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Is there a difference between E-bike vs. normal bike chains?


JJDT

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Is there a difference between the chains of a normal bike and that of an E-Bike? Measured the chain wear on my wife's E-Bike and saw that it needs replacement. Do not want to make the mistake again of not replacing the chain as soon as the gauge indicates chain wear.

 

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yes you get e bike specific chains

apparently with motor they need to be stronger as they handle more torque

however must be honest i have not seen and e bike specific chains in any bike shop so not sure where you will source one

 

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20 minutes ago, JJDT said:

Is there a difference between the chains of a normal bike and that of an E-Bike? Measured the chain wear on my wife's E-Bike and saw that it needs replacement. Do not want to make the mistake again of not replacing the chain as soon as the gauge indicates chain wear.

 

my BIL has an e-bike when I took a glance it looked much thicker, Like a SS chain I would imagine it would need a thicker chain to take that power, those things are insanely powerful I believe cassettes also take a hammering as most riders dont even bother changing gear due to the assist   

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As everyone has said the extra power and torque going thru ebike drive train causes it to not last very long.Definitely waaay less than your human powered machine.The new ebikes moving to 12spd has also not helped.

Imo the best drive traine for a ebike is 10 or 11 speed.Even less if possible.

Ebikes don’t need all those gears and definitely don’t need axs etc.

Dont believe in ebike specific chains etc,just like ebike specific saddles.

This is all just from my experience 

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https://ebikeshq.com/do-ebikes-need-special-chains/

"If your e-bike uses a hub motor, you can get either a regular chain or an e-bike chain. An e-bike chain will be stronger and will last longer, but it is not strictly required for hub motor e-bikes. On the other hand, if your e-bike has a mid-drive motor, there is no other way around it: You must get a chain specifically designed for e-bikes. Otherwise, you will find yourself going through your chains rather quickly and may even have your chain snap on you while on a ride".

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Hi

I am not sure what e-bike you have, but my experience with a mid-drive motor using a standard chain is that it is not problem, provided one rides the bike in a high cadence and one uses the cassette gearing to keep cadence high (85 plus). If one uses high gears and uses the motor to winch one alone, it puts a lot of stress and wear on the drivetrain.

 

I am using an XX1 chain and 12 speed cassette and change my chains out at 1500km (lwith ess than 0.5 on the chain), I am on my third chain on this particular bike and I am not having any issues. It is still super smooth. I plan on rotating the chains when I reach 4500 km. I am hoping the cassette will last until the second rotation of the chains (ie 9000km)  

 

I have not tried an e-bike specific chain so I can't compare it to  a non ebike specific chain. 

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1 hour ago, DIPSLICK said:

my BIL has an e-bike when I took a glance it looked much thicker, Like a SS chain I would imagine it would need a thicker chain to take that power, those things are insanely powerful I believe cassettes also take a hammering as most riders dont even bother changing gear due to the assist   

E-Thirteen also offer an e-bike specific cassette that can take far more abuse.

1 hour ago, stringbean said:

As everyone has said the extra power and torque going thru ebike drive train causes it to not last very long.Definitely waaay less than your human powered machine.The new ebikes moving to 12spd has also not helped.

Imo the best drive traine for a ebike is 10 or 11 speed.Even less if possible.

Ebikes don’t need all those gears and definitely don’t need axs etc.

Dont believe in ebike specific chains etc,just like ebike specific saddles.

This is all just from my experience 

Bring back 9spd drivetrains with clutch ders for e-bikes 👍

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1 hour ago, Hairy said:

E-Thirteen also offer an e-bike specific cassette that can take far more abuse.

Bring back 9spd drivetrains with clutch ders for e-bikes 👍

And people with strong legs who want low maintenance drivetrains. 10 - 42 9sp would be a proper win.

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is Shimano linkglide groupsets not yet available in SA?

Thats suppose to be bullet proof for ebikes

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3 hours ago, Hairy said:

E-Thirteen also offer an e-bike specific cassette that can take far more abuse.

Bring back 9spd drivetrains with clutch ders for e-bikes 👍

https://boxcomponents.com/collections/prime-9/products/box-two-three-p9-x-wide-single-shift-groupset

 

https://boxcomponents.com/collections/prime-9-filter/products/box-one-prime-9-x-wide-multi-shift-groupset

2020-BOX-ONE-Prime-9-speed-MTB_performance-modern-nine-speed-1x-mountain-bike-drivetrain_Nine-is-fine.jpg

Edited by MORNE
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