Very worn drivetrain

Quoted message said:

I recently bought a second hand Dawes Horizon with worn drivetrain
(reflected in the price).

The chainrings and sprockets are visibly worn. I haven't even bothered
measuring the chain, it must be stretched. Shifters and derailers are
fine.

However, nothing is slipping at the moment and it shifts OK. Is there
any benefit in changing things at the moment, or can I wait until
things start to slip.

The risk is that more components reach a point where they will not
work with other newer components (ie you have to replace more stuff in
one hit) however chainrings can appear /very/ worn before they wont
work with a new chain. Personally for me, if I shop around, I can get
9 spd components cheaply enough that it is not worth my time to be
obsessive about rotating and cleaning chains all the time but ymmv

best wishes
james

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I recently bought a second hand Dawes Horizon with worn drivetrain
(reflected in the price).

The chainrings and sprockets are visibly worn. I haven't even bothered
measuring the chain, it must be stretched. Shifters and derailers are
fine.

However, nothing is slipping at the moment and it shifts OK. Is there
any benefit in changing things at the moment, or can I wait until
things start to slip.

The risk is that more components reach a point where they will not
work with other newer components (ie you have to replace more stuff in
one hit) however chainrings can appear /very/ worn before they wont
work with a new chain. Personally for me, if I shop around, I can get
9 spd components cheaply enough that it is not worth my time to be
obsessive about rotating and cleaning chains all the time but ymmv

The other problem is if the chain snaps, you might not be able to mend
it. Then you will have to replace it all at a time when you need it,
rather than a time of your choosing.

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Quoted message said:

I recently bought a second hand Dawes Horizon with worn drivetrain
(reflected in the price).

The chainrings and sprockets are visibly worn. I haven't even bothered
measuring the chain, it must be stretched. Shifters and derailers are
fine.

However, nothing is slipping at the moment and it shifts OK. Is there
any benefit in changing things at the moment, or can I wait until
things start to slip.

I'd be careful about pedalling hard or standing up on something with a worn
drivetrain.

Quoted message said:

I recently bought a second hand Dawes Horizon with worn drivetrain
(reflected in the price).

The chainrings and sprockets are visibly worn. I haven't even bothered
measuring the chain, it must be stretched. Shifters and derailers are
fine.

However, nothing is slipping at the moment and it shifts OK. Is there
any benefit in changing things at the moment, or can I wait until
things start to slip.

If the chainrngs really are badly worn* then I would just carry on with all
the existing stuff until it didn't work any more. If you're lucky it will
go on working for ages. A worn chain is only slightly more likely to snap
than a new one, so don't be too worried about that.

* Even brand new chainrings can look sort-of worn due to special tooth
profiling. So if in doubt, you might want to try a new chain and cassette
now in case a new chain works with the chainrings - to save you replacing
them so soon.

The other (good) excuse to replace the drivetrain now would be to get
different gear ratios - if you fancy trying a different cassette or
chainrings.

~PB

Doki said:

I'd be careful about pedalling hard or standing up on something with
a worn drivetrain.

To start with yes, but you needn't be too nervous once you've tested it.
The first sign of worn sprockets/chain in my experience is always just an
occasional mini skip.

~PB

Martin Dann said:

The other problem is if the chain snaps, you might not be able to mend
it. Then you will have to replace it all at a time when you need it,
rather than a time of your choosing.

You could buy the bits now but not fit them until you really have to.
That way you have the bits to hand when you need them and can take
your time getting the best bargains e.g. from ebay