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I commute on a fixie. I'm using KMC Z410 chains.

Every evening if it's wet I wipe and re-lube my chain, using ProLink lube. Every weekend I remove the chain, soak it in kero, brush it with a citrus degreaser, allow to dry and then re-lube.

My current chain is 2 months old (about 800km) and is over .75 already so I think I'll replace it this weekend. Mind you, it is winter here and it's been pretty wet most weeks. Also there is a lot of fine sandy grit on the paths I tend to ride.

I read questions like this and am amazed how long people's chains will last. I don't mind replacing the chain often as it's a cheap chain ($15) and I want to protect my chainring and cog.

Is there anything I'm doing wrong with my maintenance regime? Is it surprising that my chain isn't lasting that long? Or is everything okay and I should stop worrying about it?

Update: I relaxed my maintenance regime. I just wiped down and re-lubed occasionally. The chain was very quiet and smooth. However today, after just 20 days and 353 kilometers, it's already over .75!!! I checked the chain guage on a new chain and it is definitely indicating that the new chain is under .75. Why am I burning through chains so fast?

Update: A little about me and my riding. I weigh about 88kg (195lbs). I ride fairly aggressively on bike tracks on the way to work (I almost never get passed). There are some hills so I am reasonably often out of the saddle and pushing pretty hard. I will take the old chain into a bike shop next weekend and let you know what they say.

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    I commute about 200 days a year, riding about 15 km a day, i.e., 3000 km a year. My bike is far from top-end. I clean my chain about twice a year. My chain broke after four years, or 12000 km.
    – mouviciel
    Jul 21, 2011 at 12:11
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    @mouviciel It broke after 12000Km, I have no doubt of that. But when you replaced it, what else did you have to replace? The point of replacing a chain before the wear point is to protect the chain and cogs from far more expensive to replace damage. You can run a car engine without oil for some time. too. Doesn't make it a good idea.
    – zenbike
    Jul 21, 2011 at 12:27
  • @zenbike - I changed the chain itself and the freewheel cogset. I hope to ride another 12000 km with that. One such change every four years is not that expensive. By the way, I didn't change the chain at first, just reassembled it and rode some months before changing.
    – mouviciel
    Jul 21, 2011 at 14:39
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    Well, the chain gauge may be defective/damaged. Have a worn chain checked at a bike shop. But also tell us what kind of rider you are -- easy/aggressive/maniacal? If you're always out of your saddle it's like running your car engine at the red line all the time. And with a fixie you can probably safely let the chain run to 0.1. You may find that wear slows down.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Aug 14, 2011 at 12:14
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    @Criggie I gave up on KMC chains and they last heaps longer.
    – Mac
    Nov 18, 2015 at 23:44

9 Answers 9

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A new chain has factory installed lube inside on the bushings and pins. It is a thicker, stickier lube than anything you can put back on the chain after a cleaning which is that thorough.

I love that you take time to maintain the bike. Definitely check your chain checker, as Daniel said, but on your next chain, try relaxing the maintenance a bit.

Clean the chain by spraying a light citrus degreaser on a rag, folding the rag in the palm of your hand, and running the chain through the rag. This will clean the exterior and the accessible bits without soaking away the internal factory lube.

Once clean, lube the exterior of your chain with a quality lube (I like Boeshield T-9 or Dumonde Tech yellow) and wait 15-20 minutes. Then wipe off all excess lube.

Starting with your new chain, do that for the first 6 months, or until your fresh lube job sounds unlubed again within a few on the bike hours.

Once that is not working, go back to your current method. I'd say do the complete strip and relube once a month, with the process described above on the in between weeks.

After your next chain, let us know if and how your mileage changed.

