How long has your transmission lasted?

[Glen]

Lots of burs on cassette, I usually file them off on my commuter ebike and skipping stops. But it's an 8 speed and 1000 watt beast with ridiculous amounts of torque. New chain and cassette every couple of months, hence the cheap 8 speed.

Funny you should say that. As a little experiment I took the cassette apart and reconditioned it with a file and dremel.. Put a new chain on and away I went. perfect. Before the puritans burn me alive.
1. I've ordered a new set of gears and chains (3)
2. gears are filed to better profile but still the same number of gears on the same pcd.
3. I ride on sandy trails which are hard on the gear so not too worried.
It's all working smooth and reliably.
it will be interesting to see how long this works. new cassette will be here soon I hope.
Cheers

 

[brizi2003]

6000km turbo levo, thinking about new set now. View attachment 21629 View attachment 21630
Will try tomorrow with new chain but will replace if it keeps skipping.

6000km on 1 chain - wow! What is your secret? Do you ever ride in muddy or gritty conditions? What is your chain clean/lube regime? Is that a Shimano chain?

 

[brizi2003]

On my 2019 Kenevo. Maximum I've seen so far is 460 miles from a chain, 1000 miles from chain ring and jockey wheels and on target for 1500 miles for a cassette. Chain ring was replaced as it caused chain suck when a new chain was fiited (was fine with old chain). Jockey wheels were replaced at the same time since looked very worn and shifting was much better. Current cassette has done 460 miles on chain 1 changed at 0.75% worn, 250 miles on chain 2 to 0.5% and 250 miles on chain 3 to 0.5%. Will continue on chain 3 until 0.75% then go back to chain 2 until 0.75% - hopefully another 500 miles. So hopefully get 1500 miles from cassette. 1st cassette only lasted 650 miles and slipped in largest sprocket under load when a new chain was fitted. I'm still looking for the perfect cleaning/lubing regime but have stopped using de-greasing machines and have not washed chains as much - oiling/wiping instead - which seems to have helped.

 

[Binhill1]

3rd chain on yesterday and 3rd set rear pads fitted.. Will wait till cassette goes then try the chain rotation routine. 1000 miles of very wet and muddy riding considering it was summer . But oh the enjoyment and amount of effortless climbing.

25 miles on new chain no problems still muddy can actually hear the grit on the chain making a noise. Getting paranoid now starting to carry cloth for wiping half way through rides , grass twisted round jockey wheels roll on winter not so much vegetation just snow and mud.

 

[ifu03558]

The chain and cassette wear in unison, two options are change the chain regularly to save the cassette or just run the drivetrain till its fubared. This means that you will have to change the chain, cassette and chainring. After many years of biking I've found its cheaper to just run the drivetrain into the ground rather than rotating chains etc. Also try and be a bit gentler with gear changes, especially don't change under load!!

 

[Glen]

6000km on 1 chain - wow! What is your secret? Do you ever ride in muddy or gritty conditions? What is your chain clean/lube regime? Is that a Shimano chain?

Not one chain, three chains. First one was wearing nicely on dry lube, rode it one week after rain and new I was in trouble within 5 minutes of start of ride, Fubared it in 25km. second chain wearing nicely on dry lube. made same error after rainy ride, fubared again in 25km.
I ride totally sandy gritty trails and often wet.
Chain care now is: wipe carefully after ride. Flood chain with 30% turps/70%15w40. Clean sprockets and run chain through towel until as dry and clean as possible. let turps evaporate out of chain. Go ride.

Next going to try, after I fit new parts, running three chains, swapping out regularly, wet lube, run for as long as possible passed 0.75% worn. Hopefully can get more than another 6000 km as NZ prices are about three times what you pay in USA.
Cheers

 

[Binhill1]

The chain and cassette wear in unison, two options are change the chain regularly to save the cassette or just run the drivetrain till its fubared. This means that you will have to change the chain, cassette and chainring. After many years of biking I've found its cheaper to just run the drivetrain into the ground rather than rotating chains etc. Also try and be a bit gentler with gear changes, especially don't change under load!!

