MoAlpha

If one were to stipulate, for the sake of argument, that cleaning prolongs chain life to some unspecified degree, that would still not imply that it's worthwhile.

wolfchild

Full fenders aren't going to prevent the chain from getting messed up...The main reason why I run full fenders is to prevent road grime from messing up my clothing...

Chuck M 

That is as good of an explanation as there is. Yet someone not only took the time to make the video in the OP, but they took time to make props.

70sSanO

It’s pretty simple. Instead of putting a dead truck battery on your rack, you use a fully charged one and complete the circuit.

It may only work for 200 meters, but it’s better than nothing.

John

gigadeath

This is what I do. Never stripped a chain of old lube, ever. New lube on - link by link - take out excess and grime with towel. Oil cleans oil. When chain is nearing death, toss it to be recycled.

Yes, I see cleaning chains as a waste of time. Yes, people using chain cleaning devices look a bit like aliens to me. And about taking the chain off to clean it in a bucket? Don't get me started on that. As others said, waste of time.

downtube42

You can either replace the chain every couple thousand miles, or just let things go all sharktooth and replace the whole shebang when it won't shift anymore. Heck maybe that's new bike time; let someone else deal with chain wear. The big tent of cycling has room for both extremes and everything in-between.

Branko D

Keeping everything running smoothly and wasting the least power isn't a big imposition for me, but there are all sorts, I guess.
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I mean, taking off the chain once per month, deep cleaning and relubing takes all of half a hour, during which time I'm also chatting with my wife and kids and possibly doing something else while the chain is soaking. Every week before a big ride, a wipe-down and a relube. I spend as much if not more time washing and drying my cycling kit.
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gigadeath

Come on that's not what happens

4 bikes, 12 years cycling, and all 4 chainrings are still the originals. Yes probably I have to change chain at 3000km instead of 4000km (like... 20 dollars a year), but how much time I save not doing something I hate? I prefer sweeping floors than cleaning chains, and that says something. It makes cycling a stress instead of a reliever.

TPL

Freewheels are NOT cassettes

Cassettes are NOT freewheels

I will now begin calling every part on a bicycle any or all of the following ....whatchamacallit ....doohickey ....or better yet .... thingamabob

downtube42

And what do you do with your clipless pedals. You CLIP IN, that's what you do.

"Hey, let me take off from this red light and clip in to my clipless pedals."
"Yesterday I fell over because I couldn't unclip from my clipless pedal"

We coulda come up with snap-in or click-in but no, the collective cycling mind came up with let's clip in to our clipless pedals.

Outrider1

[QUOTE=cubewheels;22367071]Not a problem if you have full fenders with long mudflaps on the front fender. Perhaps keep a good clearance between fender and tires to avoid icing issues or use heated fenders.[/QUOT
Man, another reason to appreciate the luxury of year round riding in Florida! I recall the extraordinary energy, time and resources it takes to "appreciate" the change of seasons.

Chuck M 

Do your fenders keep water out of your paper spacers?

wolfchild

I have 15 years of experience riding in winter...You have no experience riding in winter because you live in tropical country which never has snow, ice and salt covered roads.

Rolla

TIL that (1) there is such a thing as a heated fender and (2) unless you live in Canada, you can't possibly know how a fender works.

cyclezen

'to clean or not to clean, that is the question'
'you say cassette, I say freewheel , you say cog, I say gear - Let's call the whole thing off '
'Winter idleness is the heaviest of oppressions' - courtesy of somebody... maybe me
'Winter' has truly come to BF... LOL!
OP - always to be held in the back of one's mind - no good deed or intent is ever left unpunished !
Ride, ski, skate, walk, swim, read, play, listen, ANYTHING on!
assures no wasted moment... time is only 'wasted', when we choose to give it away... like, right now
Yuri - chain cleaning has its meditative side...

mschwett 

ok BF brain trust, since we're talking chains... my chain is measuring approx 1/20" long (not quite 1/16" yet) over 12 inches - about .5%. bike rides perfectly. chain is cheap. cassette is EXPENSIVE. approx 2,500 miles on it. replace it?

Troul 

Lifehack * Party candles for cleaning & lubricating the chain. Birthday candles takes years of crud & wear off from it!

Trakhak

Just figured out that average retirement age is what it is to ensure that sufficient birthday candles are available. With the increased bike mileage you'll be doing, you'll need a lot.

PeteHski

Similar here. I usually replace the chain on my road bike (Ultegra 11-speed) once a season (typically 8-9000 km) and wear is still below the recommended mark. SRAM 12 speed chains on my mtbs seem to last forever, but I do a lot less mileage on those. People changing chains every 1500 km sounds nuts! From browsing the zero friction website it looks clear that wear is accelerated massively by riding in the wet and I don't do a lot of wet weather riding, so that probably explains some of it. Also some lubes are much better than others for wear.

easyupbug 

Chain and chain lube postings always go wonky. I agree good cassettes are expensive, but there is a lot to your question. If I was riding busy city roads, sometimes wet, still working, kids at home and had a spare I am sure I would put on a new chain. Most of my bikes are ridden in a bike friendly community with wide bike lanes that are swept clean frequently, Southern AZ so never in the wet, I am retired so I keep my chains lubed, wiped down and cleaned as needed. Also I rotate bikes w/o logging milage, unless obviously a new chain when wiping them down before a ride I use a Shimano TL-CN42 (calibrated by me) for a quick check and a scale if getting close so would wait for that last little bit of life.

msu2001la

Every time I read one of these threads and people talk about replacing chains (or tires) after 1000-1500 miles of riding, I always wonder what I'm doing differently.

I've got at least 3000 miles on a Shimano chain right now and it's still not measuring any wear using a Park Tool CC-4 chain checker. I have a brand new chain on the box ready to install, just waiting for a sign...

I don't do anything special in terms of drivetrain maintenance. I clean and re-lube the chain with a wet lube every couple of weeks unless I'm riding in wet conditions, in which case I'll clean & re-lube it more frequently.

Rolla

You seem to be operating under the misconception that people have only ridden their bike in the place they currently live.

Racing Dan

Im fairly certain some of the issue is the chain gauges themselves. Mostly they seem random in construction and cheaply made, not to mention its usually not disclosed what the designer of the tool considers "worn out". Im betting checking the same chain with 10 different gauges, ruler and calliper will produce all sorts of results, leaving you more confused than informed.

KerryIrons

I cannot believe this is a serious post. You don't mention lubrication, so every chain I have ever seen would be seriously rusted in a few months of riding, and the noise would be nearly unbearable. Your claim flies in the face of logic and evidence. Any other completely bogus beliefs you want to share?

mschwett 

thank you for the reply! yeah, i'm embarrassed to say the %*()@( cassette (which i have two of - one on a road wheelset, one on a gravel wheelset) cost $300 or something. (SRAM XG-1195).

i ride in and around san francisco, city streets, steep hills, but mostly very well paved roads in clean and dry conditions. maybe 10% of the time i'm in heavy fog/mist/rain or riding gravel. i clean and lube it carefully every 200-300 miles. i think maybe i'll ride this one for another 500-1000 miles until/unless i put the gravel wheelset back on, which has a nearly brand new cassette with less than 500 miles on it.