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  • I can't believe I'm too zealous with my cleaning! I'll try your suggestions and keep a better log to see how I progress.
    – Mac
    Jul 21, 2011 at 6:37
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    I'm not saying that is it, but it was common problem for a while, that people were trying to be diligent, and were destroying the factory protection prematurely. I'm interested in whether it changes anything, as well, because I'd like something to back up or downcheck wat I've been taught. Keep me posted.
    – zenbike
    Jul 21, 2011 at 8:37
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    And under more stress, perhaps; e.g. I see fixie riders standing up on their pedals in order to move off from a complete stop (instead of 'spinning' away in the lower gear).
    – ChrisW
    Jul 21, 2011 at 12:11
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    @Michael: I don't see anything in the answer or the comments which indicates a "magic" factory lube. What is said is that you can't replace the factory lube effectively once it is degreased as thoroughly as described by the OP. The reason this is true is that the factory lubes the chain with a fairly heavy, sticky lube before assembly. Once assembled, you can't get a lube which is as effective in to the interior of the chain. The factory lube does not last the life of the chain, but usually lasts 2 - 4 months, which is far longer than the lube applied at home. :)
    – zenbike
    Jun 28, 2015 at 14:32
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    @michael, again, no one here said that factory lube lasts forever. What we said was that cleaning too thoroughly and too often, in the initial factory lube period, will remove the factory lube, and increase your necessary maintenance.
    – zenbike
    Jun 29, 2015 at 19:36
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A chain can last anywhere from about 500 miles to 5000, depending on the quality of the chain, the sprockets, how the bike is ridden, and the maintenance.

I clean my chain about twice a year, whether it needs it or not, and I get about 2000 miles out of mine. Standard quality SRAMs.

There's a vague possibility that you get your chain too clean, and the new lube doesn't get worked into the chain well enough. But just a vague possibility.

There's also a possibility that you're a bit obsessive about all of this, and as a result have applied too much pressure to the chain stretch gauge and distorted it. You should test your gauge on a new chain, and test one of your removed 0.75 chains at a bike shop, to make sure that your gauge is still good.

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  • Interesting comment about the chain gauge. I'm very gentle with it and it's a single piece of pretty strong metal so I doubt it's been damaged, but I'll check it out.
    – Mac
    Jul 21, 2011 at 5:45
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One additional concern that hasn't been mentioned is that you should wipe off the chain with a clean rag before lubing as well as after. Lube helps push dirt out of the interior of the chain, but on a dirty chain the effect isn't strong enough to keep out grime. You might be causing premature wear if you're not wiping off the chain before you lube it up.

You might also want to invest in a heavier-duty chain. I use a SRAM PC-7X on my track bike. Fixies will be inherently rougher on your chain, and you want something that's a little beefier than a standard road chain to deal with the additional stresses.

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I'm going to take a wild guess that it might be because you don't have fenders: that it doesn't matter how often or how well you maintain your chain, if it's filthy again within 5 minutes of getting on the road.

Also, the usage instructions for your Pro Link lube suggest that you shouldn't be sticking your chain in a solvent: that there's a cleaner built in to the lube itself.

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  • +1 for fenders. I've been meaning to get a set. Interesting comment about the lube having a cleanser. I find that hard to believe though. How can it degrease and grease simultaneously?
    – Mac
    Jul 21, 2011 at 5:43
  • @Mac How can it be hard to believe: it's what it says on the manufacturer's web site (to which I linked)?
    – ChrisW
    Jul 21, 2011 at 10:15
  • I'm not doubting you, Chris. It just seems counterintuitive.
    – Mac
    Jul 21, 2011 at 11:52
  • I'd think of it as something like a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner - it cleans and conditions at the same time. It may not be ideal, but it's good enough for many.
    – Soo Wei Tan
    Jul 21, 2011 at 21:20
  • @Soo Wei Tan - 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner is a myth. It's physically impossible to combine shampoo and conditioner, since shampoo is (very slightly) acidic and conditioner is pH 3.5 (more acidic).
    – Mac
    Jul 21, 2011 at 23:13
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This picture shows a badly hooked (motorcycle) sprocket. Bike sprockets tend to look a little different, but the same idea:

Hooked sprocket

If this were a picture of the rear cluster on a bike (vs a motorcycle sprocket) the front of the bike would be to the right and the direction of pull would be from the right, across the top of the sprocket. As the chain peels off the sprocket at the top of the arc, the "hook" will tend to "hold onto" the chain and cause the "suck" that's been mentioned. For a mildly hooked sprocket a new chain will actually peel off easier than a worn one, but with a more severely hooked sprocket the worn chain will sometimes peel off easier.

