I’m toying with going 1×11 on my soul when the current chain and cassette need replacing, but my LBS are adamant I shouldn’t – they say they’re seeing very poor wear rates on 11 speed systems.

2 examples, both full new XT, chain checker showed one chain 1/2 worn at 160 miles, another chain and cassette done for at around 250 miles. Thoughts?

Could bad set-up have contributed on the above bikes, or is it just typical of a crappy winter?

I was actually thinking of going for the new entry level SRAM NX mech/shifter/chain & cassette.

Nothing like I’ve experienced. My XX1 chains have all lasted c700 miles, the cassette is now on its 4th chain. Probably the last one, but still shifting fine.

I went through an aluminium 42t in about 3 weeks. After that I switched to a steel cassette so that would be my advice.

Over 2 years on my XX1, still works a treat (now why did I say that)

Check the chain properly. Chain checkers are a useful tool to tell you when you need to move to accurate measurement, nothing else. I’d certainly never bin a chain or cassette based on a chain checker.

12″ over 24 links is the “best” way to measure.

My LBS advised me to ride it till it’s fecked

Have 2000 miles on a X01 cassette, first chain did around 900miles, second chain 1100. Admittedly you can’t put a new chain on the cassette anymore as it skips, but works fine with the two worn chains.

fr0sty125 – Member
I went through an aluminium 42t in about 3 weeks. After that I switched to a steel cassette so that would be my advice.

Would be inclined to say that you should fit a smaller chainring, as it sounds like you were spending too much time in the 42t.

Sounds like your LBS has a lot of 10sp stuff they need to shift to me

They’re not that sort of LBS, they’re just a couple of good guys who have ridden lots of bikes, and to be fair, are a touch cynical and fed up with all the changing ‘standards’ that seem to have marginal benefits.

They have to try and stock all this stuff, so can see why they’re pissed off, but they do stock most things and can fix almost anything, they do frame repairs, alterations, wheel building, you name it.

FWIW they’re not struck on 10spd either……..

11 speed xt 55 miles before damage to the smaller sprockets. Have gone to 36 on the front as suggested by lbs. 10 speed cassette hardtail is pretty much goosed on the smaller 3 sprockets and the shimano chain has no noticeable wear yet.

In my experience the wear rate on 11 speed is directly related to the chainline. What cranks are you running?

x01 cassette I’ve had for two years and it now skips slightly in the smallest cog. I avoid the 42T as much as I can even with a 34T up front because I know the wear rate is faster on them so its still flawless there. Chain wise I think I’m on my third and its so little skipping now that I’m going to last a little while longer as it’s only marginally happening in the smallest cog. End of the day the chains are really quite affordable IMO so at the slightest sign of wear I replace to avoid the £180 cassette replacement.

So is the theme here that you get several chains to a cassette, steel cassettes last longer, and it will all last far longer if you avoid the biggest cog or two?

If the latter is correct it kinds of kills the whole ‘no loss in range’ argument to a degree does it not? Some of us need that spinny gear, but is the upshot going to be much increased wear?

1×11 here and not seeing any premature wear with sram x1 kit. I use to swap chains but now I just run it into the ground and replace the cassette and chain at the same time. The cassettes are getting cheaper anyway.

11 speed chains seem cheap compared to 10 speed ones. I’ve just picked up a SRAM one from my local LBS for £8. At that price just replace on a routine basis, even before you start to see the 0.75 indicator start to drop through on your chain checker.

steel cassettes last longer,

Steel cassettes and chainrings last way, way longer than aluminium, which is hardly a surprise as aluminium is significantly softer. However, most people buy on weight and steel is a lot heavier. For touring, commuting and general riding then steel is the way forward IMO, leave aluminium for racing.

One does wonder about the weight benefits also if steel cassettes are the way forward for longevity………..

I’m on ~2000km from an X01 10-42 cassette and currently nearing the end of life on my second chain. I took the decision to monitor chain wear at 0.5 and replace at (or just before) 0.75 in the interests of preserving the cassette life. It seems better life than I ever got from previous 2 or 3 x 10 XT kit.

On the other hand my 2×11 XT kit on my XC bike is killing chains way more quickly. Not sure on cassette life yet as it’s too new.

Change chains more often and it should be fine.

I think bie shops may be overly cautious about wear rates.. If its not skipping and changing gear who cares.

My XO1 cassette and chain have lasted way longer than any Ive had before. I used to need 2 or 3 XT cassettes per year but the XO1 is now over a year old and coming up for replacement in the next couple of months.

1×11 XTR here, ridden for over a year and all through this horrid winter on the sandy surrey hills. i’ve had 2 chains in the last year and its all still working perfectly with minimal wear.
in my experience, wear comes from not using the correct gears and not maintaining properly (i.e properly cleaning and lubing your chain) 1×11 for me has had far better wear than 2x, chains last longer as they are not hauled across huge gaps on the chainrings and the 1x chainrings last far longer than 2/3x

2 examples, both full new XT, chain checker showed one chain 1/2 worn at 160 miles, another chain and cassette done for at around 250 miles. Thoughts?

my initial comments are:

> chain checkers are normally always worthless
> conditions are everything, eg: 160 miles in wet grinding paste grit Vs 2000 dry loamy forest miles

Having said that 10sp longevity has not been great for me compared to 8/9sp, I haven’t gone 11 yet, and neither have more than a couple of my riding friends so too early to say in our local conditions. But plenty of people seem to be getting on OK with 11sp (as evidenced above) but as always it comes down to personal use, conditions, mechanical sympathy, which gears/sprockets you use, how you look after it etc.

chain checkers are normally always worthless

I checked, there is still only one on the market that takes the roller wear out of the equation.

12″ steel rule is the best way to do it, still. Even 35 years (probably) since i checked my first chain.

Unless you have an early D-A track set up with 10mm pitch…….

42t ring is alloy. Means your spending most of your time in granny ring and bad chain line. Change to 30 or 28t front ring. Or just get fitter 🙂

1×11 XT here for 6 months, no obvious problems in 2-300 mainly gloopy miles.

I checked, there is still only one on the market that takes the roller wear out of the equation.

If you mean the Shimano CN41, then Pedros now do one that works the same way, and for quite a lot less than the **** insane sixty quid or so that Shimano want for theirs…

60 quid!
Got mine for about 15. I’d have been a lot more upset about losing it if I’d paid 60…..

Good that someone else does one now.

12″ over 24 links is the “best” way to measure.

Do people really manage to do this? I’ve tried measuring chain length with a steel rule and found I ended up filthy, the ruler ended up filthy and I’d got no confidence in the measurement I’d taken.

Park CC2 might not be perfect but it’s quick and clean to use – I’d rather replace a bit early than a bit late. Will drop for one of those Pedros tools next time I’m ordering stuff though

(What the expensive Park tool? CC2 is about £16, CC3 is 7.50 on CRC)

*cough* 3×10 lasts ages *cough*

I always use a ruler over 12 inches. I find it more accurate than a much shorter chain checker. 12 inches is 12 inches…chain checkers vary in their calibration.

but 1/16″ or whatever you’re trying to measure is a tiny amount – how do you ensure the start of the ruler is in exactly the right place?

How much over 12″ /24 links should the chain be changed at?

Is the .75 on the Park checker .75mm per link or something else?

0.75% stretch.

Doesn’t matter where you start/finish. As long as is in the same place. So pin centre, pin edge, plate edge, whatever.
Just go for 24 links and check the same feature. 1% of 12″ is about 3mm. Which is easy to spot. Even 1mm is obvious.

And clean the bloody bike first!