and about every 700 or 800 miles (once a month roughly) I remove the cassette and clean each cog thoroughly as well as the chainrings, and soak the chain with a citrus degreaser , clean that off and relube with a drop at every roller.

I avoid the rain and wet roads when I can help it. Luckily in North Texas it doesn't rain that often.

Thanks for the reply, this explains everything.

My maintenance routine is similar, minus solvent.

I wipe each link and tooth off individually, and relube. This can be tedious, maybe a once a month task, at most, depending on how noisy everything is.