Texboy

Is there a safest way to shift gears with wearing these down? I notice the teeth on the cassette are wearing down.

fooferdoggie 

well it sounds ike you need a new drive train and your chain is really worn. just let up on the pressure when you shift. keep your chain lubed and check it for wear.

Texboy

When I ride uphill, do I need to shift gears ahead of time before I ride up?

fooferdoggie 

you want to plan ahead. but what I do is push hard then letup and shift. lean what gears you need on what slopes.

Texboy

Some of the tooth look like these have been chip off.

DeadGrandpa

I can tell you that if all you do is lube and wipe your chain every 150 miles or so, you will need to replace everything in your drive train after 5k or 10k miles. Front chain ring or rings, chain and cassette. The "stretch" that people point to is, in fact, wear in the links of the chain. Replace the chain ~ halfway through the life of the cassette for longer cassette life, whatever you think that will be.

The method of shifting of gears is not material to the life of the cassette, IMHO. Ease up on the pedal pressure just before and during the shift IF shifting to a lower gear. Keep your chain lubed and free of grit for best results. Of course, if you have difficulty shifting, that may indicate a deficiency in your methodology. I like to shift before I need to shift, when shifting to a lower gear. That applies to both pavement and gravel riding. 1x or 2x.

dsbrantjr

Those "chipped off" teeth are shaped that way to ease shifting. If you look carefully you will see that they are periodically located around the cogs and are associated with the stamped/machined shifting ramps on the sides of the cogs.

HillRider

Yes and no. If you wipe and lube your chain at reasonable intervals, depending on your weight, strength and terrane, replacing your cassette and chain every 5,000 to 10,000 miles is sufficient. If you change your chain more frequently, the cassette may be good for two or three chains before it starts to skip. As for chainrings, they last a LOT longer than a chain or cassette. 25,000 to 50,000 miles is common on a set of chainrings.

It's better to shift in advance rather than waiting for pedaling to get very difficult before you do. If you do get stuck in a too high gear, momentarily easing up on the pedals will make shifting easier and less likely to cause damage.

OP: That photo of the cog teeth you posted shows perfectly normal and intentional tooth shape. Those teeth are shaped that way on purpose as shifting aids and nothing is chipped or broken.

shelbyfv

That's a very clean cassette and chain, good job!

cxwrench

Your drivetrain is brand new, it's not chipped or damaged in anyway. Plan ahead, don't shift at really low cadence while pedaling hard. Look at some YT videos about how to lube your chain. The rag is the most important part.

DeadGrandpa

Yeah, that's what I meant to say. Last summer I had to replace the entire drive train on my 2014 Jamis Renegade, although the drivetrain was younger than that. Maybe 15k miles at most. I never thought about it until I felt something skipping or something. By then, the 38T front chain ring was shark's teeth.

davidad

This is the best way to maintain your drive train for long life. Chain care, wear and skipping by Jobst Brandt (sheldonbrown.com)