Unfortunately Riding a bike is not free, it requires maintenance (and energy). One important maintenance item to take care of is the drive train. Bike chains and gears eventually need to be replaced. This is from to the stress put on the chain when riding will stretch it out and gear teeth getting warn out. As the chain is streched, the gears conform to the new chain length. This of course happens over time and is hard to actually see in action. However it’s effects can be easily seen. Swapping a new chain on an older cassette can leave a rider very unhappy when the chain continues to slip as it catches the molded gears from the previous chain. The bike almost becomes so irritant to ride that it’s not worth riding. To solve the chain-cassette warping problem there are two avenues to take.
Another issue that may arise from chain and cassette combinations, is chain snapping or teeth chomping. These two hurdles can be frustrating when encountered on the trail, so it’s important to keep your bike up to snuff with some TLC and preventative maintenance. Of course keeping your chain well lubricated and out of the rain will give it a longer life. Cassettes can also be cleaned of residual grease that can build up to keep the gears shifting smoothly. When a chain snaps, a chain tool will most likely be necessary to push out the pin (not all the way) to allow for links to be replaced and put back in. One piece of equipment I don’t ride without is a power link. These little chain connectors can allow a chain to be broken easily and put back together without any tools. If your chain supports this type of connector, I highly recommend it!
When cassettes are toward the end of their life span, they tend to loose teeth. The wrenching on the teeth can snap some gears right off the cassette. While this may cause an unpleasant riding experience, it’s important to keep in mind that certain gears will continue to provide slippage and avoiding those gears will provide more power. Depending on the type of cassette and the teeth snapped, the individual gears could be replaced, but I would just recommend replacing the whole cassette with stronger one.
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| Two Chains of almost the same length, with 2 extra connectors on the left chain |
Chain Swap(<1000 miles): Replacing the chain less than every 1,xxx miles should keep the Rear cassette fully in tact and accepting of new, unstretched chains. However, this can become costly depending on the amount of riding you do. Of course your mileage may vary depending on how much you are torquing on that chain.
Chain & Cassette Replacement (>1000 miles): If the chain has been stretched beyond what the rear cassette has been warped too, the good news is you can continue to ride your bike as is and get some more millage out of your C-C combo. The bad news is that both the chain and rear cassette will need to be replaced to have the bike operate as planned for next time.
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| Gold Powerlink can come in handy on the trail! |
When cassettes are toward the end of their life span, they tend to loose teeth. The wrenching on the teeth can snap some gears right off the cassette. While this may cause an unpleasant riding experience, it’s important to keep in mind that certain gears will continue to provide slippage and avoiding those gears will provide more power. Depending on the type of cassette and the teeth snapped, the individual gears could be replaced, but I would just recommend replacing the whole cassette with stronger one.
In wraps, keep your chain well lubricated and estimate of the number of miles on your chain and cassette. Doing so will extend the life of your chain, and keep you happy knowing what maintenance is planned ahead for your bike.
-Matt
p.s. More Chain Art here!
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