Timeline for Can a new chain significantly improve the riding experience? If yes - what else can?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
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| Sep 11, 2019 at 12:28 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | @Holloway the friction of chain against cassette and chainring should be minimal with a pristine chain: the links fit exactly over the cogs with no way to slip, and only “roll off” and on. There's a bit of friction at each geat shift, but just momentarily. All of this changes dramatically with a worn-out chain though, which is why it's so important to replace it. | |
| Sep 11, 2019 at 8:55 | comment | added | cmaster - reinstate monica | @Holloway Nevertheless, even when I ride my IGH sprocket (long teeth, absolutely not skipable!) down so far that it starts loosing teeth, I never feel a difference in drive-train efficiency after changing sprocket and chain. The amount of wear that I can tolerate on an IGH sprocket far exceeds the amount of wear tolerable on a cassette, so it's obvious that you can never feel the wear of a cassette. A source of friction that slows you down by a feelable amount must be something else. | |
| Sep 11, 2019 at 8:39 | comment | added | Holloway | @Kaz, of course they do. There is a lot of internal friction as the plates move over each other and at the rollers where the roller moves over the pin and the inner link. There is friction against the chainrings/cassette as well or the chainrings would never wear out. As the teeth get more worn, the chain rubs more causing the teeth to wear faster. A worn out chain/casstte/chainring contributes more friction than a new one even when it's kept lubed. | |
| Sep 11, 2019 at 7:51 | comment | added | Michael | @Kaz: Of course if something is rubbing (e.g. tire against chainstays) it will be much worse. But chain lube is important and if you never lube your chain it can easily be worn down in less than 1000km, despite factory lube lasting for the first ~300km. Abrading all the material from the chain requires energy. Which means less energy reaches the rear wheel. | |
| Sep 10, 2019 at 18:49 | comment | added | Michael | Lack of chain lube increases friction significantly. Unfortunately I can’t find any numbers for completely unlubed chains. It’s a much more common problem than bad bearings. | |
| Sep 10, 2019 at 18:05 | history | answered | cmaster - reinstate monica | CC BY-SA 4.0 |