glade

What combination puts the least stress on the drivetrain when the bike is not in use? I have a 39/53 double with a 12-25 10 Speed casette and I usually store it in the 39x19 or 39x21 combo, is that ok? I got it back from the LBS today and they had it in the 53x15, is there any advantage/disadvantage to leaving it in the big or small ring up front?

ovoleg

WHAT?

Im confused

What stress? The chain?

I think this is not necessary....Just park it and forget it


...

The Carpenter

To avoid prolonged tensioning of the spring in the rear derailler(SP), you should ALWAYS remove the rear wheel when you are done riding.

The Carpenter

OK,OK I'm just kidding. It doesn't matter what gear it's in. But if you're OCD about it then put it in the gear that puts it in the most "relaxed" position.

ovoleg

I still think that this will not change anything, other than maybe the chain, I don't see any "stress" being applied. Plus whats the best your doing? Saving the chain life by 5-10 miles?

Do you know how much stress you place on that chain when you are riding it?

chinitonorte

A good trick is to leave in in the Big Ring and Small Cog, then shift them both all the way. If someone jumps on to ride, they get a nasty surprise. Disabling the brakes also has a similar effect.

DinoShepherd

And pull the rear QR.

-Z

Tequila Joe

If you are storing your bike for a prolonged period of time, let’s say for 4 months over the winter, I would put it in little x little or remove the rear wheel. It would put less tension on the spring in the rear derailleur. I've found that the RD spring looses some of its "snap" over the years as the metal in the spring fatigues and as a result shifting crispness declines.

It probably don’t make any difference in your chain but it does make a difference on your rear derailleur. If I remember, I shift my bikes into little x little after my rides. It won't hurt it, if anything, it might help.

T.J.

fmw

You should put it in 53-11. Then others would be impressed by how fast you were going before you stopped.

JPinoy

39 chain ring + 11 cog

urban_assault

Remove the chain after riding. No stress on the RD or the chain. I have a pillow for my chain next to my bed, it sleeps very soundly.

Namenda

My God! Did you stop and wash your hands 12 times while you were typing that? Can you say "obsessive-compulsive"? I knew that you could.

UmneyDurak

I leave it in 53/12 because it looks kool that way.

Newberry

I can see how shifting to the smallest cog would put less tension on the derailleur spring. Worth doing if storing the bike for an extended period IMHO. I wouldn't store any of my guns with the hammer cocked for the same reason (to keep from losing sping tension that is... not because I'm afraid my bike will go off).

Warblade

Any gear, as long as its not rubbed on the derailler.

SDRider

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! It won't make a damn bit of difference. I can't believe this is even being discussed...

Newberry

You're right, it probably wouldn't ever make an ounce of difference but its no sillier than a lot of threads on the forum.
If you know how your derailleur works, you know that it has more tension on the spring (controlled by the B screw) when its in a lower gear. When that spring weakens, your derailleur moves closer to your gears. Shifting to a higher gear would take some of the tension off that spring.

You hear all these guys posting about taking their new bikes back to the shop for a tuneup after a few weeks. Why do you think things go out of tune?

puddin' legs

I disassemble my bike including the wheelset, clean it, box it, and it's done. Of course it takes a bit of time...like when a friends calls as says let's go for a ride. I mean, like he usually has to give me a few hours, but I'm getting really fast at wheel building.

"You hear all these guys posting about taking their new bikes back to the shop for a tuneup after a few weeks. Why do you think things go out of tune?"

- Newberry

New cables do stretch. Occationally wheels will go out of true when fresh. That's just the way things are. After the re-adjustment, you're usually very good to go for a long time.

Seriously though, in all of my life I've never even thought for one moment about what gear my bike is in when it's hanging in the house.

Blackberry

You can leave it in any gear as long as you bring your bike to bed with you. Apply a good lube and stroke the chain, cogs, and all moving parts gently througout the night.

AnthonyG

I agree that the question was a little obsesive although in all honesty I leave the bike in the gear that I want to start the next ride in.

Regards, Anthony

Newberry

I'd never thought about either (till this post!), but I would have no problem believing that, just as the cables stretch a bit, any spring can weaken over time as well, the more tension it has on it, the quicker it will weaken. I'm guessing that my tiagra rear derailleur doesn't have the best spring steel available.
FWIW, I shift to my low gear almost everytime I stop, and thats how I've always stored my bike.

I wonder how many riders have ever experienced a derailleur spring failure? I've never had one break, even on cheap bikes, but I have had them get so sloppy they had to be replaced.

Tequila Joe

Read this first;
https://www.bristolspring.com/glossary.html

Key terms;
Fatigue Life - Number of deflection cycles until failure occurs at a predetermined stress.
Fatigue Failure - When a spring is deflected continually, the metal becomes fatigued and failure may occur at a stress level far below the elastic limit.
Initial Tension (Pi) - A force wound into an extension spring during coiling to hold the coils together
Yield Point - Stress point which will cause an elongation to the original length of the spring.

Then this;
https://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tabl...s/Springs.html

Then this
https://0-etd.uj.ac.za.raulib.rau.ac....d/Chapter2.pdf

Then let us know what you find out.

T.J.

lws

I've got a bike with a twenty-year-old derailleur. I've replaced pulleys because the bearings wore out, but never the spring. I wouldn't worry about it.

urban_assault

Oh great...homework, UGH.

wheezl

Is this another userid for StalkerZero?