Cycling myths you don't believe anymore...
09-04-18, 05:16 PM
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Cycling myths you don't believe anymore...
#1 for me is "keeping your chain oiled will make it last longer". Don't misunderstand me, I still oil my chains frequently, but chains don't wear out, they stretch.
Case in point, I moved to a much hillier part of the state a few years ago and chains that used to last me 3000 miles barely last 1000 before they are stretched beyond what would be acceptable. At least 1/4" over the length of the chain. I only weigh 152lbs...
And don't get me started about those guys that claim they can tell the difference in the ride quality of two nearly identical tires. Sheesh...
Case in point, I moved to a much hillier part of the state a few years ago and chains that used to last me 3000 miles barely last 1000 before they are stretched beyond what would be acceptable. At least 1/4" over the length of the chain. I only weigh 152lbs...
And don't get me started about those guys that claim they can tell the difference in the ride quality of two nearly identical tires. Sheesh...
09-04-18, 06:08 PM
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"Two kinds of stretch occur in cable based on wire rope: constructional stretch and elastic stretch. This stretch is due to two different causes. ... Elastic Stretch - Elasticstretch is the actual elongation of the wires of a strand or a cable. This is caused by the application of a load up to the yield point of the metal."
09-04-18, 06:12 PM
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#1 for me is "keeping your chain oiled will make it last longer". Don't misunderstand me, I still oil my chains frequently, but chains don't wear out, they stretch..
09-04-18, 06:25 PM
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The old chain laid on a table next to a brand new chain. Old chain is at least 1/4" longer. If that isn't stretch, what is it? Reverse shrinkage?
Anyway, I worked in the metal forming industry for thirty years, so a chain stretching after routinely having force applied to it didn't surprise me.
Anyway, I worked in the metal forming industry for thirty years, so a chain stretching after routinely having force applied to it didn't surprise me.
09-04-18, 06:29 PM
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The old chain laid on a table next to a brand new chain. Old chain is at least 1/4" longer. If that isn't stretch, what is it? Reverse shrinkage?
Anyway, I worked in the metal forming industry for thirty years, so a chain stretching after routinely having force applied to it didn't surprise me.
Anyway, I worked in the metal forming industry for thirty years, so a chain stretching after routinely having force applied to it didn't surprise me.
09-04-18, 06:34 PM
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Honestly, how many of us here have "snapped a chain under power"?
Not me. I really don't see how that could even happen, because of all the redundancy built into a bike chain. Both sides of the chain fail at once? Sure, it's possible, but how common?
Not me. I really don't see how that could even happen, because of all the redundancy built into a bike chain. Both sides of the chain fail at once? Sure, it's possible, but how common?
09-04-18, 06:34 PM
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"Chain wear is commonly referred to as ‘chain stretch’, because the chain’s pitch grows in length as it wears. This is the most important type of chain wear, and the growth comes from the bushings wearing with the chain pins."
09-04-18, 06:38 PM
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Non omnino gravis
Stopping by just to see where this thing goes, because it's off to a phenomenal start. I'm bordering on excited.
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09-04-18, 06:38 PM
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09-04-18, 06:40 PM
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I have extreme secondhand embarrassment from this thread. The chain thing was bad enough and then I saw the tire comment too 
Does no one read Sheldon Brown anymore?
Your chain didn't stretch like a piece of elastic. The rollers and pins wore and that allowed the spacing to increase. It happened faster because the load increases during climbing as well as during higher power efforts.
pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-004/000.html
Does no one read Sheldon Brown anymore?
Your chain didn't stretch like a piece of elastic. The rollers and pins wore and that allowed the spacing to increase. It happened faster because the load increases during climbing as well as during higher power efforts.
pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-004/000.html
09-04-18, 06:40 PM
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09-04-18, 06:41 PM
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Appeal to authority fallacy!
Pull apart a link and mic the pins and see how much steel they've lost. You can see it clearly but measuring it is great too. Or clean your chain in a bucket of suds and then drop a magnet in the bottom to get an even better view of why the chain is longer.
Pull apart a link and mic the pins and see how much steel they've lost. You can see it clearly but measuring it is great too. Or clean your chain in a bucket of suds and then drop a magnet in the bottom to get an even better view of why the chain is longer.
09-04-18, 06:42 PM
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#1 for me is "keeping your chain oiled will make it last longer". Don't misunderstand me, I still oil my chains frequently, but chains don't wear out, they stretch.
Case in point, I moved to a much hillier part of the state a few years ago and chains that used to last me 3000 miles barely last 1000 before they are stretched beyond what would be acceptable. At least 1/4" over the length of the chain. I only weigh 152lbs...
And don't get me started about those guys that claim they can tell the difference in the ride quality of two nearly identical tires. Sheesh...
Case in point, I moved to a much hillier part of the state a few years ago and chains that used to last me 3000 miles barely last 1000 before they are stretched beyond what would be acceptable. At least 1/4" over the length of the chain. I only weigh 152lbs...
And don't get me started about those guys that claim they can tell the difference in the ride quality of two nearly identical tires. Sheesh...
09-04-18, 06:47 PM
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The blood of the innocent.
09-04-18, 07:07 PM
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I did break a chain under power a few months ago (all the more remarkable because I generate so little power.) The rider i was with carried a pretty comprehensive tool kit in his jersey pocket, including a chain-wear checker. he measured and told me my chain had stretched.
Between us we have about eight decades iof riding. he likes to do 100-mile rides on the weekends, so how many miles between us ... pointless to count.
Both of us Know a chain Wears, it does not "stretch."
But because we wanted to cooperate and communicate rather than wave our e-peens ....
Between us we have about eight decades iof riding. he likes to do 100-mile rides on the weekends, so how many miles between us ... pointless to count.
Both of us Know a chain Wears, it does not "stretch."
But because we wanted to cooperate and communicate rather than wave our e-peens ....
09-04-18, 07:34 PM
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Woohoo, yeah!!!
09-04-18, 08:11 PM
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Correct. Chains do not wear or stretch - that is an illusion. What is really happening is that both the chain and seat stays lengthen - more so under load and heavy use.
09-04-18, 08:24 PM
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Same here this should be a good one lol
09-04-18, 08:30 PM
#24
Non omnino gravis
Postulate: chain wear/stretch is directly proportionate to the amount of time spent slamdancing on the pedals. Discuss.
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09-04-18, 09:01 PM
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Slamdancing in the rain on a dirty floor even more so.