Was out 2 days ago 25 miles thought noise was mud on chain. Out today planned long ride noise worse , chain not slipping but shuddering coming of front chainring . Put back on old chain and see what happens. Tempted to try 27 inch wheel off my Nicolai and see what happens.

 

[brizi2003]

Was out 2 days ago 25 miles thought noise was mud on chain. Out today planned long ride noise worse , chain not slipping but shuddering coming of front chainring . Put back on old chain and see what happens. Tempted to try 27 inch wheel off my Nicolai and see what happens.

When I had this problem it was the front chain ring. Old chain worked fine. New chain 'stuck', shuddering as you say, as it left the front ring travelling back to the rear mech. Changed the chain ring and that sorted it.

 

[Binhill1]

When I had this problem it was the front chain ring. Old chain worked fine. New chain 'stuck', shuddering as you say, as it left the front ring travelling back to the rear mech. Changed the chain ring and that sorted it.

Thanks your right ok on old chain .Will a blackspire snaggletooth fit have you any idea . narrow wide i pressume.

 

[brizi2003]

Thanks your right ok on old chain .Will a blackspire snaggletooth fit have you any idea . narrow wide i pressume.

Sorry don't know - which bike? Most 1xsystems these days use narrow/wide chain ring.

 

[Binhill1]

Levo expert, see few lads mentioned that ones all last year's posts will post something. Thanks

 

[brizi2003]

Levo expert, see few lads mentioned that ones all last year's posts will post something. Thanks

I went with Specialized OEM as it wasn't too expensive and is made of steel, so should last longer and be less likely to fail IMO.

 

[Julian rout]

Levo Transmission lasted 250-300 miles riding in uk wet muddy conditions using eco, trail and very occasional turbo mode.

2 x derailleurs
4 x sized jockey wheels

I’ve discovered I unlike the normal scenario 3 x chains to one cassette it maybe best to just keep the same chain and cassette and run it until it really goes wrong and starts slipping, the cassette will not except a new chain after a couple of hundred miles, it will just slip.

The SRAM jockey wheels are not fit for purpose in my view, the Bearings completely seize up in wet muddy conditions (2 x rides) even when the bike is washed and sprayed with water disperser (gt85), I have now replaced with 12 tooth hope jockey wheels and the whole thing runs so much better. (I would suggest if you purchasing a levo do this mod straightaway)

I may have just been unlucky with the sram parts, I have a few non ebikes with sram and have never had any issues.

 

[Binhill1]

Levo Transmission lasted 250-300 miles riding in uk wet muddy conditions using eco, trail and very occasional turbo mode.

2 x derailleurs
4 x sized jockey wheels

I’ve discovered I unlike the normal scenario 3 x chains to one cassette it maybe best to just keep the same chain and cassette and run it until it really goes wrong and starts slipping, the cassette will not except a new chain after a couple of hundred miles, it will just slip.

The SRAM jockey wheels are not fit for purpose in my view, the Bearings completely seize up in wet muddy conditions (2 x rides) even when the bike is washed and sprayed with water disperser (gt85), I have now replaced with 12 tooth hope jockey wheels and the whole thing runs so much better. (I would suggest if you purchasing a levo do this mod straightaway)

I may have just been unlucky with the sram parts, I have a few non ebikes with sram and have never had any issues.

