My chains on my 2 bikes have died. Heard the theory that running several chains reduces drivechain wear so couple of qns:
- can I rotate 3-4 chains across 2 different bikes, or is it better to rotate 2 chains on a single bike?
- does rotation reduce overall drivechain wear?
- can you clean / store a chain in a jar of petrol?
Or is it better to replace a chain before it's, say 50% or 75% worn?
Cheers
2 or 3 chains on one bike.
It does.
I have with white spirits, I wouldn't again - I've had chains rust whilst in white spirits. Best to clean with a jar of spirits / degreaser, then store oiled.
I personally also use a chain wear tool to see how things are going. I don't like splashing out for an entire drivetrain!
Keep them all to the one bike.
It does reduce overall wear in my experience (both cycle and motorcycle).
I have kept it in the jar of diesel I use to clean it - no corrosion, safer than petrol and it comes out lubed, to a degree.
I't doesn't reduce wear, but it spreads it over three chains and thus delays the onset of wear/damage to the chainrings and sprockets.
As such, you do get longer life, but by far the biggest factor IME is frequent, thorough chain cleaning and lubrication.
Put multiple chains in rotation with a good cleaning and lubrication routine and you get the most optimal.
Two choices;
Run everything till it's shagged out and replace it all at once, (chain cassette, probably middle ring as well)
or,
replace chain just before the .75 stretch point, and hope that the cassette and middle ring wear evenly. You'll get 2-3 chains out of them hopefully
works out about the same cost in the end.
running 2-3 chains in rotation makes sod all difference
Worn cassettes will wear new chains more quickly than ones they have meshed with Shirley?
Yes, which is why chains in rotation DO make a difference.
And why it may make LESS of a difference than its proponents suggest.
Agreed cynic, but wear only goes one direction - to failure.
The chain may mesh well enough with a worn cassette in good time, but both will be worn further at an accelerated pace due to this process.
SO, either I don't understand you or you are arguing against yourself!
You don't understand me.
Don't worry, you're not the only one. 😳
like this badboy?
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just run it till it wears out. The key however is looking after the drivetrain. i've just had two and a half years out of mine, i'm happy with that.
[i]Run everything till it's shagged out and replace it all at once, (chain cassette, probably middle ring as well) [/i]
Yup, that's my approach. Last time I did the old chain was a whole half-link longer than the new chain for the same number of links overall 😕