[half_man_half_scab]

I bought a brand new stumpy comp last September and have been riding an average of 40-50 miles a week. I 've been lubing it every other ride I'd say. I took it in to get a major service today and they told me my chain was shot.

Does something sound fishy here? Could my chain be really so screwed so quickly? I stay out of the cross gears and never use any granny gears.

What's more, the mechanic told me that with the level of riding I'm doing I should get a new chain every 3 months. Is he conning me?

 

[Full Mountain]

no he's not see here http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/faq.htm#CQ1 for the full story

you've put between 1400-1800miles on that chain thats alot o' miles...see here for general rules for chain replacment http://www.execulink.com/~dtierney/wmc/SRAM/chains2.htm

hope that helps
DMR

 

[Psycho Mike]

Doing that many miles, you will want to look into having a couple chains and rotating between them every 500 miles or so so that you don't wear out your cassette and chainrings too.

 

[half_man_half_scab]

Hmm... After getting the new chain I'm getting the "popping" sound described in those articles. It seems rare; like three times per ten miles or so. Can I keep going on this cassette for a while, or is that a bad idea?

 

[dan0]

could be a minor adjustment, does it stay in gear? or shift around. look at the teeth , are they hook shaped, worn or bent?
if it stays in gear and the teeth look ok you could adjust the cable tension to fine tune it
otherwise new cassette & chain rings
one more thing to check put the bike on a stand and slowly turn the pedals whiule watching the chain go around the gears, if you have a stiff link it will pop as it goes over the gears( try all combinations of gearing)

 

[half_man_half_scab]

Well, I had a chance to ride it on some steeper climbs. The middle chain ring was pretty much unrideable. It was popping every time I got out of the saddle. The large and small chain rings were fine because I really never use them. And any gear of those two extremes wasn't popping.

Upon closer inspection, the teeth on the middle chain ring were as sharp as a puppy's pearly whites. Goodbye chainring and cassette.

This has been an expensive mistake.

And no one f'ing tells you to replace your chain! I'm going on a one man campaign to spread the word.

 

[WhoUtink]

Well thank you for bringing it to my attention. I have been having some minor shifting problems and thoght it was my derailer being out of adjustment . I read the link DMR added and My chain is stretched a little over 1/16. And my teeth are a little worn. Ive only had my bike 3 months, cleaning and lubing often. I dont think I have ridden nearly as far as you and my needs replacing. t5hanks for the thread. See your already spreading the word.

 

[BruceBrown]

Well, I had a chance to ride it on some steeper climbs. The middle chain ring was pretty much unrideable. It was popping every time I got out of the saddle. The large and small chain rings were fine because I really never use them. And any gear of those two extremes wasn't popping.

Upon closer inspection, the teeth on the middle chain ring were as sharp as a puppy's pearly whites. Goodbye chainring and cassette.

This has been an expensive mistake.

And no one f'ing tells you to replace your chain! I'm going on a one man campaign to spread the word.

Keep a stock of chains, middle and granny rings and rear cassettes in your parts bin. Clean the ones on the bike often to remove grit to maximize longevity (I use diesel fuel) and budget replacements every season or so (sometimes more depending on the grit and wear). The mud and grit will grind away at the chain and rings and over time - require replacement. The maintenance of cleaning everything extends the life of the drivetrain, but it doesn't prevent replacement at some point in the future. It's simply part of ownership of a mountain bike. If you look for sales and bargains on the drivetrain components, you can keep your replacement costs down.

BB