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ooh i like andy's idea - how many "lubes" do you get out of a tin?
The answer is effectively infinite. I've got a 4 year old tin with no appreciable drop in level. It is by far and away the best chain lube, not by some small margin you could argue over in the pub, by a "I haven't lubed my chain since September" margin, when said on Boxing day.
The only problem is it's a faff to apply.
And it's not indestructible, a properly wet gritty ride will still remove it, but you'll still make it 5x further than any other lube.
That's the same stuff I mentioned, bloomin brilliant. [i]Epic[/i] faff mind, like, say what you like about finish line, you're not likely to burn your house down with it. But chains last longer, lube lasts longer, shifting works way longer than any other lube I've used in the worst conditions and lasts rides longer in anything else... Can't see past it now
Don't know how long a tin lasts, but it's ages.
Chain [s]£12[/s]
Cassette [s]£32 [/s] £22 for chain and cassette package from CRC
Chainring[s] N/W[/s] [s]£40 £25[/s] (£15 in the sale )
[s]Expander £50[/s]
[s]Jockey Wheels £10[/s] New Mech from classifieds/sale £10-15
[i]noting I don't use an expander, but that's not relevant[/i]
It is when they cost £50.
[i]Not in my experience. When I was replacing the chain as Park Tools tell me too, I'd be lucky if the new chain doesn't skip for a start and if I get two chains out of it then I'm replacing chain and cassette together every 6 months. Now I just let it all run on and two years later I'm still on the same chain, [/i]
On my 3rd chain and everything sweet, but changed at .75%.
Edit - Just read the 2 years bit, do you actually ride your MTB?
😆say what you like about finish line, you're not likely to burn your house down with it
It is great. championed by TJ years ago and I thought he was talking bollocks for ages, til I tried it
I don't use it any more though
[i]Epic[/i] faff mind
I changed the chain (11 spd Dura-Ace)on my CX bike last week after just over 2000 miles on and off road in all sorts of weather.
If I've been riding in the muck I spray the chain and cassette with the hose while spinning the cranks backwards until the water runs clear.
I then give the chain a chance to dry (usually while I have a shower) and re-lube with FinishLine Cross Country Lube.
I'm sure there's things that could be done to make my chain last longer but I've better things to do with my time. (my MTB chains used to last 1000 miles).
£30 from superstar.It is when they cost £50.
[i]£30 from superstar. [/i]
Yer..., my Pal bought one of those, hasn't lasted as long as my Hope one nor as long as his previous OneUp.
from superstar.
Oh dear.
I just change my chain in the spring (do around 2500 miles per year).
Gives me a nice new chain for Spring, Summer and then during the winter it gets a harder time so finishes it off ready for replacement in spring.
I use a Wipperman 808 as they don't rust and seem to last. I would be pissed off if I had to change the chain every 400 miles!
Changing chains makes sense on £200+ cassettes, otherwise just run the whole lot into the ground.
OP needs a fully enclosed chain case, then forget about it for five years or so.
I'm getting about the same wear as the OP. No more than 650 miles out of each chain before it hits 0.7. Summer and winter.
Both bikes are 32T 1x10 with XT 11-36 on the rear with Zee mechs. SRAM 1051 chains and I use Finish Line Ceramic Wet Lube. I gave up on the the dry version because it was gone after 12 miles.
I've tried degreasing the chain (through a park tool blue box) after every other ride and got 500-600 miles from it. I've tried never degreasing it and only using a rag and re-lubing it and cleaning off the excess. I got the same mileage. Go figure.
I'm 70-75kg and almost every ride is 500m of climbing with a mix of AM, beginner-DH + TC. I'm probably quite a masher. I ride flat pedals.
I change the chain just before it gets to 0.7. I'd rather put a £13-£15 chain on than wear everything else out.
I think it's the 1x10 chain line that doesn't help with chain life but it does mean every rear cog gets used more evenly.
