Argh, didn’t pay attention to chain wear, should I replace cassette?

Having chopped and changed drivetrains between bikes I’ve lost track of the mileage of the drivetrain on my gravel bike. Chain is now past 0.75% (not all that sure I trust the checker anyway) and probably between 2500km and 3000km.

Already have a replacement chain but on closer inspection my Ultegra cassette now showing wee ramps on the middle sprockets. Nothing outrageous but I’d always treated ‘visible’ cassette wear as a red line for a new chain.

Should I bin the cassette as well? 😭

Yes.

Try the new chain, see what happens, if it skips new cassette, if it doesn’t you’ll be OK. IME 3000km is absolutely naff all on a road set up, I changed mine at 0.5 with around 8000km on it

IME 3000km is absolutely naff all on a road set up, I changed mine at 0.5 with around 8000km on it

Exactly my experience, was surprised it’s so much less on the gravel bike, but I’m replacing this chain partly because it doesn’t seem to play well with waxing and I’ve ridden home several times on a completely dry and painfully noisy chain which might have accelerated things 🙄

second trying a new chain. I’ve got away with that loads (on road bikes)

Ok cool, that was my first instinct but was worried that the new chain would just immediately wear to match the state of wear of the cassette…

And I guess if new chain does skip I could just persevere with the old chain until I’ve run it into the ground, It’s been a while since I’ve properly worn through a cassette 😎

I’d stick.on a new chain, then listen to it running while on the stand. I reckon you’ll be able to tell just by how noisy it is, especially when changing gears.

What sort of checker?

Unless it’s one that isolates the roller wear from the plate/pin wear i’d be checking with a 12″ rule pin-to-pin to see what the wear actually is.

Why stop there? New bike needed.

ditto, I’d only change it if shifting is naff and all else is good

Unless it’s one that isolates the roller wear from the plate/pin wear i’d be checking with a 12″ rule pin-to-pin to see what the wear actually is.

Not wishing to overthink it (too late perhaps!) but I thought roller-roller was more relevant? i.e. plates might not have stretched much but distance between rollers has?

Either way, will try new chain/old cassette first 👍

If it still works, leave it on. I use to swap chains but now cant be bothered and just replace the chain, cassette, and chainring when they stop working. Which is usualy a few years with Sram kit. Id never throw away an expensive cassette just because it looks worn. Probbaly still good for ages yet.

yeah run them both into the ground.

Before you install the new chain to test –

clean the cassette, and have the chain in hand – possibly wheel off the bike. Place chain on each cog and move it forward and back and note how much the chain moves on the teeth on each cog.

If there are some cogs that are markedly more worn – meaning the chain moves much more on the teeth, then replace cassette even if it does not skip yet. If you have some worn cogs (ie. if you tend to use some gears much more than others on the cassette), they will wear out the new chain extra fast.

But if the movement fore-aft on the teeth is not too great on any, then the cassette will still be good to go. Depending on cassette (Shimano) has some of the small cogs available as spares sets, if you have just one-two of the smallest cogs more worn. For 11-speed, there are even up to 4 smallest cogs available as spares.

Try it. If it works it’s still.possible.the new chain will.work.prematurely (noise is the main sign I think) – how significant that is I have no idea. But given cassette prices …

If a new chain skips. Put the old chain back on until the whole lot becomes questionable.

Success! 85km gravel in the pissing rain today with the new chain.

To confuse matters the new chain came from Inaspin.co.uk with a fresh application of Molten Speed Wax. The wax makes the chain quite stiff to begin with which threw the shifting out, but once bedded after 10km or so it was all good.

Even if the chain does wear prematurely I at least now have a chain/wax combo that will last at least 85km of miserable wet muddy gravel! 😎

Not wishing to overthink it (too late perhaps!) but I thought roller-roller was more relevant? i.e. plates might not have stretched much but distance between rollers has?

The roller float is (fairly much) a second order thing. If pin-pin is ok, rollers have to go a *long* way before they’ll cause an issue.

How’s the front chain ring(s) ? Half the time I find that chain suck from a worn granny ring happens too when I’ve left it too long.

Plates do not stretch, its just the pins that wear and cause chain to elongate.