Chain longevity

[cookie70]

What has everyone's experience been with chain life? I've got about 1000km on mine and with the chain checker I'm getting close to replacing it. I guess with extra power its to be expected?

Any thoughts on replacement chain? Mine came with XT level chain, is there any compelling reason to not just throw SLX level gear on the bike as the drivetrain probably going to wear pretty fast.

 

[Murphius]

My SRAM GX chain had stretched more than 7.5% when I checked at ~600 miles. About in line with what I experience on my regular bike.

 

[steve_sordy]

My SRAM GX chain had stretched more than 7.5% when I checked at ~600 miles. About in line with what I experience on my regular bike.

Typo there I believe. I sure hope that you meant 0.75%.

 

[cookie70]

I since got some info and recommendation for 11sp+ chains is .5 so I will be changing mine ASAP!

Will be trying slx chain as cant see the point in any higher level..

 

[SquireRides]

Doing 700-1000 miles on my chains, a mix of SRAM NX and GX. The rest of the drivetrain is approaching 5000 miles and is just starting to show signs of chain slip. So I need to change the cassette and will probably do the chainring too soon, but pretty happy with those distances.

 

[ebsocalmtb]

Sram GX/NX chains are of fair quality and wear out pretty quickly. the X01 chains last 3-4x as long so they are well worth the money. I'm on my second shimano chain on my rise (I replace chains before they get to .5%). I haven't noticed a huge difference between longevity in the shimano chains... but just in case, my second chain (replace the oem provided one) is an XT chain and it's doing nicely.

 

[vladej]

Hi,
on my M20 a have a Shimano M6100 chain.
How long should the replacement chain be? 116 links? 126 links or 138?

 

[ebsocalmtb]

Hi,
on my M20 a have a Shimano M6100 chain.
How long should the replacement chain be? 116 links? 126 links or 138?

You want the 126 link chain. If I recall correctly, you end up cutting it to like 118 or 120 or so... but get the 126 to be safe. Obviously cut to the same size as the one you are taking off.

 

[Spiff]

My Ghost Kato FS L size uses a 116 link chain, so I buy the 116 one, which is cheaper and I do not have to cut it.

So check the lenght of your chain and if it is a 116 link then you are lucky like myself

 

[Martin DH]

I get over 2000 miles on the chain, easily. SRAM drive chain on a Levo. Chain is X01 and cassette is X01 as well. I’m a lube freak though, so I’m pretty sure that’s why I get so many miles. Bike is 4100 miles and I’m on the second chain, which still has 50% life in it.

 

[DeRailled7]

As Martin just demonstrated the Sram X01 is thought to be the best chain out there for longevity. The 2 links below will take you the websites that show wear tests and the X01 is by far the best one. If you have a Sram drivetrain it’s definitely the way to go. Unfortunately if like me you’ve got a shimano drivetrain then you got to look at a shimano chain. I’m on my third SLX 12-speed chain on my trek rail 7, and like everyone else in this tread i was able to get only 1000 to 1300 km with them. I replace them at 0.5% wear, trying to prevent premature wear of the other components. I also try to be diligent and lube after each ride. My lube of choice right now is wax based Squirt. Lot of hills around here, i usually put 700m+ on each ride, maybe it does affect longevity, but i still think a chain should last longer. I may try an XT next. Shimano is also coming out with an ebike specific chain line, they don’t however have a 12-speed yet.

Finding the best bicycle chain: What over 3,000 hours of testing revealed - CyclingTips

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[jaggysnake]

2000 miles here need to shift sympathetically

 

[cookie70]

My lube of choice right now is wax based Squirt

I'm a fan of wet extreme for lube. When I used to train 15+ hours a week this was what kept the chains alive, wax just never lasted and chains died faster.. maybe things have changed in recent years tho..?

 

[JDA]

I have changed my method on this bike, I'm currently putting a new chain on every 500km, I have 3 chains in total, the one that came on the bike and I purchased 2 new chains the same.

I take the old one off at 500km, degrease it 100% then dry it and apply lube and store it away in a labelled bag.

Once I get to 1500km I will go back to the first chain and repeat the cycle.

I'm currently on my 3rd chain, total km's on the bike is 1212km.

The idea behind this method is a stretched chain will accelerate wear on your cassette, chain ring etc. by rotating chains well before they stretch and giving them a deep clean everything should last longer.

 

[cookie70]

I ended up replacing my chain and deraileur with SLX. Bike has about 1200km on it and was starting to not change down gear reliably. Now its shifting great again, so possibly the original deraileur was bent. old chain was at about .75 and I've learned to check it earlier next time!

 

[Binhill1]

I changed chain today after 1500 miles its well worn , put on a less worn one. Surprisingly it seems OK only jumped a couple of times on the two small rings which I don't use much any. Got new cassette and chain ring in case , but did some really steep bits and no issues.

 

[vladej]

You want the 126 link chain. If I recall correctly, you end up cutting it to like 118 or 120 or so... but get the 126 to be safe. Obviously cut to the same size as the one you are taking off.

Currently I have 120 links chain on medium size M20, so 126 is way to go.

 

[Binhill1]

I wonder if you can still buy chain in bulk lengths like back in the day . 20 metres of chain was cheap as chips.

 

[JDA]

I have changed my method on this bike, I'm currently putting a new chain on every 500km, I have 3 chains in total, the one that came on the bike and I purchased 2 new chains the same.

I take the old one off at 500km, degrease it 100% then dry it and apply lube and store it away in a labelled bag.

Once I get to 1500km I will go back to the first chain and repeat the cycle.

