Pop N Wood

Wondering what sort of mileage people are getting on their ebike chains.

Put an BBSHD kit on a bike in June and just replaced the stretched chain today, 0.75% stretch according to the tool. Purposely went with an 8 speed set up so I can use the reported stronger (and cheaper) chains. Bike is running a Lekkie bling ring to get the best possible chain angle.

I didn't expect the chain to last as long as my non-powered bikes, but was a little surprised by having to replace the chain after less than 1500 miles at best.

dabac

I’m alternating between two chains on a 9-spd Shimano Steps bike. I’m up to 3100 miles and no issues yet. Have no idea of wear, but it rides fine. One chain is KMC, the other the original Shimano. 250W stock motor. 25kmh cutoff.
I think mileage depends a lot on how much the motor has to add.
My average speed during urban riding on a regular bike is pretty much the same as the cutoff speed. I use the lowest assist setting. The motor isn’t making me any faster, it merely takes the edge off starts and climbs.
So I’m thinking, if I can hit the same average w/o the motor, then the motor can’t be working the chain that much harder, and I should get a fairly similar chain life.
A friend of mine bought an ebike for his wife, which increased her average speed by 1/3. And halved her maintenance intervals.

trailangel

First chain on Yamaha middrive fully stretched at 300 miles! Second chain went 1,000 miles.

alloo

A little over 1000 miles on my chains for me ebikes. I'm going to a belt drive and hub shifting ebike next. On mid drivers the additional torque on the chain causes more wear. On hub drivers that I buy it's usually chains are not the best.

Pridedog

I have an Orbea Gain with rear hub drive. I routinely replace my chains on regular bikes at 5 to 6,000 miles to save wear on cassette. Chain was a KMC E11 speed. I keep my chains clean and lubricated.

Papa Ado

KMC here. As mentioned above, we offer ebike-specific chains that have our premium heat treatment process to harden the chain components to extend durability.

Multispeed here: https://www.kmcchain.eu/chain-ebike-derailleur
Single speed here: https://www.kmcchain.eu/chain-ebike-singlespeed

cat0020

What are some of the specific differences between regular bicycle chain vs e-bike chain?
Any weight difference?
What if you use a e-bike chain on regular bicycle, is that likely to extend the life of the chain on a regular bike?

Papa Ado

The primary difference of our e-bike chains vs regular chains is the pin riveting technology used. Extended durability is an added bonus from us as e-bike riders usually ride farther.

Mid motors exert massive force across the chain between the chainring and cassette. When shifting under this load, the torsional stress is immense and this is where most chains fail on e-bikes (unfortunately, also on regular bikes on occasion). The issue is the chain plates are pulled in opposite directions when shifting on cassette teeth while the motor is pulling the chain. If a regular chain hasn't shifted correctly by the time it makes it to the top of the cassette and is "twisted", the pin power may not be enough to hold the chain together and calamity may ensue where the plate pulls away from the pin. Our new ebike-specific chains have a larger pin that is riveted in a completely different way than regular chains and have been recognized by ebike brands and product managers around the world. Check your favorite brands ebike specs and you'll see many are already using our ebike chains.

BiciMan

I haven't kept track of mileage, and don't know why, but I do find that my e-bike does require more chain-adjustment and replacement than my other bikes, with comparable maintenance.

I didn't realize that I NEEDED a new KMC black-orange chain to treat my black-orange BH Neo Xtrem! Thanks Papa.

Kabuki12

I am hoping that the internal geared hub will be easier on the chain. The bike shop where we bought the bike did say that the chain requires more maintenance than my regular road bikes. My wife’s old e bike had a derailleur and hub drive instead of mid drive and I saw no difference to my bikes as far as maintenance. For my wife a 20 mile ride is good but with this new bike I’m hoping to get her up to my 35-40 mile rides. She only needs minimal assistance from the drive. She can go on three 15 mile rides before I charge it back up. I will see how that compares to her new Bosch mid drive bike.

fooferdoggie 

0omn my bosch speed bike I got 1200 on the original chain with a wet lube 2500 with a Shimano e chain 10 speed and 3000 on the last one. thats using rock and roll lube every 120 miles. also I needed less assist.

ephemere

Is most excessive chain wear from mid-drive e-bikes due to shifting (under load while powered)? Or due to increased wattage coming out of the cranks while in a fixed gear? Or both?

Papa Ado?

If the vast majority is due to shifting under powered load, then that means I can prevent excessive chain wear by optimizing shifting technique.

(I'm approaching 300 miles on my first e-bike and will measure chain stretch with a caliper tomorrow. But most of those miles were with the motor off.)

ARider2

One should always reduce the load on the drivetrain at the moment the gear change is desired. This will reduce the amount of shock on the chain, chainrings and cogs. However, I believe chain wear is primarily due to the amount of load on the drivetrain when riding as well as the frequency of lubrication. Are you a spinner or a masher? If one tends to keep the bike in a high gear, pedaling slowly and pushing hard on the pedals one is a masher and will wear the chain faster than if one is a spinner, keeping the bike in a lower gear and pedaling at a higher speed while putting the drivetrain under less load.

fooferdoggie 

I only got 1200 when I got my new bosch powered bike I was really sick and was in turbo all the time. plus I was not shifting as well as I learned. then ext chain I got 2500 out of it. but I was also using less assist and shifting well.

Papa Ado

Shifting will put more lateral stress on your chain so pin power is important here. Simply be careful when shifting under (mid motor) load since tensile stress is highest between cassette and chainring; improper shifting (timing, RD operation, etc) will result in the chain not setting in time and thus twisting over the top of the cassette.

As others pointed out, chain wear primarily comes from load through the chain - increased force will increase wear.

You mentioned the majority of your distance is ridden with the motor off. Is this common practice?

ephemere

Quote:

Originally Posted by ARider2

Are you a spinner or a masher?

Spinner. I use the motor mostly on climbs in a low (easy) gear. I try to keep my RPMs around 80-90. I also use mostly Eco mode (Shimano E8000), which I think is +60% assist limited to 30Nm. Occasionally I'll drop into Trail/Low mode which is +70% assist up to the full 70Nm of which the motor is capable. Trail/Low feels much more powerful than Eco, which means I'm probably hitting the 30Nm cap on Eco most of the time.

I've only had this bike for a month, but I guess I've been using it as a regular bike first and an e-bike second, and only for recreation and fitness. Yesterday I went on a 60km ride with 800m climbs, but the grades were mild and most of the climbing was no real effort in my lowest gear (44/40). I mainly used the motor when I wanted some rest, and at the end of the ride when there was another mild climb but I just wanted to get home. I'm not an avid cyclist by any means; rides of this length are a new experience for me.

I have about 450km on this bike, and the chain is stretched very little according to my measurements today. That's probably expected given I don't use the motor much and I've been careful with my shifting (with and without motor).

Thanks for the responses, folks! Very helpful.

ephemere

Oh I forgot to mention that I have not yet cleaned and lubed the chain. I just got a Park Tools chain cleaner but need to get some solvent.

[edit] Tangentially related, I learned today when removing the rear wheel for the first time that my derailleur has a clutch that was not engaged when I bought the bike. As I understand it, the clutch puts more tension on the chain and is supposed to be engaged when riding.