Clem von Jones

Hideously gigantic 29er wheels combined with climbing steep mountains is wreaking havoc on my drive train. I'm getting chain suck and shark fins too soon. Is there anything I can do about it? I'm already waxing my chain frequently. I suppose larger ring and cog combinations would lessen the wear. Obviously steel rings are called for. Is there anything else I can do? Are triples better than 1x? Is 8 speed better than 11 speed? Is there any consensus on ideal gearing for the steeps?

22-30-42 x 14-40 custom cassette, 9 speed

I used a 94 bcd crankset so I could run the 30t but it's too soft (6061). The 22t alloy granny is even worse.

Jeff of Vt

That's a seriously nice bike. It's good to see fellow drop bar 29er riders.

Looks to me you're doing much of what is called for. The big question is how your cadence is climbing. I say this as someone who is also guilty of mashing and rough on chainrings(but I'm working on it). I assume this has more of a bearing on wear of chainrings than even lubrication. If you think you're bad, I've even bent a chainring this way.

Steel rings are certainly a good idea in this application. Regarding 1x, and this is conjecture on my part, I imagine that it's a pricier proposition. You may find similar wear but be paying more for parts but more important is having the gearing that allows you to climb with less torque on those rings.

Kapusta

You complain about the geo of 29” fames being all wrong, now you blame the wheelsize for your drivetrain issues. Why are you even riding it? Just get an old 26” mtb frame and wheel-set.

In the meantime, try a steel 22t ring. Aluminum ones get chewed up fast if you use them much regardless of wheel size.

Also, are you checking you chain for elongation and replacing when needed?

CliffordK

I agree that I'd use steel on the 22T, and maybe the 30T.

Chain wear is very important. I've experimented with a couple of different brands to reduce wear, but still hunting some. Wippermann makes TOUGH chains, but they are expensive. Worth it to buy from Germany. Nonetheless, they do also wear, and have caused cassette wear for me.

One option is to get say a set of 4 chains, then simply plan on swapping the chain every 500 miles or so. Clean good, lube, and store, then choose the shortest chain to put back on. I had thought one could make a nail rack to pick out the shortest chain.

Then once all the chains get up to the 1/16" in 1 foot, then replace the whole drivetrain and start over again.

trailangel

Nice photo... where is that?
Stick with 7000 series alloy for chainrings. Or go to steel. Some steel is softer that hard alloy.

Maybe try heavy oil instead of wax.... I'm not sold on waxing.

You don't say how many miles you got.

I've gone through chain in 350 miles on mid-drive eMTB with Yamaha motor. 1/2 dirt 1/2 pavement.
Keep up with measuring and lubing chain. Clean cassette.
If you have chain suck you need new rings, otherwise you will go thru chains and cassettes often.

Darth Lefty 

Are you sure it wasn't worn out from its previous thirty years of use?

FC-M371 has steel chain rings, uses square taper, costs about $35, available in silver or black and "hybrid" or "MTB" gearing

Leebo

Gigantic? Hmmm, same wheel size as road bikes but with bigger tires. Chains and cassettes do wear out, I rotate 3 chains though the life of my drivetrain. Miles? 3x9 is old school, age and miles on your set up?

Clem von Jones

My two smaller front rings, chain, and cassette were all replaced at the same time but they have about 500 miles on them at this point. Actually this is the second chain. The 6061 grade aluminum middle and granny are just waaay too soft for this application and they are spreading laterally and getting stuck between the inner chain plates. Fortunately Surly makes a stainless steel 94 BCD 30t ring! I love the way you can find just about anything you need for nine speed systems, and at a good price. I've considered upgrading my drives system to 10,11, and 12 speed but the 3 x 9 is still better in my opinion. You aren't captive to a boutique proprietary system. The new 148mm Boost system is only 7mm wider so they have a TON of chain angle. There's no benefit from a gearing standpoint.

I like the idea of swapping between 3 chains at intervals to make everything last 3x longer. That's an excellent strategy. I'm thinking of running 8 speed chains on my 9 speed setup too. My cranks are from the 8 speed era and this new Surly ring is made for 8 speeds. The wider chain rollers will wear better and perhaps make front shifts more reliable too.

Kapusta

You want to run an 8 speed chain on a 9 speed cassette?

Clem von Jones

Yeah, according to Sheldon Brown's website various 8, 9, and 10 speed parts are compatible. It might be desirable to run wider chains in certain situations for example with my 8 speed era crankset.

https://sheldonbrown.com/speeds.html

Kapusta

An 8 speed chain on a 9 speed cassette is not going to work very well. It is too wide.

8 speed crank with an 9 speed cassette needs a 9 speed chain.

Clem von Jones

4.8 mm vs 4.34 mm center-to-center

I'm afraid you're right. https://sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-spacing.html

The outer chain plates will probably rub against the larger sprocket. I'll try it and see, then report back here in case someone else does a search on this subject.

ThermionicScott 

I wouldn't get my hopes up about drastically longer life from running an 8-speed chain on a 9-speed system. Important thing is to measure your chain and replace it before it elongates too much. Just cleaning and lubing a lot doesn't guarantee that things won't wear out.

trailangel

If OP is from Kali, I'd say more granola here at it's best.

HerrKaLeun

That's why children bike drivetrains last many years - 16" wheels!

Maybe use real lube, not wax. You know, the stuff drivetrain manufacturers recommend.

Kapusta

No need to report back, anyone with half a clue knows already it is a bad idea. Why are you even considering doing it?

Have you tried googling “8 speed chain with 9 speed cassette”? There are some specific combos that work out on occasion but most don’t.

There is absolutely zero benefit to running an 8 speed chain in a 9 speed cassette. Only downsides.

bikeme

Wheel size should have little bearing on drivetrain wear. If you're shifting to your small ring too late into a climb when drivetrain is under heavy load, that can cause suck--get into it earlier and/or back off pedaling pressure just before a downshift--same with cassette shifts otherwise you risk breaking teeth. As far as cassette cog wear, I assume it's your lowest gear, i.e. the most used one and under the most torque. I go through one cassette and two chains per year myself. Wax-wise, I find they burn off too soon except for Squirt brand--I get 3-4 rides between lubes even in dusty so cal conditions. Lastly, I never get chain suck, I run 1x :-)

tallbikeman

You guys must be way strong. I get years of service out of 10 speed chains, sprockets, cassettes, and derailleurs. I don't sweat the wear any too much until the system just doesn't work well anymore then I replace the cassette, chain, and sprockets at the same time. I lube before every ride and I use oil with a wipe down after lubing. My bikes tends to develop oil grunge rapidly because of all my gravel road riding so regular soap and water wash downs followed by more oil. I rotate rides between 3 bicycles so my miles per year are split fairly evenly between the bikes which helps to reduce replacement times. I have had small crank sprockets suffer major wear rapidly and my fix was steel sprockets which helped. MTB riding is always going to wear driveline components faster than road riding.

colombo357

It really isn't.

tallbikeman

I've recently run into this change the 10 speed chain every 1000 miles like clockwork but haven't heard the reason why people are doing this. Hit me with the reasons so I can ponder it please. I hate to be the guy not doing the right thing by my years old but still working great 10 speed setups. I have found that the 10 speed cassette chain needs to be broken in and gets much smoother with use and actually shifts better with time. What am I doing wrong?