Should I really replace my chain, cassette and chainrings?

brownian

Dropped the bike in to have a bottom bracket fitted. It's been on the road for maybe 3000 km this spring and summer, and overall has maybe twice mileage.
I ride it winter and summer; there is of course more summer mileage, but it's been out in the rain and the mud/grit/slush of some good Sundays last winter, and the odd audax.

Never replaced chain or chainrings; use one of two cassettes depending on which wheelset. No visible wear on chainrings or either cassette. Haven't measured the chain, but I imagine there may be some stretch. Bike's running grand, just the BB was creaking a lot.

Anyway, bike comes back from shop with suggestion to replace cassette, chainrings, chain, Tune hub bearings and headset bearings.

Should I be surprised, outraged or cynically thinking I'm being cross-sold? Or is this 'normal'? And if I don't replace half the drive train, what'll happen? I imagine if things get really worn, I'll start to miss gear-changes, and I'll see 'spiky' chainring and cassette teeth (neither visible today). At which point I'll need to think about replacement - but why would I do so now?

RobFowl

Sounds reasonable especially if has been out in all weather and not cleaned doen/degreased etc afterwards.

magicbastarder

Still on the first chain? You can get a cheap chain wear tool to see just how worn it is.

ted1

You should learn how to do things yourself, you’ll find you do it more often. Bar the hub bearings there’s nothing to hard or technical on that list

Wishbone Ash

It's unlikely you'll need the small chain ring replaced unless you spend an excessive amount of time climbing. I've never had to replace one.

RobFowl

Sorry missed the bit about chainrings, they last for years. would be disappointed not to get 20k out of a set tbh

Eamonnator

I have done about 60,000 kms combined on two bikes in the last four years.
I have not changed chainrings on either bike and both are still in very good condition.
I usually replace chains about every 4,000kms or so. I have a chain measuring device. (about a tenner on CRC)
I switch wheels and cassettes quite a bit, so no advice on cassette.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am meticulous about my bike cleaning and maintenance, so I get more mileage from parts than average.

brownian

ted1 wrote: »

You should learn how to do things yourself, you’ll find you do it more often. Bar the hub bearings there’s nothing to hard or technical on that list

I do all the usual stuff myself. I don't have the special kit for Tune hubs, and I don't have a bottom bracket press (hence the bike shop visit). But I would surely plan to replace cassette etc myself - it's easy enough.

However, I don't know if that makes it more likely to do stuff more often - I tend to ride until a problem arises...

brownian

RobFowl wrote: »

Sounds reasonable especially if has been out in all weather and not cleaned doen/degreased etc afterwards.

I do clean and degrease and regrease pretty religiously, but only the visible stuff (chain, cassette, chainrings). Bearings are a bit of a mystery to me, tho....

rayman1

Chain probably needs changing. I usually get about 6,000 km from a KMC chain and about 12,000 km from a cassette.
I have 33,000 km on my Ultegra drivetrain and the original chainrings are still fine. Like others I use a simple and cheap x tools chain checker.

magicbastarder

I got a chain wear checker for 8 quid in Halford's I think.

tomasrojo

A metal ruler or metal tape measure will do the trick either, if you don't want to spring for a chain-wear tool. Just measure the distance from the centre of one rivet to one 12" away. If it's exactly 12" from one centre to another, no problem. If it's 12 1/16", then consider replacing soon. If it's 12 1/8", then replace the chain as soon as possible.

I always feel a bit weird using all the Imperial, but bicycle chains really are based on inches.

tomasrojo

brownian wrote: »

Should I be surprised, outraged or cynically thinking I'm being cross-sold? Or is this 'normal'? And if I don't replace half the drive train, what'll happen? I imagine if things get really worn, I'll start to miss gear-changes, and I'll see 'spiky' chainring and cassette teeth (neither visible today). At which point I'll need to think about replacement - but why would I do so now?

It's worth changing the chain frequently because the chain is really pretty easy to change, whereas changing sprockets and chain rings is not.

Speaking from experience, if you really let it go far, you won't even be able to cycle up a gentle incline, because the chain will just jump ineffectively over the sprockets without engaging. And you're more likely to fall off and get injured when you're climbing.

brownian

Thanks, folks.

I've sprung for a chain gauge, and will suss it out over next week. I'm in no mad hurry to buy a new cassette (57-200 euro, depending on whether I take an ultegra or a Red). Got a new chain anyway - if I don't use it now, I'll need it eventually.

I've just done the full length of the Pyrenees in both directions without any slippage, so it's not all wrecked yet. If a new chain is needed (>.75% stretch) and the new chain skips and hops, that'll mean the cassette needs replacing, right? So I'll just put the old chain back on the old cassette until it misbehaves, and then replace both at once.

Appreciate the responses!

SwissToni

brownian wrote: »

If a new chain is needed (>.75% stretch) and the new chain skips and hops, that'll mean the cassette needs replacing, right? So I'll just put the old chain back on the old cassette until it misbehaves, and then replace both at once.

Yes that’s the best plan or just get the new cassette now, if the chain is that badly worn it could wear the chainrings faster as well.

Eamonnator

brownian wrote: »

Thanks, folks.

I've sprung for a chain gauge, and will suss it out over next week. I'm in no mad hurry to buy a new cassette (57-200 euro, depending on whether I take an ultegra or a Red). Got a new chain anyway - if I don't use it now, I'll need it eventually.

