When do you know its time to change your cassette?
01-03-20, 08:30 AM
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When do you know its time to change your cassette?
I've got ~4,600 miles on my cassette now and I'm wondering when I know it's time to change it out. I don't have any skipping or rough shifting so I guess it's fine right now, but what are the signs of a warn cassette?
01-03-20, 08:36 AM
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You're watching for the right things -- lousy shifting and skipping on one cog. If you change chains at 1/16" stretch, it's not unusual for a cassette to last 3-5 chains.
01-03-20, 08:36 AM
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If you put on a new chain and the new chain starts skipping under load, then the cassette is toast. I find it difficult to visually assess cassette wear, what I usually do is that I compare the shape of the teeth on the least-worn sprocket (usually the largest) with the teeth on the smallest two or three sprockets. If there's a significant difference, it means the cassette has some wear, but whether the cassette is sufficiently worn to cause the chain to skip is something you only find out by installing a new chain and riding it.
01-03-20, 11:14 AM
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Thanks. I've got probably about another 1,000 miles before I need to change the chain so I'll keep an eye out then.
01-04-20, 08:27 PM
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Lots of good information here: Sheldon Brown.
01-05-20, 07:57 AM
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01-05-20, 08:13 AM
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If you put on a new chain and the new chain starts skipping under load, then the cassette is toast. I find it difficult to visually assess cassette wear, what I usually do is that I compare the shape of the teeth on the least-worn sprocket (usually the largest) with the teeth on the smallest two or three sprockets. If there's a significant difference, it means the cassette has some wear, but whether the cassette is sufficiently worn to cause the chain to skip is something you only find out by installing a new chain and riding it.
