extending life of drive system

"geepeetee" wrote: (clip) Does this sound like a reasonable way of doing
it, (clip) Any advice appreciated
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you have the right idea, but you would do better to rotate through
three chains, or even four, instead of two. The idea is not only to clean
and lube the chains, but to make them wear together, along with the cogs.
Then replace all the chains and the cogs when they are really worn.
Chainrings don't wear very fast, comparitively, so you probably won't have
to touch them for a few cycles of chain changes.

Quoted message said:

I have just bought a new hybrid to cycle the 15 mile round trip to work.
What is the best way to get the maximum life out of the drive system.

On my last bike i used to run two chains and swap them every 300 (ish)
miles, degreasing and re oiling the removed one. I got a couple of years
(approx 7000 miles) before having to change the whole lot.

Does this sound like a reasonable way of doing it, or is it better to just
keep renewing the chain every ??? miles (suggestions appreciated).

Seems like an awful lot of work for minimal savings. I've found that a
normal chain in normal use, not cleaned as often as it should be, is
generally good for 1500-2000 miles. Replaced that often, the rear cassette
is usually good for 5 chains (so up to, say, 10,000 miles) and the
chainrings up front often go further than that.

There's nothing at all wrong with keeping your bike in tip-top shape, and a
clean drivetrain is a great way to do that. And if you really enjoy working
on your bike, great! But you are spending quite a bit of time removing &
cleaning chains, and it appears that saving money isn't the payoff.

Nevertheless, a clean and lubed chain *is* a happy chain!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Quoted message said:

Seems like an awful lot of work for minimal savings. I've found that a
normal chain in normal use, not cleaned as often as it should be, is
generally good for 1500-2000 miles. Replaced that often, the rear cassette
is usually good for 5 chains (so up to, say, 10,000 miles) and the
chainrings up front often go further

Quoted message said:

than that.

The cleaner you keep the chain and drive train the longer the chain will last.
I have found that I can get around 4,000 miles out of a chain and I change them
before they "stretch" much. I have heard somone claim that they could get
something like 15,000 miles out of a chain but they cleaned it after every
ride.

"Pbwalther" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Seems like an awful lot of work for minimal savings. I've found that a
normal chain in normal use, not cleaned as often as it should be, is
generally good for 1500-2000 miles. Replaced that often, the rear

cassette

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is usually good for 5 chains (so up to, say, 10,000 miles) and the
chainrings up front often go further

Quoted message said:

than that.

The cleaner you keep the chain and drive train the longer the chain will

last.

Quoted message said:

I have found that I can get around 4,000 miles out of a chain and I change

them

Quoted message said:

before they "stretch" much. I have heard somone claim that they could get
something like 15,000 miles out of a chain but they cleaned it after every
ride.

OK...speaking of clean chains...what's everyone's impression (that's used
them) of those contraptions that clip over your chain and contain brushes
and a reservior to clean your chain as you run it through the machine? Is
it faster (but as good as) using white lightning and a handheld brush with a
cleaning cloth (and screwdriver to get in the hard to reach spots with the
cloth?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Fred Hall said:

OK...speaking of clean chains...what's everyone's impression (that's used
them) of those contraptions that clip over your chain and contain brushes
and a reservior to clean your chain as you run it through the machine? Is
it faster (but as good as) using white lightning and a handheld brush with a
cleaning cloth (and screwdriver to get in the hard to reach spots with the
cloth?

I don't like 'em, and here's why:
The whole point to cleaning chains is to get grit off
the outside before it works its way into metal-on-metal
contacts, especially between pins & rollers. I believe
any technique that involves rubbing, scrubbing or wiping
exterior grit against the chain actually increases the
likelihood of grit being driven /into/ those areas.

So I much prefer methods that use detergent action
soaking to loosen up the gunk, and agitation and
rinsing to get the crud off, rather than wiping.
And I don't even think agitation & rinsing is any
guarantee against some particles getting into the
works -- after all, all chains eventually wear out,
no matter how well maintained they are.

Those contraptions might be good for making the outside
of the chain look pretty and pristine, but that's not
real chain cleaning.

cheers,
Tom

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