I'm currently on my 3rd chain, total km's on the bike is 1212km.

The idea behind this method is a stretched chain will accelerate wear on your cassette, chain ring etc. by rotating chains well before they stretch and giving them a deep clean everything should last longer.

Just gone over 2500km this week, my 3rd chain is on, the other two have 1000km on them each. Bike rides and shifts as good as new. It will be interesting to see how far I can go with the original drivetrain.

I did have to replace the jockey wheels on the derailleur at about 1600km.

 

[Binhill1]

Just gone over 2500km this week, my 3rd chain is on, the other two have 1000km on them each. Bike rides and shifts as good as new. It will be interesting to see how far I can go with the original drivetrain.

I did have to replace the jockey wheels on the derailleur at about 1600km.

I'm getting a lot further now so obviously my riding has changed. Only got 400miles out of my frst chain. I got about 1500 miles out of last chain . I knew all drive train was worn and had spares so just kept till it was well worn . I don't keep acurate mileage details any more . Roughly guessing 3 chainrings 5 cassettes 8 chains just turned 7000 miles this week . Oh and 1 frame and on 3rd motor

 

[steve_sordy]

.................

The idea behind this method is a stretched chain will accelerate wear on your cassette, chain ring etc. by rotating chains well before they stretch and giving them a deep clean everything should last longer.

I agree with the idea. A worn chain can do a lot of damage. It is a great idea if you normally get short chain life. but if you pay a bit more for your chains then they will last a lot longer (at least 2x and probably 3x). If you are a high mileage rider, then it is worth doing. But if you are not, then you may end up selling the bike with the three expensive chains still in action.

Note: This is just me being pedantic, but the chain has not "stretched" the pins and the links that rotate upon them have worn infinitesimally. It just looks like it has stretched.

 

[JDA]

I agree with the idea. A worn chain can do a lot of damage. It is a great idea if you normally get short chain life. but if you pay a bit more for your chains then they will last a lot longer (at least 2x and probably 3x). If you are a high mileage rider, then it is worth doing. But if you are not, then you may end up selling the bike with the three expensive chains still in action.

Note: This is just me being pedantic, but the chain has not "stretched" the pins and the links that rotate upon them have worn infinitesimally. It just looks like it has stretched.

I average 125km per week according to Strava. I also tend to keep my bikes for a long time, my last bike was not electric but it did over 7000kms and I owned for about 7 years.

My Rise in an M10 so the chain and cassette are SLX with XT shifter and derailleur. I purchased 2 more SLX chains to make up my 3 chains but once this drivetrain is fully worn I intend to step up to either XT or XTR chain and cassette. The price jump to XTR is pretty extreme though!

 

[JDA]

I have changed my method on this bike, I'm currently putting a new chain on every 500km, I have 3 chains in total, the one that came on the bike and I purchased 2 new chains the same.

I take the old one off at 500km, degrease it 100% then dry it and apply lube and store it away in a labelled bag.

Once I get to 1500km I will go back to the first chain and repeat the cycle.

I'm currently on my 3rd chain, total km's on the bike is 1212km.

The idea behind this method is a stretched chain will accelerate wear on your cassette, chain ring etc. by rotating chains well before they stretch and giving them a deep clean everything should last longer.

Quoting myself here but I just wanted to report the results of my 3 chains in rotation method as I am putting on a completely new drivetrain this weekend.

I have managed to get 5500km (3417miles) from the original SLX cassette and chains on my M10. The bike still shifts perfectly but I am getting a lot of popping and clunking now especially in the middle 2 cogs so I have decided to replace the lot. This is using 3 brand new chains from the beginning and swapping them every 500km using Strava to keep track of the mileage.

My new setup is all XTR, even the derailleur. The old XT derailleur is pretty beat up so I will just be keeping that as an emergency spare. I've bought 3x new XTR chains so I can keep doing the rotation method as this is working better for me than replacing chains at a certain stretch like I have in the past.

 

[cookie70]

Amazing effort getting the mileage out of the drivetrain!

I've done similar kms, I'm on 2nd cassette and many more chains (I use chain checker and replace at 50%). for me a normal ride is 20km with 1000m climbing, fair bit of that is technical up so the drivetrain does cop a flogging. I do try to be considerate to the system, ease off on changing etc.
Currently running AXS deraileur with shimano everything else, cassette 10-45, slx chains and 34t chainring on the motor with 2500km (chain has 1500k) on it and getting a bit of chirping from it on the lower cogs so will be replacing the lot soonish! I've been slack, probably should have already replaced the chain, would expect three chains a cassette etc.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have contributed before on this topic elsewhere on this Forum. My conclusion is that higher quality chains pay off with longer life and therefore reduced wear everywhere else on your transmission. They also don't rust overnight if you put the bike away wet. Mechanical sympathy when shifting and a good lubrication & cleaning regime pay off too.

 

[Binhill1]

Still original chain 9000 miles .

 

[irie]

Still original chain 9000 miles .

I'm getting a lot further now so obviously my riding has changed. Only got 400miles out of my frst chain. I got about 1500 miles out of last chain . I knew all drive train was worn and had spares so just kept till it was well worn . I don't keep acurate mileage details any more . Roughly guessing 3 chainrings 5 cassettes 8 chains just turned 7000 miles this week . Oh and 1 frame and on 3rd motor

 

[Binhill1]

Always someone susses you out . I've decided to join the porky pie brigade if you can't beat them join them . Remember never let a lie get in the way of a good story. Hope you didn't look long for that pos haha