Replacing the chain before it's too badly "stretched" minimizes hook (the teeth wear more evenly).

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  • This does not answer the question of "How long should a well maintained chain last and what can I do to prolong its life?"
    – James Schek
    Nov 6, 2011 at 15:46
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If your chainring or cassette is worn out, they will have "groves" cut into the sprockets that better fit a stretched chain than a new chain. When you put a new chain on a worn drive train, the chain will get stretched to fit into the existing wear pattern.

Regardless of the exact effect of pitch or diameter, a worn-out cassette or chainring can accelerate chain wear. If your chains are wearing faster than you expect, you may need to replace your cassette and/or chainrings.

Specification for Oil Field Chain and Sprockets, by American Petroleum Institute:

"Do not run new chain on worn out sprockets because it can cause the chain to wear rapidly. The pitch of the new chain is much shorter than the effective pitch of the worn sprocket (emphasis added), so the total chain load is concentrated on the final sprocket toothbefore disengagement." (chains used in this application are fundamentally similar to cycling)

and

Standard handbook of chains: chains for power transmission and material handling, American Chain Association:

"When a chain is worn beyond its functional limits, it must be replaced. The chain tension will not be spread over several teeth. The tension will be concentrated on the final roller engaging the sprocket. A new chain is also subjected to an impact load as each roler leaves the worn sprocket."

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  • Actually, as a sprocket wears it effectively needs a shorter, less-worn chain to fit properly.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Nov 5, 2011 at 23:48
  • A worn chain effectively increases the pitch of a sprocket; a new chain fits a worn sprocket poorly and must apply force to the sprocket unevenly. This mismatch accelerates the wear on both components.
    – James Schek
    Nov 6, 2011 at 4:27
  • A worn sprocket has a smaller pitch than a non-worn one (though the difference is slight). Chain and sprocket start to diverge as soon as they are mated.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Nov 6, 2011 at 12:22
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    I'm not following this answer. As a chain wears, the links effectively get further apart. I'm guessing the teeth on the sprocket stay the same distance apart as they wear.
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Nov 6, 2011 at 13:52
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    Regardless of the specific effects on the sprocket/chain, a worn-out sprocket will negatively impact the effective life of a chain. That conclusion is consistent with data from ASE and other industrial or mechanical engineering groups.
    – James Schek
    Nov 6, 2011 at 18:52
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The question relates to a chain on a fixie, i.e. with no derailleur shifting it up and down onto different sized cogs, some of which being ludicrously small 11T or smaller in size.

My 1950's Raleigh Sports Roadster has what I suspect to be the original chain on it. Obviously I did not have the bike from new, however, it has probably done a few miles in its time.

As for my commuter bike, because I did not change the chain when I should have done, I am now deliberately running it into the ground, seeing how long the chain will actually last. It started skipping on the small cog somewhere after the 10000 mile mark and it has recently lost another gear. It also slides off the chainring when on the big cog at the back so it looks like it is rapidly heading to become something like a single-speed or 3-speed. The bushes are distinctly conical shaped and it is probably only the build up of dirt that holds it together. I digress, however a chain can last a very long time and then keep going long after it should have been replaced. You would have to be an idiot though to see exactly how long a chain can last...

I suspect that your cleaning regime is a bit over the top. Kerosene/paraffin is better than gas/petrol however, in the days when I did soak my chain in paraffin I always found it to be slightly 'crunchy' when I put it back onto the bike. The problem being that the grease in the internals has been dissolved away and replaced by what can best be described as oil. Oil is not the right stuff for in there, grease is, and no matter what you do it is not possible to get the grease back in there properly. As a consequence the chain will wear more.