You must be rough as anything same here lots of sram no problem on normal bike. I tried 3rd chain yesterday no way turned back after 5miles 2nd one back on . My dealer said same just run chain till it slips then change everything. 1050 miles now very wet and muddy all summer jockey wheels choaked with grass. Going to change to shimano freehub body and slx cassette they can poke sram xd drive .Roll on winter and snow

 

[Flatslide]

The Rocky gets 600km per chain +/-, although the XT12 speed chain I'm using currently has done 700km and still hasn't hit the 0.5 wear marker.
After 2000km it's been 3 chains so far and the Slx cassette has held up well. Next move is to 10 speed it with an 11-42. The pain is the 12T transfer cog costs $99 here and lets go about every 1000km because of a design flaw. The outer face that the locking nut tightens against has a chamfer leading into the spline. This chamfer removes critical material needed to keep the nut tight. Lucky for me I'm a welder with access to a lathe.
My chain cleaning routine uses (nitrile gloves), a moto grunge brush, an alloy baking pan, petrol and compressed air to dry as-I-go. Petrol is awful to deal with, but dries immediately with the aid of compressed air, leaving no residue to interfere with the lubricant, and a completely clean chain.

 

[Binhill1]

The Rocky gets 600km per chain +/-, although the XT12 speed chain I'm using currently has done 700km and still hasn't hit the 0.5 wear marker.
After 2000km it's been 3 chains so far and the Slx cassette has held up well. Next move is to 10 speed it with an 11-42. The pain is the 12T transfer cog costs $99 here and lets go about every 1000km because of a design flaw. The outer face that the locking nut tightens against has a chamfer leading into the spline. This chamfer removes critical material needed to keep the nut tight. Lucky for me I'm a welder with access to a lathe.
My chain cleaning routine uses (nitrile gloves), a moto grunge brush, an alloy baking pan, petrol and compressed air to dry as-I-go. Petrol is awful to deal with, but dries immediately with the aid of compressed air, leaving no residue to interfere with the lubricant, and a completely clean chain.

You could be speaking Chinese most of this going right over my head my mate . But good on you .

 

[Flatslide]

You could be speaking Chinese most of this going right over my head my mate . But good on you .

There'll be a lot of variables between bikes and their riders. The Rocky requires close attention to it's drivetrain maintenance. The SLX 11-46T cassette has steel cogs apart from the two lowest ratios. It's proven tough for me, and the chain that's outlasted the 2 previously "e-bike specific" chains is an XT siltec 12 speed - which I'm using on a 1x11 setup.

 

[Al-Rider]

I bought a new PC-1051 chain to rotate with the one I have on my Meta Power, but it turns out that my current chain has 116 links and the new ones only come with 114 links. I cannot find a 116 link chain anywhere (although SRAM says on their website that the PC-1051 exists in different lengths up to 118 links). How have you guys solved this "problem"?

 

[steve_sordy]

I bought a new PC-1051 chain to rotate with the one I have on my Meta Power, but it turns out that my current chain has 116 links and the new ones only come with 114 links. I cannot find a 116 link chain anywhere (although SRAM says on their website that the PC-1051 exists in different lengths up to 118 links). How have you guys solved this "problem"?

I have bought a spare chain of the correct length or longer so no problem for me. But if they were just not available in your market, I would buy two chains, and use one to donate several links. You could use magic links to splice the chain together. Perfectly safe and robust. Take a further short length (6-8 links) of chain with you to use if/when you damage the chain.

 

[Al-Rider]

Actually my market is the internet (you know the wiggles, chainreactions, probikes, alltricks, bike24, bikecomponents, bikediscounts and whatnot). It's funny, but the only website I can find that mentions a PC-1051 chain with more than 114 links is the Sram website. No one else has them.
I was trying to avoid buying a second chain just to use for spare links and your idea to use powerlinks is a great one thanks.

 

[brizi2003]

Actually my market is the internet (you know the wiggles, chainreactions, probikes, alltricks, bike24, bikecomponents, bikediscounts and whatnot). It's funny, but the only website I can find that mentions a PC-1051 chain with more than 114 links is the Sram website. No one else has them.
I was trying to avoid buying a second chain just to use for spare links and your idea to use powerlinks is a great one thanks.

But that is an expensive way to make chain! Why not return the PC-1051 & buy s different longer chain?