As a road biking newbie I'm probably asking a silly question but here goes.

I've been riding mtbs for the past 4 years. When I'm cleaning the chain I gauge its condition by flicking the pedals backwards and seeing how long they continue to spin for. I generally figure that if they continue on for most of a rotation then the chains in OK shape

So, I've just got my first road bike (brand new Trek 1000) and I've put around 50 miles on it since Saturday. I'm putting it away tonight and I figure that I'll give the pedals a flick for comparison and its very sluggish - moving probably less than 0.5 of a revolution - is this normal, or should I think about taking it back to the lbs?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

I have not heard any theories about chain wear relating to the back pedalling of a crank. The best way to check if a chain needs replacing is by buying a chain measuring tool or just replace the chain every 5000km. MTB chains need replacing more often due to the dirt and mud but a road chain only needs changing annually/biannually.

CHEERS.

Mark

More likely that the bearings in the freewheel just need time to bed in.

I start my Campag (20 year old) hubbed front wheel spinning when I'm walking up the 80 or so steps to the side of the road, and it's still spinning at the top.

My new Hope hubbed wheel is not as free but is improving all the time.

Get a few miles on it, it'll loosen up a bit, I bet.

Some high quality hubs have four or more cogs in the cassette body, they don't really like to coast or back pedal.

D*Alex.

He did say it might be a silly question.

Could it not be that he is checking how well lubricated or free running the chain is.?

i know I've done that to see how well the chain follows the pulley wheels when not under load.

It was somebody's idiotic response that I was referring to. Obviously, he realised it was stupid, so he deleted it. I deleted mine, too.
Now, as far as MrFix's comment:

Huh??? I mean, the smallest cog that I've ever seen is 11 teeth, or the smallest # of cogs in a cassette I've seen is 6. Are you referring to splines, or possibly pawls?? If so, what point are you trying to make? Were you drinking when you posted??

Measure chain wear with a tape The center of the pins on your chain (12"out) should line up exactly 12" apart If there is 1/8" more you need a new chain, Park tools makes a $26 chain measurer.

i also noticed my new road bike doesn't spin backwards nearly as fast as my mountainbike. don't know why, but i don't think it's the chain.

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies.

Chewa, you're exactly right - I knew there had to be a technical way of explaining it

As far as MrFix's comment goes I guess the pertinent point is "high quality" - I'm under no illusions about my 1000 - I love it to bits but its still an entry level bike with a seriously nice paint-job.

I guess the bedding in theory probably makes sense - I'll give it some time and see how it goes. I did actually try spinning the back wheel manually and there's no sign of any excessive friction

The only other thing that did occur to me was whether its simply a matter of the higher ratios meaning that the freewheel actually makes the same no of rotations for a smaller angular rotation of the front cog.

Heck, if your chain is even 1/16" too long, toss it.

I would expect that the ratchet mechanism in the road bike freehub has more friction associated with it than your mountain bike's freehub.

Your test of chain condition is unorthodox, though not without some reasonable basis. As the chain wears, one would expect additional friction caused by the rollers not lining up exactly with the teeth in the gears. However, this sort of measurement is fraught with error (how well calibrated is your backward 'flick'?) and will vary significantly between different freehub designs.

Better to use the 12 inch rule as described above.