goodtimes5

I gave my bike to the LBS today to help me fix a bent derailleur hanger. I got a call later that they took a look at my bike and saw that the chain is showing really bad wear, and they suggested a replacement chain. I haven't used the ruler method recently to check for chain wear, but my gut tells me he's trying to make money off of me.

• chain has only seen 960 miles
•*chain was installed 8/2009
•*I only ride in fair weather
•*I only ride recreationally and do not race

I'm going to speak with him in person tomorrow.

fauxto nick

k.

echappist

do you lube you chain? my last one lasted 1200 miles with lube & i'm never going back to that lube (pedro's) again. you do know that even in fair weather you should lube every 4-5 rides, right? also, wipe off the chain after every ride

goodtimes5

I lube with Dumonde Tech Lite lube every 150 miles or so. I wipe the chain after every ride with my rag.

tFUnK

maybe wait until you have shifting issues, or would that be too late?

jrennie

What exactly is your point or question? Some chains fail prematurely some last 10000 miles. Don't trust your shop? Go else ware, if they say the same without prompting then it probably needs to be replaced.

goodtimes5

I just wanted to hear about the experiences others have had with bike shops recommending a new chain.

echappist

get a steel-rule. it's more accurate than other forms of chain measurement

Hunt-man

I just picked up a Park CC-2 Chain Checker tool. One chain tested bad. One .75 bad. Don't know if I trust the tool and the suggestion to replace at .75 wear. I'm a chain killer but I'm thinking that may have to do with using simple green on the chain to clean it. I do climb a lot of steep hills... I seem to kill chains at about 700 miles.

Eclectus

They say if you measure 12 inches, and your ruler measures 12 1/16 inches, time for a new chain. I've gone to 12 1/8, with great performance pre-andpost-change. The chain wears faster than your cogs. But both eventually wear out. 700 mi? You may be riding big chain ring, big rear cog a lot. If you are racing, that's what you have to do. If you aren't racing, shift to the smaller front ring and smaller cogs if you want to extend your chain. Chains are really cheap. Cassettes aren't that much either. You should be able to go through 3-4 chain changeouts per casssette replacement, realizing nothing mechanical lasts forever.

Pedaleur

Small-small puts more tension on the chain, and concentrates the forces on fewer teeth. Big-big is better, unless you significantly increase your cross-chaining.

Eclectus

Correctomundo. Change your chain, then your rear cogs, then your font chain ring, when shifts and drive aren't working anymore

rollin

A couple of obvious choices:
- Learn to do your own wrenching, buy a chain checker tool.
- Find an LBS you trust.

AngryScientist 

just take the bike back and measure the chain for wear yourself. you can almost definitely get a new chain online cheaper than the shop will sell you anyway.

i would actually just order a new chain now at one of the online retailers. get your bike back and measure the chain. replace if necessary, otherwise you have the spare on hand when it is needed.

Jasper Storm

I trusted the opinion of a wrench with his dopey chain checker once, and was rewarded with a worn chain ring. Buy a set of digital calipers and learn how to properly measure for wear yourself.

mihlbach

Just buy the damn chain (or a few) and replace it yourself when its needed.

Orbital57

It doesn't have many miles in it but it could be worn. Something else that people haven't mentioned is the age of the cassette, if you put a new chain on a worn cassette then it won't last long.

I'm with everyone else, get a chain checker or a ruler on it and see for yourself.

RiPHRaPH

what brand of chain?

rumrunn6

I don't change the chain and or freewheel until I start getting chain hop. if everything is working perfectly then you can wait. if he used a measuring device then you might be in for a change this season. don't be an a-hole just say thanks and that you'd like to wait a little longer. hopefully he won't be an a-hole about it. I think though that if you show respect to his professional opinion - then he will show respect for your personal one

merlinextraligh

Chains are cheaper than casettes. Err on the side of replacing the chain too early, and you'll save money on your total spend for chains and cassettes.

Also, putting a new chain on makes the shifting feel new. Worth a few dollars.

merlinextraligh

This will allow you to get more miles out of a chain.

3 downsides though, 1) your going to be replacing a cassette everytime you replace the chain, instead of about a 1-4 ratio if you follow the current recommendation, and 2) you're going to have to put up with poorer shifting for a long time after the chain is "worn" but not yet hopping. 3) you can't use multiple wheelsets this way.

banerjek

What I can tell you is that when I'm in a shop, it's frequently the case that customers with limited knowledge think they're getting jacked when the shop is just trying to help. I see the bikes myself and have yet to see an unnecessary repair or product recommendation. There's really no profit incentive in selling a few individual cheap things, particularly since you risk losing good will.

In the case at hand, you need to learn how to measure your chain. You might ask them to remeasure it. I would normally expect more mileage given what you describe, but it's definitely possible you need a new one.

Psimet2001 

+1 - There's actually a lot to this. It's kind of a comedy of errors. Shop tries to help, pisses off customer who thinks they're getting jacked for the part the shop gets little to nothing on. New shop employee overhears someone telling a customer he may need a new chain - thinks this is a nice thing to do and/or way to increase sales and starts telling customers the same thing - only now it's someone less knowledgeable and it comes off as selling to sell.

It's like selling an air filter at an oil change. No one likes the sales pitch, you can do it cheaper at home, but at some point you do actually need a new air filter so why are these guys bad guys for suggesting it?

BarryJo

It amazes me the number of people who walk into my LBS that have no clue how to properly maintain a chain and check it for wear.

ARider2

Chains can wear quickly especially if...

it is an inexpensive, lower quality chain to begin with (what chain is it?)
you are fairly heavy (what is your weight?)
you tend to ride up a lot of hills (or do you ride mostly flat?)
you have to deal with a lot of head winds
you tend to pick a higher gear and push hard (rather than a lower gear with higher cadence)

All of the above factors will affect the rate of wear on the chain.