Originally Posted by
Moisture
My Trek Verve E-Bike is roughly roughly 0.6% worn, according to my chain wear checker after 1400km. I plan to replace the chain once it can easily slip through "0.75". At this point, I can push it all the way through when using some resistance.
I figure that, while it's not drastically worn out or anything, it's getting fairly close to the point where the rest of the drivetrain will start to wear much quicker. I changed my rear cassette to something with different ratios about 400km ago.
Does this sort of wear give any indication to how much stress the chain has been subjected to throughout its use? What sort of mileage intervals can you expect an average chain to endure under different riding conditions?
IME chain wear checkers are not particularly accurate*. If you want to do it right and consistently, get yourself a good steel >12" ruler with 1/32" gradations, directly measure the stretched-out chain and do the math. Rulers never go out of adjustment. As for how long does a chain last, depends on many factors - riding conditions, rider weight and power, terrain, extent of maintenance, etc etc. I would think that a well-maintained chain used by an average enthusiast fair-weather rider on normal roads should last 3-4000 miles, but that's a guesstimate based on not much.
*The first and last one I bought - a Park, told me that my new chain was at 0.75%