Question about using different cassettes
 

I recently bought a new frame and am currently building up a "race" bike.
I have some lightweight carbon wheels that I would like to use but only for races. I want use my old 'heavy' clinchers for training/daily riding.

I've heard that with a new cassette, you want a new chain and they are supposed to "wear together." Not only are the cassettes of different teeth, but I figure it would save me time and dirty hands to just switch the wheels and not take the cassette off/on.
Would this be ok for one chain?


Thanks

As I'm typing this, I realize this is a question I'll address soon but not currently. I'm barely upgrading to CAT 4 now and can't really justify risking racing on my expensive wheels just yet.

Fair warning: I'm pretty casual about stuff like that. Years ago when I had only one bike, an old Trek tourer, I swapped three sets of wheels (with cassettes) and used it for touring, fast group rides and as a cyclocross/pseudo-mountain bike for a couple of years. It had horizontal dropouts, so I could just slide the wheel back and forth for chain tension. And it used friction shifting, so indexing wasn't an issue. Never had any problems.

Chains and Cassettes do not need to wear together. The durability of a chain is a fraction of that of a cassette. It is a myth that they need to be replaced together.

I have three road bikes and five sets of wheels. Each set of wheels has its own cassette. I swap those wheels out among my three bikes regularly and occasionally with my wife's bike. I never worry about swapping the chains. When a chain is worn, it gets replaced. When a cassette is worn, it gets replaced. It's as simple as that.

It is more than OK to pair a new cassette with a used, but not worn out, chain, or a new chain on a used, but again not worn out, cassette.

The only thing you have to worry about is a new chain on a worn cassette - the chain will skip to let you know it isn't working. As long as the drive train is quiet and functions right, you're okay