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Originally Posted by Kitsune
I have a question on bicycle upkeep. Do you:
1) Replace the chain with a new one after X miles to prevent the cassette from wearing down as well or...
2) Wait until the chain starts to slip and replace both the chain and cassette because they both wear at the same rate and a new chain on an old cassette will simply degrade the new chain and they'll both have to be replaced, anyways?
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Yes.
Seriously, option 1) brings up the following thoughts:
What wears out the chain/ freewheel? Metal on metal friction? Your herculean strength putting tension on the chain and then transferring that to the cog? (i.e. plain old use) Particles of dirt?
All of the above to varying degrees, but it is the grit and dirt that will cause the most rapid wear. The point of the lube is to reduce metal on metal friction, but you want a lube that will not gather dust (or moss). There is a plethora of lube available. No aspersions on your heculean strength, but I doubt that will make much difference in your chain "stretching". Your chain will elongate, mostly from the wear within the links. When that happens, you get skipping problems since the links are now spaced differently from the teeth of the cogs.
The cogs also will change their shape somewhat due to grinding and a slight peening over of the metal. (Your H.S.)
Option 2) When the chain starts to slip or skip, it is time to replace both elements since often they both wear out at about the same rate. Another thing that is fairly common is a drivetrain that will be working fine, the customer installs a new chain for some reason. (dirty, ugly, needs the *new* cool one, sticky link, etc.) and all of a sudden the thing starts slipping like mad. The previous chain and cog had some kind of affinity, I'm thinking they had worn together, but the new chain won't work with the old cog.
That's why we mostly told people to get a new freewheel at the same time. The old cog won't wear out a new chain as far as I know.
More than likely, it's just the cogs you use the most that will wear out quickest. Some freewheels allow you to selectively replace bad cogs.
I only start replacing those things as they wear out and start skipping. When I was a mechanic, I endlessly tweaked my bike. After a while of fixing people's amazingly run down bikes, I began to relax a bit and realize that my bike isn't going to last a whole lot longer by the endless tweaking, I certainly would never recover the value of my time vs the savings on parts, so I just let some things ride until they really need fixing. Freewheels and chains are two of those things.
keep it lubed, but not wet. I like Superlube, it comes in a gray can. Goes on quite gloopy and dries almost immediately.
http://www.super-lube.com/