So I’ve been using an Izumi nickel-plated 1/8 chain for about 1 & 1/2 years on my commuter bike. It’s performed really well and is rock solid reliable.
I probably ride 150km a week on it.
At what point do you replace the chain? I can feel tight and loose spots forming in the chain (maybe it’s the chainring), and it feels like the whole drivetrain is getting worn.
Depends what type of person you are. Some people
Replace it when it feels shit
Replace it when something snaps
Get a chain stretch tool and check it with that and replace it when its over stretched…
Chain wear tools aren’t really going to work on a 1/8 track chain. There’s less wear due to the bigger size, wider cogs, and lack of shifting.
Personally, I swap my chain every year. I ride brakeless, so I figure it’s better safe than sorry. I’ve currently got an old chain being used by a kid who rides DJ/park and he hasn’t had any issues with it, so it’s not like it was worn out.
A chain wear tool will work just as well on 1/8" as on 3/32". All they do is measure the length of a taut chain either by a go/nogo or a scale to indicate the degree of wear. The more the rollers/pins have worn, the longer the distance from pin centre to centre.
If you have an even-even drive train (eg 44-16) and you keep the same teeth aligned with the inner/outer chain links (I’m guessing you don’t due to puncture frequency ) you can use Sheldon’s extended wear method and run the whole drivetrain into the ground:
Check the load bearing surface on your sprocket for wear, if it’s got an arc worn into it, it’s time to replace it. Likewise your chainring, see if it’s shark-toothed. More frequent chain cleaning/replacements means you can run your sprockets/cassettes/chainrings for much longer.
PS: They’re all consumables, but a chainring should last 10-20000km with proper chain replacement. YMMV.
Guess if you don’t mind the wear on the rest of the drive train you can change 'em whenever you like, more costly to wear out a geared set but same principle.
Recommended is to change when 10 links exceed 107.6mm,gauges work to the same measure, Prolink my preference. This is a slightly used Kool 1/8th - And yep, the same for 3/32.
Getting a new chain is like putting on new socks and underwear. Feels so good, i think you should treat yourself to a new one sooner than a year and a half.
Yeah sorry, bad wording. So long as you’re not swapping up chainrings and cogs, and worn 1/8 track chain isn’t going to cause the same issues that a worn 3/32 chain on a geared system is.
I call BS. Chain wear tools work fine on 1/8" chains (like Blakey said), they will still indicate when your chain needs replacing. A 1/8" chain on a fixie will typically take longer to wear out than a 10sp chain on a gearie, that’s difference.
I run 3/32" on my comuter fixie and with regular cleaning (and checking now and then with a Park CC-3) got nearly 4 years of regular use out of an 8sp connex. If only they lasted that long on my roadies…
A stitch in time saves nine. I should have just taken the effort to write my first post properly. Apologies for getting the local forum population up in arms! Haha.