Suggestions for new chain please

[laziali]

I ride enough to regularly wear out chains, unlike some people.

OK, I'm assuming you are not a troll and you sound like you ride enough to have some souplesse.

So I would recommend that you change your maintenance regime to wax lube weekly (which tends to shed grime as it accumulates), and every month or so give the chain a good clean with a chain cleaning machine like the one below filled with de-greaser and remove you cluster to do the same in a bowl of de-greaser. As you say, the wear comes from what you can't see - ie the chain stretching as the link internals wear with a knock-on effect to the cluster and chainrings as the chain spacings change.

It's 20 minutes of work every month, but I have to say I find a shiny clean chain and cluster strangely therapeutic

 

[Michielveedeebee]

It's 20 minutes of work every month, but I have to say I find a shiny clean chain and cluster strangely therapeutic

I have one of those (other brand though-Tornado I think) and it always opens again :s It got so bad I just don't use anymore...

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

It's 20 minutes of work every month, but I have to say I find a shiny clean chain and cluster strangely therapeutic

I never found those things to work worth a damn. It is more effective to use a quick link, take the chain off, put it in a bottle with solvent, and shake.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I never found those things to work worth a damn. It is more effective to use a quick link, take the chain off, put it in a bottle with solvent, and shake.

You should try putting them in the petrol you use for your lawnmower, works like a charm -should wear gloves though, you don't want that stuff on your hands -

 

[laziali]

I never found those things to work worth a damn. It is more effective to use a quick link, take the chain off, put it in a bottle with solvent, and shake.

That works even better than my method, but I haven't got my head around removing a SRAM chain yet - I think they have single use quick links or something? Also, from the old days of Campy chains, I learnt that one needs to be very precise in getting the pin back or a breakage will occur.

Has anyone retro-fitted a reuseable quick link to a SRAM red chain???

 

[richwagmn]

I never found those things to work worth a damn. It is more effective to use a quick link, take the chain off, put it in a bottle with solvent, and shake.

Agree. Mine lasted about two chain cleanings.

I've been using a pretty decent "dry" lube and simply wipe it down and reapply after a ride so it's ready to go next day.

 

[laziali]

Agree. Mine lasted about two chain cleanings.

I've been using a pretty decent "dry" lube and simply wipe it down and reapply after a ride so it's ready to go next day.

Well of course it will break if you buy a cheapo one That's why you have to buy a Park Tools one like in the picture in my original post. It will last for years.

Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Don't be a schmuck and waste your money on a cheapo one, you just end up paying more in the long run.

 

[Master50]

You should try putting them in the petrol you use for your lawnmower, works like a charm -should wear gloves though, you don't want that stuff on your hands -

Stop using gasoline to clean parts and chains. Besides the obvious safety issues with such a volatile solvent it also works too well by removing any residue of the lube you use. It makes re-lubing less effective especially inside the rollers. Kerosine and diesel are much safer and leave a little oily residue.
Environmentally, citrus degreasers are friendlier, easier to dispose of, safer, and nearly as effective as petroleum solvents.
If you insist on using volatile solvents go outside and get a friend to stand by with a fire extinguisher. Once your hands are on fire you won't be able to blow it out. A cup of gasoline has more than enough energy to blow a house off it's foundation if enough of it is evaporating.
Then there is disposal. You can't put it in the lawnmower after use.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Stop using gasoline to clean parts and chains. Besides the obvious safety issues with such a volatile solvent it also works too well by removing any residue of the lube you use. It makes re-lubing less effective especially inside the rollers. Kerosine and diesel are much safer and leave a little oily residue.
Environmentally, citrus degreasers are friendlier, easier to dispose of, safer, and nearly as effective as petroleum solvents.
If you insist on using volatile solvents go outside and get a friend to stand by with a fire extinguisher. Once your hands are on fire you won't be able to blow it out. A cup of gasoline has more than enough energy to blow a house off it's foundation if enough of it is evaporating.
Then there is disposal. You can't put it in the lawnmower after use.

Citrus degreasers are all water based and altho they clean, they also can rust the chain. I like diesel.

Get a stencil brush and be like the really good wrenches of old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ktTXjSqvJc

 

[clownsarecoo]

i use a full sram force drivetrain and have had pretty good luck, although the sram chains dont last long. a while back , i tried a 7800 dura ace chain just to see if it would run any quieter. unfortunately, when shifting from the little ring to the big chainring, it would ONLY shift if it was in the 5th or 6th cog. the chain dropped constantly, no matter how i tried to adjust it. switched back to sram chains and problem solved. anyone else had issues shifting chainrings when mixing chainring and chain manufacturers?

 

[dsut4392]

Well of course it will break if you buy a cheapo one That's why you have to buy a Park Tools one like in the picture in my original post. It will last for years.

Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Don't be a schmuck and waste your money on a cheapo one, you just end up paying more in the long run.

I bought a cheapo one from Wiggle (under 10 quid IIRC) and it both lasted and worked as well as my Park tools one. I bought the cheapo one when I moved to the UK for a year and couldn't take all my tools. I left it behind when I moved back home, and regretted it when my Park one cracked shortly after (though it's still usable).

All that said, cleaning only delays a chain wearing out and doesn't prevent it entirely.

 

[dsut4392]

Wow. Use a bike until the chain and cassette wear out then buy a new bike. I guess that is one way to do it.

In all truth I've found that to be a valid approach for a bike that doesn't get used in the dirt. My wife's commuter is going on 13 years old, has never had a new chain, and is only just now starting to chain-suck in the little ring in bad weather. It's probably only had 1000km per year for the last 7 years, but prior to that was doing around 2500km/year. I rode my previous drivetrain into the ground as well, only changed it out because my original first-gen STI 6-speed XT shifter broke and I couldn't find anything 6-speed that didn't feel like junk straight out of the box.

Note I don't find this approach works on an MTB as a worn chain tends to get sucked (and consequently mangled) more often. And on a worn drivetrain, you can't replace a mangled chain with a new one as it then skips on the rear and sucks on the front

Of course my nice roadie is my baby and gets pampered with new chains and upgrades on a regular basis