How Do You Know When a Chain is Dead?
 

I have a feeling the answer to this question is the same one I get when I ask about to know if you need to replace your cleats: "Oh, you'll know."

But seriously, how often do you guys swap out old for new chains? What do you base this decision on? Is there a mileage zone that exists where it's "a good idea" to change your chain, like oil in gas tanks?

Also, I know it's been done in many a thread, but if anyone wants to throw in some new 1/8 chain recommendations, that'd be cool. I was/am riding an Izumi ESH but want to go cheaper.

Each complete link should be 1" long.
Measure out 12 complete links on the chain.
If it is longer than 12-1/16" then it probably needs replacing.
If it is longer than 12-1/8", then you may need a new sprocket and cog as well.

Oh.. and I love the KMC 510HX
Its not the quietest 1/8" chain, but its pretty effing strong.

EDIT: corrected fractions!

I change chains every riding season.
In the spring for summer bikes, in the Fall for winter bikes.
I buy the chains at X-mart for $5.

Enjoy

when it breaks

if your chain is crazy stretched, but the dirvetrain still works you might as well ride till it dies... your gonna need all new ***** anyway so you might as well wear the old stuff out good and proper.

every few months, depending on how the weather's been and how much i've been riding as well. Definitely replace is after what i feel is the last snow. Sometimes when I'm doing a full cleaning of my drive train I'll be soo disgusted by the chain I'll just replace it rather then try and get the grit out.

Probably about 4 times a year I replace it. $60 a year to insure the bike's running properly is fine by me.

a slack chain will help, i forget if you (ELC) run it tight or not.

i have a little chain wear measuring tool if you want to use it.

Word. Yeah. Throw that puppy in your bag for when we all finally get to race/meetup at Kissena. Thanks.

I guess I just wonder what warrants changing a chain. I've read about messengers needing to throw out their chains every few weeks because they're so hard on them. Maybe that's untrue, or an exaggeration, but I have heard that and if that's true, then I'm long overdue b/c I've certainly put far more mileage on my chain than a messenger would in a couple of months. Most of my riding is city riding.

I mean, I feel like probably 90% of the bike riding pop. will never change the chain that originally came on their bike unless it breaks or becomes non-functional.

... I probably should of posted this in the mechanics forum, but, you know how it is...

PS - Spud, my chain is slacker than Troy Dyer.

Close, but you mean 1/16" and 1/8", not 1/8" and 1/4". 1/4" of elongation over a foot of chain would be huge!

Yeah, like lylydriver says, just hold a good ruler/measuring tape up along side the (non-slack) chain. Center the 0 mark on one rivet, and find where the 12" mark falls. If the rivet it corresponds with is more than 1/16" from being centered on the 12" mark, you should replace the chain. If it has elongated more than 1/8", your chain is way shot and it probably has worn your chainring and cog as well. Putting a new (unstretched) chain onto the worn sprockets will accelerate the wear on the new chain. If you let your chain get that far, you should replace the cog and chainring at the same time.

^Oops. Sorry, I did mean 1/16" and 1/8" respectively.
I work much better with decimals and metric than this fractional stuff.

It usually ends up being every 12-18 months for me. I run cheap $10 3/32" derailleur chains, so replacing them isn't that big of a deal, but they probably wear out a lot quicker than a marginally more expensive or better quality chain.

Usually I change them in the spring, after a winter of lubing with sticky sticky wet MTB lube, so they are pretty grimy and dirty by then, and so I don't have to clean the chain.

On a single gear drivetrain, there's really no need to change a chain that often. It takes forever to wear out a steel track cog, and chainrings even longer.

izumi v's never die, they just fade away

The Park Tool cc-3 is a simple go/no go gauge. Here's what they say about it:

"A worn chain shifts poorly and wears sprockets at an accelerated rate. The CC-3 is a "go, no go" gauge designed to accurately indicate when a chain reaches .75% and 1% wear, the points at which most chain manufacturers suggest replacement. Made from precision, laser cut steel."

Most bike shops sell them for about 10 bucks. For 1/8" chain, I like the SRAM PC-1. 15 to 20 bucks depending where you shop.

A forum member who recently rode across the country reported that his chain died at ~1500 miles.


Dogbait