I seem to trash one drive chain a year. I don’t know why, but I reckon the fact that I use the bike daily to carry all kinds of stuff, including about fifty kilos of small boys, uphill, in all weathers, probably has something to do with it. These chains were never designed to take that sort of pressure.
That’s my theory, anyway, and I’m sticking to it: it sounds way better than admitting I’m a lazy oaf and I forget to clean the chain.
However, last week things were getting silly with the gears changing at random moments and the bike making the embarrassing ‘clickety-clickety’ sound of a piece of machinery that really, really, needs some maintenance. On top of that both brakes were beginning to feel like a sponge, not a nice thought in this area of steep hills and tight bends. I tried to ignore this by using the Bakfiets, but that needs some work too, of which more anon.
So I finally gave up and took the Xtracycle to the shop, where the chain measuring tool showed the all too familiar ‘way overdue for replacement’, so off came the wheel, and on came a new cassette and two fresh chains. While I was at it, I found that the back gear cable was tensioned like a washing line so we pulled that straight, and fixed both brakes into the bargain.
Today the gears were responsive, the chain hummed and I could stop the bike. So naturally I rode faster.
It doesn’t take much to make me happy.
8 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 23, 2010 at 3:34 pm
oldfool
I believe that chains are not made to a very high standard. It doesn’t seem to matter about price either. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I buy expensive name brand or hardware store cheap, within a year I start getting unwanted gear changes and when measured sure enough the chain has grown.
I haven’t had my 3 speed with the 1/8 inch chain long enough to know how it works out.
October 25, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Andy in Germany
I think you’re right. My boss doesn’t think the extra weight on the bike should make a difference but I don’t follow that. More weight on bike = more pressure on chain. Or am I missing something?
Hub systems have the same issues, but the chain is a lot beefier, the sprocket and chain wear together, and the chain doesn’t get moved from one cog to another, which simplifies matters. I don’t know what happens if you put a new chain on an old hub system though.
October 23, 2010 at 7:48 pm
dan worth
Can I please see a picture of that bike…sounds good..
October 25, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Andy in Germany
Hello Dan. Scroll down the blog: there’ll be one somewhere.
October 24, 2010 at 4:18 am
Miguel Barroso
I must be a lucky bastard… My chain and cassete had several years, and several thousand miles on it, before I converted my GT Tequesta to an Xtracycle almost one year ago (more than 2 thousand miles since I converted it)… I just slaped the xtra lenght of the chain on it, ride everyday, also with my two kids, and haul adults also ocasionally, and all this in the hilly roads and streets of the Lisbon area (everyday, I go up a 10% slope hill, with one of my kids, and an 7% one with both of them). A few months ago, one link snapped – I simply took it away, and it kept on going, shifting smoothly and keeping the right gears… Let me add, that my drivetrain is also quite strange, since I have a Shimano Sora triple (32-42-52) on the front, with a rear 11-30 cassete, all with 1996 STX/STX-RC derraileurs (the rear one, has been repaired several times, as consequence of ATB crashes I had when the bike was used for that) – as you can imagine the 52-30 setup, requires quite a long chain, so it’s even more prone to problems… but as I said… I must be a lucky guy!
October 25, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Andy in Germany
I wonder if our climate is part of it: my chain gets all manner of filth off the wet and salty roads in winter: I am aware I should really clean it more often. On the other hand most chains like this are used for recreation so it is a bit harsh to expect it to be transmission on a year-round load hauler…
October 27, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Val
It’s all about the mileage (and the grit getting into the chain and accellerating the wear). I figure that if I get 7000 miles out of a chain, I’ve gotten my money’s worth. If you’re getting less than that, then yes, you either need to think about cleaning more frequently, or find a chain lube that helps keep it cleaner in the first palce. Wax based lubes collect less grit, but don’t last as long in wet conditions – there’s always a trade off.
October 30, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Andy in Germany
Thanks for that Val: I guess I should just admit it and fork out for a chain cleaning kit- probably should have done that several years ago in fact…