Is it time to change the chain?
08-30-21, 09:16 PM
#1
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Is it time to change the chain?
We’re pushing into 9 and 10 tooth cogs. This means that a 1 tooth jump is still a pretty significant percentage jump.
Shimano tried a smaller pitch chain years ago. From what I understand, it worked so well it got banned.
Has no one tried to revisit this? Seems way more efficient to have a 65x15 high gear and go from there. Would the tiny chains be too weak? I’m sure most of the manufacturers would be thrilled to make something that nothing else is compatible with (I’m looking at you Campagnolo).
Is it just a matter of retooling an entire production line for something that might not be well received?
I dunno but I bet I’m going to get mostly responses from single speeders and geared hub dudes.
Shimano tried a smaller pitch chain years ago. From what I understand, it worked so well it got banned.
Has no one tried to revisit this? Seems way more efficient to have a 65x15 high gear and go from there. Would the tiny chains be too weak? I’m sure most of the manufacturers would be thrilled to make something that nothing else is compatible with (I’m looking at you Campagnolo).
Is it just a matter of retooling an entire production line for something that might not be well received?
I dunno but I bet I’m going to get mostly responses from single speeders and geared hub dudes.
08-31-21, 12:24 AM
#2
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Banned? Do you have a link? It sounds specious, simply because I can't see how reducing the chain pitch is a performance advantage or some other concern. What I can see is that the reduced pitch Chain (I believe it was 10mm) was literally incompatible with the entire market of drivetrain components (gears) that existed, and adopting it required also replacing the chainrings and cogs, and then when those wore out, buying only those specific chainrings and cogs.
What makes the "standard" pitch so attractive is not its performance but that the pitch is 1/2" (0.5" or 12.5mm) across all modern speeds. Of course, chain width is a different story, but generally one-up/one-down will work on a given drivetrain if mixing and matching. Therefore, it permits some amount of customizing the gearing (my first CX bike had 11-speed on the cassette, and used 10 speed chainrings, all pulled by an 11-speed chain), and if I've learned anything on this site, there are a lot of people that want gearing that is far different than the "stand" grouping offered by the majors. If the pitch is reduced to say 2/5" (0.4" or roughly 10mm), there is no mixing/matching with previous gen stuff. I guess in time there would be, but, in the immediate term, no. Also, and this I don't know, would a shorter pitch chain need smaller diameter pins and rollers? If so, would those be weaker than the ones in use now?
What makes the "standard" pitch so attractive is not its performance but that the pitch is 1/2" (0.5" or 12.5mm) across all modern speeds. Of course, chain width is a different story, but generally one-up/one-down will work on a given drivetrain if mixing and matching. Therefore, it permits some amount of customizing the gearing (my first CX bike had 11-speed on the cassette, and used 10 speed chainrings, all pulled by an 11-speed chain), and if I've learned anything on this site, there are a lot of people that want gearing that is far different than the "stand" grouping offered by the majors. If the pitch is reduced to say 2/5" (0.4" or roughly 10mm), there is no mixing/matching with previous gen stuff. I guess in time there would be, but, in the immediate term, no. Also, and this I don't know, would a shorter pitch chain need smaller diameter pins and rollers? If so, would those be weaker than the ones in use now?
08-31-21, 04:24 AM
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Shorter pitch chains were used in this year's Olympics
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tea...ics-velodrome/
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tea...ics-velodrome/
