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I'm sure it has been raised before but I can't find any threads on here about it so here we go:
When do you replace your chains?
I don't like the idea of replacing whole drivetrains too often so i've bought a chain wear indicator and have been changing my chains at 0.75 wear, seems to be making a difference to my chainring/casette life. However some forums seem to advise leaving it til 1.0.
What is the STW opinion?
I usually replace at around .75 and the cassette will then do a few chains. If I wait till 1.0 then usually the cassette will need replacing too. What with the cost of cassettes these days it's a worth while saving. That's just my experience though and I'm sure there's loads of other opinions on here!
I tried it at .75 but the darn thing slipped, maybe I should have persisted. I definitely don't think that waiting till 1.0 will work at all.
Personally I'm of the opinion, the best thing to do is have 3 chains and rotate them every couple of weeks regardless from new, would be the best option but I canne be ****ed. So I just use one chain and use it till it so buggered it's snapped several times, damn the chain checker!
Good idea with the rotation but bloody sram powerlocks cost a fiver a pop! Can the KMC link thingys be reused like old powerlinks?
I bought em (KMC links) because I thought they did 😐
I've been reusing the SRAM 10 speed ones since they came out and not had any problems. Need the park tools pliers thing to split the link though.
I've always used SRAM speedlinks(?) to make chains easier to take on and off for cleaning and so on. Even used them on Shimano chains OK. They are reusable and make great quick repair links our on the hill.
I buy 3 chains at a time and swap/clean after every big ride. 3 chains to one drive-train = years of wear and you can wear it into the ground. CRC often do deals on chain multi-buys.
Merlin are doing SLX cassettes with a deore chain for 30 something quid at mo.
I became aware that 'chain wear indicators' were basically useless because they also measure roller wear, which is not really important. It's so unimportant that Shimano's £50 top of the range TL-CN41 chain wear checker DOES NOT include roller wear. There's a website around that has lots of pretty pictures explaining why roller wear is inconsequential. I have heard (but not experienced) that some brand new chains may show worn on some chain wear indicators.
So, checking with a steel rule (whilst on the bike, as quick as using a chain wear checker), I replace chains at 12 & 1/16” (0.5%) as recommended by both Jobst Brandt & Sheldon Brown.