Please tell me you're not measuring chain wear with a Rohloff! 🙂
I get around 3 years covering it in cheap gearbox oil and never cleaning it and thats on an off road commuter used all year round. You run it till it breaks or the rear cog is knackered. Then you replace those 2 and reverse the chainring. Mines 8 years old and I'm on my 3rd chain and sprocket and my second chainring.
Does no-one else do the alternating chain thing, so you run a pair of chains and the other bits into the ground? Seems to be working well for me, and means that if a chain gets mangled I have another which will still mesh with the sprockets.
The Putoline stuff I don't find a faff at all? Easier to take a chain off with a split link and throw it in a pan than to try to clean it with a chain cleaner. and then relube it.
A 20 quid tin really will last several generations of your family even if, like me, you do it once a week simply because I don't mind. How long does an £8 bottle of LBS lube last these days?
I'm using a Rolhoff for my tourer/commuter bike. I did around 6,000 miles on this sprocket (it was worn when I bought the hub secondhand). The chain was so worn that I couldn't take up all the slack just with the frames fork ends so i had to make my own chain tensioner out of a PET bottleneck. Inspired by an advert for something similar which shows up on here from time to time! Do it, it works.
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I was lucky I changed the sprocket when I did as if I'd let it go longer I wouldn't have been able to unscrew it without destroying the teeth and having to Dremel the sprocket off 😯
Only thing I notice now is that the bike seems loads more efficient but that
could just be the fact its so much quieter.
So in short. Wear the **** out of it!
>alternating chain thing - chiefgrooveguru
Seems best compromise together with longer lasting chains
I didn't get the impression the OP was commuting or running a single speed setup that is known to last forever.
When you're riding off road MTB in all weather conditions up and down on mixed trails with normal 1x10, 2x10 setups... how long does your chain last? Does any kind of "looking after it" get more miles? I've tried both cleaning and not caring much and both lasted the same.
For me I get up to 650 miles max before I change the chain. I may be a little conservative on it but I'm on my 3rd chain for the same cassette and single N/W front ring on one bike. A new chain will work as well as the old chain on it. No sign of wear on the teeth and no skipping.
I have had to change a chain ring on the other bike due to a rock strike. I changed the chain too while I was at it. I had no skipping. I also swap rear wheels between the two bikes. All identical drive setups. Chain lasts the same.
IZUMI 1/8th silver track chain on Rohloff equipped hardtail
Sounds like something that should be lasting a loooong time to me... except for the Izumi chain bit. Never had much luck with them. KMC much much longer lasting. Or Wipperman, but they can be odd on some tooth profile (IME)
Does any kind of "looking after it" get more miles? I've tried both cleaning and not caring much and both lasted the same.
Good point actually - I think I only really clean to keep the shifting good. I'm not sure I ever really care about wear that much as long as it's all working fine. I tend to spread wear over a number of bikes though, so maybe I'm less sensitive to it.
I only clean it to keep it clean.
I've found that when a chain gets splattered with crap (which will happen in the first few mins of a wet ride) it gets grit in it, which causes wear, but the grit works its way out after a while. So if you are continually riding in grit then it'll get gritty and wear regardless of when you clean it; likewise if you don't clean it it'll still get gritty and wear.
I just don't like the oily mess you get if you just keep adding lube without cleaning it. You should see the state of my commuter bike.
I didn't get the impression the OP was commuting or running a single speed setup that is known to last forever.
did you miss the bit where he said it's on a Rohloff?
ie: straight chainline, single cog at each end and can use 3/32 or 1/8th chain = no shifting to worry about, and can basically run until it actually falls to bits, most of us on SS or IGH setups are getting thousands of miles out of them, not hundreds, in all conditions, on and offroad.
Spam-didly-tastic
And for the OP, you can get 500 miles out of an application of putoline, let alone the chain, that's where you're going wrong.
as others have probably said, the PI track chains are really nice but they are specifically designed for indoor use (velodrome)
KMC etc will do you fine for much less