replacing chain and cassette for the first time

seena511

so i got my bike in summer 2010 and didn't do a very good job of taking care of it. i literally never oiled or cleaned the chain until summer 2012. i have a feeling that it's time to change the chain, not only because of how long it's been but it seems to be jumping a bit as well. should i go ahead and change the cassette with it, or should i put on a new chain first and see if the cassette is still ok? i've read that they should be replaced together, and also that you can get 3 chains out of one cassette. i feel like i don't have a good frame of reference due to how long it's gone without maintenance.

Cyclink

I've always changed them together.

Chains have a tendency to stretch more than wear down, so the issue they have is one of not fitting the cassette teeth property as they stretch, which then causes more wear on the cassette.

Cassettes have more of a tendency to have their teeth worn down from shifting and from the chain rubbing against them.

They usually wear together as a pair, so that even if they are a bit worn, they work better together than they would if you replaced one of them with a new part.

Depending on how much you ride, you might find that giving them both a good cleaning is all they need. I usually get between 5000 and 10,000 miles out of a chain/cassette combination on the road.

narak_lol

Cassettes have more of a tendency to have their teeth worn down from shifting and from the chain rubbing against them.

I haven't replaced my cassette for over 2 years - better check its condition soon!!

TheBigYin

in your case, I'd swap both as a matched pair. And while you're at it, buy a chain-checking tool - something like this...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5784

then, once a week (or every 200 miles, whichever is more regular), just drop the chain-checker onto the chain - there are 2 settings - one of them 0.5% elongation, the other 0.75%. As soon as the chain hits 0.5%, buy and fit another chain - that way you WILL get at least 3-4 chains to one cassette - as you can see, the chain-checker will pretty much pay for itself on the first chain - either by allowing you to get a greater SAFE distance out of the chain by not throwing it away before its worn OR by saving you the cost of a knackered cassette!

Cyclink

I'm kind of bad.... I tend to wait until the shifting gets skippy or when the mechanic yells at me.

cloggsy71

If you ain't done any maintenance on it, then it's likely to be in a pretty poor state (depending on the amount of use, obviously), so I'd change both the chain and the cassette. You may also need to have the front chain rings checked too, as they may need doing too!

lpherman01

Lube the chain properly, often and keep it clean. I've had chains last 8,000 miles and even then they were just on the border of needing replacement.

cloggsy71

I've got one of these:

lpherman01

I use one of these:

[img[http://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-004/TL4000.jpg[/img]