masi61

I’ve been waxing my chains for the past 4 or 5 years and rotate 2 chains per bike. I have a 3x9 bike and a 2x10 bike. On the 3x9 I was running a 9-speed Taya chain and a Campagnolo C-9 chain. I was having some odd random mis-shifts under load (climbing). Mis-shifts where the chain slips off the cassette cog while seated climbing and applying torque is disturbing though not necessarily ride ending. I visually checked the rear derailleur before yesterday’s ride and realized that my Taya chain had side plate angling off axis causing it to chirp and jump on the cassette cogs in a crappy way. The chain only measures 0.25% stretch but I’m quite certain it is toast.
I can provide a photo (later today) but was wondering if anyone else had to replace a chain that maybe did not test as worn out in the normal way but was bad due to not tracking straight and showing side plate flex. This issue might be magnified since the residual chain wax seems to work it’s way in the flexy links exaggerating the issue.

Kontact 

Side plate angling off what axis? Are you saying it is falling off the end of the pin and about the fail? If so, remove that side plate and substitute a quick link. Failing pins are not a normal part of wear and tear.

ScottCommutes

I'm guessing here, but with all those gears front and back, you are asking a lot of your chains. They need to drive the bike properly and move quite a distance laterally while also not having a lot of room for beefy side plates. It sounds to me from your description that you are wearing through the side plates of your chain before you wear through the rollers.

masi61

Multiple side plates are angling off axis like the chain got damaged and torqued so that it no longer tracks straight. Like when you install a waxed chain it is usually straight but this one is twisted and on more than just one link. I will try to photograph what I'm talking about later (I'm at work right now).

Andrew R Stewart 

The usual reason why a outer side plate is "sliding" off the pin's end is because of a shift under too much power for the pin's end peening to retain that plate. the prying/twisting forces a chain sees when shifting can be very high (and thus all the claims of chain "strength" which is really how much force the side plate can take before coming off the pin). The greater the power during the shift the greater the forces, the larger the tooth count difference between the two sprockets involved the greater the forces and the crank's rings generally have that bigger size difference. Add in the vastly more simple chain control the ft der cage has compared to the rear der and that SO MANY riders really don't use better (let alone best) shifting techniques and it's no surprise to me that some chains suffer.

Short term solution is to replace the offending link with a connecting one. Long term solution is to not shift under so much load. Andy

I should add that most chains will have some minor "snaking" along their lengths that can be seen when installed and freely backpedaling. This is nearly never enough to mater to wear, performance or reliability.

79pmooney

Thanks Andy, I've never run into this so I was a little baffled and I thought I'd ridden enough to see everything. But power shifting FDs I don't do and never have. So, this brings up the solution that works. DT shifters. That's right. Down tube shifters where you HAVE to take one hand off the handlebars to shift, limiting your power a lot.

I've read that indexing and brifters have lead to shifting that is far more abusive in several aspects of the lives of cranksets, FDs and chains. Of course, racers love it. But the old words of the vets to the new racers of my day are still words the front ends of drivetrains love to hear. "Back off when you shift. Always."

phughes

Only if you cross chain, other than that, when done properly, a 3x9 is easier on a chain than a 1x10 in his case. On mine, I use the inner two cogs in the rear with the inner chainwheel up front. The outer ring up front is used with the two or three outer cogs in back, and the middle ring up front can be used by all, but is best in the middle range of the rear.

masi61

Just a clarification: while I do stand to climb some on steep hills, I don't consider myself hard on my equipment nor am I a powerful masher. Yes, I do weigh ~195#. Also the pins do not appear to be out of place on the side plates, just that some of the side plates are angled and not in line the the cassette cog teeth leading for noise at the cassette or worst case: leading to the chain coming off the cog teeth when under load.

Also: I for the most part avoid cross chaining.

wheelreason

No!

Andrew R Stewart 

Photos?

Ben- I agree with the introduction of indexing the shifting is often more abusive. Although I think it's the teeth profiling and lift pins that are more to blame as they aid the ability to get away with loaded shifting (and sometimes not even know it). For the first dozen or so years of my wrenching the incident of chain side plate pull off failures was pretty small and often helped by poor technique when pressing the pin (remember back then one was to reuse the OEM pin) back in. But by the midish 1980s the chain breakage numbers grew a lot as indexing was starting to take over the market but the supply chain (pun) still had pre peening chain pins designs on the shelves. The next wave (sort of) of chain failures was many not assembling their Shimano chains with their specific reassembly pin (that compensates for the bigger hole that the peened end pin punches through the side plate on removal) or doing so properly. I think this is where SRAM, KMC, et al, found their footing with their connecting link proving to be less likely to be misused. Andy

masi61

Not sure if you can see this or not but the outer bank of links is twisted and angled weird.

Duragrouch

I see it, rightmost vertical string, I think twist is all from the 4th link from the bottom. All the links are flat, then they are all twisted at the same angle. 4th or 5th link.

cyccommute 

The circled link? It looks twisted. This can often happens if you tear the derailer off the frame. It may happen during a forced shift. If you had the chain looped on itself when you removed it and put too much pressure on the chain to unwind a loop, you may have twisted it as well. On the bike, you can see a twist as it goes through the rear derailer.

The chain is toast.

masi61

Thanks for confirming. I think it happened during a forced shift.

mpetry912 

yup, something got bent. just replace it, trying to repair will only lead to frustration.

/markp