So, effectively, you are damaging the chain! All that hard effort and it is going badly wrong! So, for the next chain, stick it on to a clean set of chainring/cog. Do not add any extra lube. After you wash down your bike put a smidgen of your Pro-link lube on it and no more - any more will attract the dirt and the dirt will wear the chain.

Remember that there are chains out there on 3-speed bikes that have only seen sparing amounts of 'all-in-one' lawnmower oil over a timespan of decades, and that these chains are stretched no more than yours is.

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A decent chain should last 4000 km. I suspect either of two problems is causing seemingly accelerated chain wear.

The first possibility is that you are using an inaccurate chain wear measuring tool. The only accurate ones (apart from a ruler at least foot and 1/16" inches long) are Shimano TL-CN40, Shimano TL-CN41, Shimano TL-CN42 and Park Tool CC-4. These are go/no-go gauges, the Shimano ones measure only one wear level (probably 0.5%) and Park CC-4 measures both 0.5% and 0.75%.

It is possible for example that your 0.75% wear tool would tell a certain brand of chain is 0.74% worn when new. These things happen because most tools measure not only pin wear but also roller clearance. If the tool is a go/no-go gauge that measures roller clearance in addition to pin wear, you have no way of distinguishing 0.74% from 0%. Thus, it is possible the chain was worn 0.01% as opposed to 0.75% because it would have read 0.74% when new.

Use the Shimano tools or Park Tool CC-4 (other Park Tool measurement tools are junk), and these problems go away.

The second possibility is that you are causing the chain to attract dirt by repeatedly oiling it. The rule of thumb is that you must never oil a chain that already has oil unless you clean it completely. Your kerosene / citrus degreaser brushing may or may not be thorough enough to get all existing oil and dirt out. However, I'm certain that your re-oiling every evening is something that happens to a dirty and oily chain. You should remove this re-oiling of a dirty and oily chain.

The best way to oil chains is to remove it from the bike and clean it thoroughly. Then oil it. However, it takes a lot of time so a good approximation is to ride until the chain barely starts to squeak (meaning it has practically no oil inside and thus practically no dirt as the oil holds the dirt in). Then remove external dirt by careful brushing and oil the chain.

Also, after oiling you must remove excess oil. If you forget this, the oil attracts dirt and you will wear your chain in no time.

You also could be using an incorrect type of oil. The proper type of oil is thixotropic motorcycle chain spray. Don't buy bicycle chain oils, they are junk. The thixotropic stuff when agitated and sprayed becomes thin, and when left to settle becomes thick again. This means that when you apply it, some of it penetrates to the innards of the chain and some cover the outside of the chain. Then you wait for a while and remove excess oil from the outside of the chain. The oil that reached the innards stays there because it was left to settle and became thick due to its thixotropy.

I'm over 105 kg and ride an e-bike. Rumor says that e-bikes wear chains really fast but I have about 3000 km and the chain isn't even 0.5% worn.

Also, it may make sense to buy more expensive chains since they are made from a better quality of steel, increasing chain lifetime. On Amazon, the KMC Z410 costs less than half of what a decent chain such as Shimano CN-6701 would cost. This may mean it uses poor quality steel.

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As long as it can till it falls to pieces, no mechanical part will ever fail as an identical one at the same time ever. Prolong it? Don't use it!

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  • Are you masquerading as Sheldon Brown?
    – BSO rider
    Jun 27, 2015 at 16:16
  • There are more and less effective maintenance methods… That's what we're talking about here – prolonging chain life while using it. Also, statistically speaking, parts can fail closely enough to the same time to allow us to draw reasonable conclusions about which methods are more effective.
    – dlu
    Jun 28, 2015 at 16:59
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    Extending chain life too long will cause wear to the rest of the drivetrain. If it falls to pieces it's likely everything will be so worn that a new chain will not engage properly with the worn teeth.
    – Emyr
    Jun 30, 2015 at 10:03

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