Surprised how much a new chain changed my shifting after 800 miles

I put about 800 miles on my touring bike this summer and my gears started skipping under load. I figured it was the cassette or maybe the derailleur hanger got bent. Finally got around to checking chain wear with a tool and it was way past 0.75. Stuck a new chain on last weekend and the shifting feels brand new again. Did I just save myself a cassette replacement by catching it early, or is that normal wear for that mileage?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliawalker13d ago

Actually I read a mechanic's blog that said chains wear faster on touring bikes because of the constant load from panniers and climbing. 800 miles seems early but it depends on conditions. You probably did catch it early enough if you weren't getting major skipping in the middle gears. One trick I heard is to drop the old chain back on to check if the cassette has worn to it, but since yours feels good now you're probably fine. Just keep an eye on the cassette for a few hundred more miles.

norag5513d ago

Oh totally, youre spot on with the constant load thing. I did a 500 mile tour last summer with a full front and back pannier setup and my chain was toast by like 700 miles, maybe even earlier. I swear it just stretched overnight or something. I replaced it and the cassette felt fine for a while but then started skipping in the middle gears after another 400 miles or so. I think the pannier weight plus those long climbs in the mountains just wrecks everything faster than youd expect. Good call on the cassette check though. I wish I had tried that trick because now Im stuck replacing two parts instead of one.