I've just done the full length of the Pyrenees in both directions without any slippage, so it's not all wrecked yet. If a new chain is needed (>.75% stretch) and the new chain skips and hops, that'll mean the cassette needs replacing, right? So I'll just put the old chain back on the old cassette until it misbehaves, and then replace both at once.

Appreciate the responses!

My Canyon came with a Sram Red cassette, when I replaced it, I changed to a Sram PG1170 cassette. It was about 1/3 the price of the Red.
Hand on heart, I found absolutely no difference in performance, and only a few grammes difference in weight.

brownian

I did that on my second wheelset (tubelesses). No difference perceptible.

Apparently Ultegra cassettes also work very well. DA only go to 28 teeth, and mines a 32, so not looking at that option.

Wishbone Ash

brownian wrote: »

....Apparently Ultegra cassettes also work very well. DA only go to 28 teeth, and mines a 32, so not looking at that option.

You'll get a Tiagra cassette for around €20-25. I used to use them all the time when they did the 30T.

brownian

So, CRC sent me the chain gauge today. Sure enough, the 1% spike goes in handy enough. Will fit the new chain and see what happens.

Of course, riding over the weekend, every click and twitch had me thinking 'that's the worn chain'! Nice enough w/e, all the same, for late Sept, although it was longs for the first time...

plodder

I had to replace all that gear recently. If I had seen this thread, I might have replaced the chain sooner and maybe not have needed to replace the chainrings/cassette. As it happened, I let it get so bad, the bike would not go up hills, and ended up having to walk it up the Sheefry pass in Mayo, which was the final straw before getting it fixed.

c.p.w.g.w

brownian wrote: »

So, CRC sent me the chain gauge today. Sure enough, the 1% spike goes in handy enough. Will fit the new chain and see what happens.

Of course, riding over the weekend, every click and twitch had me thinking 'that's the worn chain'! Nice enough w/e, all the same, for late Sept, although it was longs for the first time...

Is tiagra only 9 speed tho

Type 17

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Is tiagra only 9 speed tho

Older generations of Tiagra were 9-speed, but the current series is 10-speed.

Regarding cassette (and chain) prices, the costlier stuff weighs less and may be more (or sometimes less) durable, but the shifting technology is the same on the cheaper stuff, once it's from around the same launch-time as the more expensive stuff.

brownian

So, I bit the bullets and put a new chain and a new pg-1170 cassette (11-32) on the bike. The work of minutes...wrestling the power-lok quick link was the only hard bit.

Bike is now oh so smooth. I didn't notice it was rough, but I really do notice the slick silence now...hard to tell if I've actually changed gear, sometimes, it's so quiet.

One thing tho - I should have bought a Wippermann chain instead of a new SRAM one. They come with multiple-use quick-links, and seem to be the 'very best' chains. And cost only a couple of euro more.

tomasrojo

I must be the only person who never uses the quick links. I tried them but decided it was easier for me to go on using the chain tool to join the chain the old fashioned way.

rayman1

Get one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/park-tool-master-link-pliers-mlp-1-2/rp-prod109888 and fitting or removing a quick link couldn't be easier.

Mercian Pro

tomasrojo wrote: »

I must be the only person who never uses the quick links. I tried them but decided it was easier for me to go on using the chain tool to join the chain the old fashioned way.

SNAP

magicbastarder

uh... if they're making that noise, you're doing it wrong.

tomasrojo

rayman1 wrote: »

Get one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/park-tool-master-link-pliers-mlp-1-2/rp-prod109888 and fitting or removing a quick link couldn't be easier.

Thanks! The thing is though, you still need a chain tool anyway when installing to cut the chain to the right length (unless I've really misunderstood things).

I can see the attraction out on the road when you mightn't want to carry a chain tool, but I have a small multi-tool with a decent chain tool included, and I have a modified large paper clip to hold the two ends close together when joining, so it's probably as easy to stick with that.

brownian

Quick links got a lot less easy to use when cassettes moved to 10 and 11 speed. The 11-speed SRAM ones, at least, are not designed to be re-opened (even if this is possible, as I suspect it is, with the special pliers). I'd rather carry 5g of quick-link in my saddle bag, though, than a single-purpose pliers.

Tomasrojo is right, you can just use a chain tool (chain breaker)...but it's a lot fiddlier than quick-links, on the road. Given that a broken chain is pretty rare (touch wood), maybe it's worth just having a multitool with a chain breaker (which you need, anyway, for on-road quick-link use, as QLs need two inner link ends, and that's not what you get when the chain snaps).

Type 17

tomasrojo wrote: »

I must be the only person who never uses the quick links. I tried them but decided it was easier for me to go on using the chain tool to join the chain the old fashioned way.

Fine, if the chain is an 8-speed, but if it's not, see this post from another thread:

...on 10 & 11-speed chains (and some 9-speeds), the pins are stamped to spread the ends (note the dimple in the centre of each pin-end), to prevent the link-plates from slipping off the pins.

When you push out the pin with a chain tool, you tear off the spread end-part of the pin, making it vulnerable to slipping off under heavy load if it is re-closed.

tomasrojo

Yeah, it's an eight-speed. Fair point about the higher-count chains. I think that explains quite neatly why users of high-end bikes seem to have all switched to quick links.

Actually, one eight-speed, and two hub-geared bikes, so basically single-speed chains.