alexk_il

I cross-chain with all of my three bikes (2x and 3x) all the time​​. No rubbing, no chain dropping, no other issues.

According to Bikeradar:

• Big-big combo is fine, but I lose a few Watts in low-low combo.
• And yeah, cross chaining in 1x is a thing to discuss

https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/wor...ross-chaining/

flangehead

Thanks.

I see there was no discussion about the effect of lubricant in the article……

shelbyfv

Yep, good to hear.

delbiker1 

ditto

smd4

Your bike. Do whatever you want.

Kontact 

Why cross chain? You can wear your helmet backwards, too.

smd4

It always makes sense to put your chain in the easiest gear/hardest gear combinations.

Barry2 

I hot wax my cleats to make it easier to unclip.
I tried a really good oil, but I don’t like the smell of WD40

Barry

flangehead

Gets me thinking about the prospect of napalm as a lubricant.

alexk_il

The article actually answers that question too. Might not be the answer you like, but it's there.
​​​​​

smd4

The article suggests over and over that it's not a good idea to cross chain. But you do you.

It's no skin off my nose if you want to abuse your bikes.

Koyote

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

alexk_il

Here you go .

They misrepresented results though as excellently explained in the most liked comment under that video.

Bottom line, if you put 250Wt into transmission, a clean chain with a good lube saves 0.5-2Wt vs an old, unlubricated one.

alexk_il

Abuse? This is what the article says.

"SRAM says “cross-chaining has no effect on chain wear. The effect of cross-chaining on the big cog and big ring is insignificant”.

Anyway, there is a dedicated section in that article: "Should you ever cross-chain?". It explains when it is ok to cross-chain both for inexperienced and for racing cyclists.

Did they get it wrong or have you missed it? 🤔

smd4

So, you got one quote from SRAM, eh?

I don't think I missed anything. But I do think you did.

​​​​​​​By all means, continue to abuse your bike. Like I said, no skin off my nose. You're a component manufacturer's dream come true!

alexk_il

These are not the quotes ftom the section that explains when it is ok to cross-chain for racers and beginners. Good effort though, thanks. 🤣

smd4

This is from that section:

Translation: It's OK, every once in a while (and not on purpose) if you're a noob and can't remember what gear you're in.

Again, the entire point of the article is that it's not really a good idea to cross-chain. And it didn't take much effort to get that out of the article. In its entirety. In context.

alcjphil

There is a hill on a route that I often ride which sort of lends itself to a bit of cross chaining. Not very long, only about 300 metres but it gets progressively steeper towards the top. I start the hill on my 48 tooth big ring with the chain in the middle of the cassette, shifting as the grade increases. Some days I can make the top without using the big cog, sometimes I can't but even then I make that shift with only 20-30 metres to go. I do this knowing that shifting to the small ring on a short climb like this can kill any momentum that I have. This small amount of cross chaining isn't much of a problem

SoSmellyAir

Is this humble bragging?

Kontact 

Come on, just try it!

Camilo

Hard to trust a reference that doesn't even know the difference between a cog and a sprocket. But they probably call tires by "C" for width too.

smd4

In the shop in 1989, cog and sprocket would be interchangeable. “C” maybe not so much.

veganbikes

Having read that article it isn't really pro-cross chaining. They mention talking to SRAM and Shimano but did they talk to the an engineer or technical representative who knows about stuff or the guy in the mail room? Nothing is really clear on who hey spoke with at these organizations and still I never felt reading the article that yes we should be cross chaining and that cross chaining is good. More like something called SRAM said "big-big isn't so bad and little-little is bad" but overall wasn't super positive on it.

If you want to do it to your bike it is your bike, hopefully you aren't bringing it to an actual mechanic as I know what comes next "you really shouldn't be cross chaining that is why your drivetrain is worn out"
"what do you mean my drivetrain is worn out I replaced it 10 years ago and have only ridden 20k miles"
"it is also completely gunked up, do you ever clean it"
"you guys should know you did the work last time"

I have had plenty of very similar conversations with customers over the years. No need to wear out components faster no matter what someone named SRAM or who may or may not work at SRAM or have some relation to SRAM says in a single article.

Me personally I am not a wealthy person so prematurely wearing out drivetrain components just to do something that is less efficient and shows poor shifting ability is just not something I want to do. I am not great at shifting personally, I recognize it and am trying to improve but I do my best to avoid cross chaining when possible. I mean even if I had unlimited budget I still don't want to wear out components faster and have to spend more, I would rather spend that money on new bikes and better parts or other things in my life.

Obviously yes you might have situation while racing where your mind is maybe not able to process all the thinking you need for proper shifting or maybe on tour at the end of a really long day or hard day or maybe towards the end and you are tried and worn out yeah you might do it but doing it regularly and being proud of it just never makes sense.

Kontact 

Articles like this don't get written because of their technical newsworthiness. They get written to have enough content to keep subscribers/web traffic. They don't make real recommendations or decided important issues. Expect an article on cable end crimping, next.

I would be inclined to simply avoid any publication that posts stuff like this. Apparently nothing is happening in cycling.

alexk_il

Exactly. It's good though to read about the actual reasons for people to cross-chain. Reading about 1x cross-chaining was entertaining too.

Exactly. I ride my bikes for more than 10 years and has covered less than 10K miles on each of them. Chains and the drive-set (I use the park tool to measure the wear) are still in good condition despite of the cross-chaining.

I service my bikes regularly by myself, however I've heard stories from my colleagues with similar mileage about their mechanics replacing their chains every year as an extra to the service. The wear and abuse is always the quoted reason. Different cycling styles? Bad parts? Questionable ethics? All of the above? Don't really care, these are not my bikes.
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