V12man Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I'd say changing a chain is a bigger risk than using 1 the whole way. In my experience 99% of chains break from poor fitment rather than wear.True - but Droo checked the chain I broke... see above... (ok - it may have been his sidekick..) Fitting a chain with quick links is nearly impossible to get wrong anyway - unless you miss route it - having to fit one using an existing pin is much more error prone...
GoLefty!! Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 The difference is that if the rollers are worn on the inside it'll show up in the chain checker as a double reading, which can cause you to bin a chain too early. On the flip side, dirt in the rollers can give you an under read so you toss your entire drivetrain because the chain is more worn than it looks. Chain checkers do work, but a direct measurement of pitch is more accurate. IMO of course. agreed that it can be a double measurement and what you say about dirt givin a false readiing is correct but if you check the Park Tool info on the chain checker they advise to only use it after the chain has been cleaned. I'd much rather bin a R280-00 chain early than bin a R4000 cassette early....just saying
Eldron Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 That's only a maybe.... 1 day of rain and mud and the rules change.... Chains are cheap relative to the total cost of an epic effort - as are brake pads... We have a simple rule - NEVER start the day with any piece of equipment that is marginal - bite the bullet and swap it out as quickly as possible once you know it is marginal. Mud days - start with new pads..... you might have enough to make it to the end without reverting to spares halfway.... My best use of metallic pads is 40km.... from brand new to metal on metal - thanks to a muddy hill to hill ride... just scraped home with them.... And I have broken a chain on the last day of the Epic - the bruise from the nose of the saddle was substantial... lucky it was the last day, but it could have ruined it easily.... I really don't know how you guys manage 40km on a set of metal pads. I'm not starting an argment - just never experienced it. Day 2 of last year's epic was siff - mud from line to line. 2 other days were kinda sloppy too. I started Epic on pads and a chain I'd already put ~300km on. Those same pads and chain are still working 100% on my training bike... I've also never had a broken chain in 20 years of riding. I must be the luckiest guy alive
koukie Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 There's a dissertation in the sticky on chains and gears called "Everything you will ever need to know about bicycle chains"I cant seem to find this article? Was it removed?
V12man Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I really don't know how you guys manage 40km on a set of metal pads. I'm not starting an argment - just never experienced it. Day 2 of last year's epic was siff - mud from line to line. 2 other days were kinda sloppy too. I started Epic on pads and a chain I'd already put ~300km on. Those same pads and chain are still working 100% on my training bike... I've also never had a broken chain in 20 years of riding. I must be the luckiest guy alive Easy enoug to waste a set of pads - just find enough gloopy mud and get some on the disk.. Or as in 2012 H2H an INSANE amount of mud... I did manage to do last years epic wet day on 1 set of pads - no problem at all..
Eldron Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 True - but Droo checked the chain I broke... see above... (ok - it may have been his sidekick..) Fitting a chain with quick links is nearly impossible to get wrong anyway - unless you miss route it - having to fit one using an existing pin is much more error prone... Oddly enough I only use quicklinks on training bikes - racing bikes gets the "proper" pin replacement treatment. Always intrigues me how we can all have different experiences using similar stuff!
V12man Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I cant seem to find this article? Was it removed? It was removed by Johan - he wrote it into a book.... It's available on Amazon....
Eldron Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I did manage to do last years epic wet day on 1 set of pads - no problem at all.. Was it day 1 that had that insane "straight down the mountain" section where the brakes got hot enough to smell? I would have thought that would toast a set of pads faster than a wet day. I would have thought the higher temps would destroy the binder real quick!
koukie Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 It was removed by Johan - he wrote it into a book.... It's available on Amazon....Oh yes I know about the book (and the thread about it...) Sorry for the hijack, but can anyone quickly explain how to messure elongation with a ruler. I guess from one pin to a certain amount of pins?
V12man Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Oddly enough I only use quicklinks on training bikes - racing bikes gets the "proper" pin replacement treatment. Always intrigues me how we can all have different experiences using similar stuff!I also do a proper job on my road bikes - old school ways... I think I have only broken 2 chains in 25 years.. and the first one was the result of a very bad missed shift - one side of the pin came out and everything jammed up after that - long time ago... Properly looked after, a chain should last a long time... I have done 14k km on a dura ace chain before - lubed it before EVERY ride.... religiously.....
Shebeen Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 lol so true, i blame the training, the 3:30 rides make me cranky, no wait the rides make me happy, the lack of sleep makes me cranky so apologies to Shebeenno worries, was yanking your [wait for it]...chain a bit. what tyres are you using? continental are much better than maxxis except that they are not as good.and supplements? USN is the best, but cadence is better. 32GI beats them all.
V12man Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Was it day 1 that had that insane "straight down the mountain" section where the brakes got hot enough to smell? I would have thought that would toast a set of pads faster than a wet day. I would have thought the higher temps would destroy the binder real quick!Don't brake so much... You would have to get them really hot to destroy the pads with heat... much more likely to make the fluid boil first (unless they are rubbish pads) - sand/mud just eats them quickly - see how long they last if you sand them with sandpaper.... I am pretty light and run big brakes (XO Trails) with metallic pads - so heat is not really an issue for me (and I use castrol SRF as brake fluid in them)
droo Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I'd much rather bin a R280-00 chain early than bin a R4000 cassette early....just saying This is true. I still like my ruler though. Definitely with you on the cheap and cheerful chains. It's a dumb place to spend money.
Eldron Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Don't brake so much... You would have to get them really hot to destroy the pads with heat... much more likely to make the fluid boil first (unless they are rubbish pads) - sand/mud just eats them quickly - see how long they last if you sand them with sandpaper.... I am pretty light and run big brakes (XO Trails) with metallic pads - so heat is not really an issue for me (and I use castrol SRF as brake fluid in them) Bwahahahaha. That descent was 45 degrees and straight down the mountain - if I'd taken a finger off the brakes for 2 seconds I would have hit 200kph and mowed down around 100 people! I run XTR brakes with finned pads and non icetec rotors - never had a brake issue ever. I'm with you on the "properly looked after chain should last a looong time". I have a similar DA road bike set up to yours that I've never changed chain or cassette on - to give you an idea on age - it's the silver 7800 series. Farkin old. I can grab the chain when it's on the big ring and pull it a few mm clear. Chain is stretched to hell with not a single glitch or missed shift. The teeth are not quite shark fin yet but will probably need swapping out in another 3 or 4 years
W@nna-BE Posted February 4, 2015 Author Posted February 4, 2015 no worries, was yanking your [wait for it]...chain a bit. what tyres are you using? continental are much better than maxxis except that they are not as good.and supplements? USN is the best, but cadence is better. 32GI beats them all.lo yanking my chain.... good one i am using Conti's Race King Protection rear and Xking front also protection.supplements would be between High5 and Cytogen Race mix
Underachiever Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Whaaaaat? Its the epic not a trancontinental challenge. 1 x Shimano XT chain will do the trick. Anything lower than XT rusts and looks ***. XT is chiny chiny. Use metal pads and the above chain and you'll need only set for the whole race. +1000000
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