Crimes against sprocketry

[PaulR]

Big confession coming up: I bumped into Jurek on the way home this evening and had to unburden myself of my shameful secret.  I have been mistreating my faithful steed and below (brace yourselves, it's not pretty) is the damning evidence of my having neglected to check for chain wear.



Woe is me, and several decades of the rosary chain-whip will be said tonight.

And yes, those are cracks in the remaining teeth.

[Chris N]

   Just how much had your chain stretched?

[Wowbagger]

That really is a very nice patina on that table.

[PaulR]

That really is a very nice patina on that table.

Isn't it just?  It's a big repro desk we picked up from a junk shop in Catford for a shamefully small amount of money.  Same place that sold me a really good slide projector for a fiver.  I do check every now and then in case they have a Hetchins in the window...

[Charlotte]

It's a single speed, yes?  Well, whilst it's undoubtedly time for a new chain and sprocket (check that chainring up front, too) it's not like you were running a multi-gear setup.

I'm always shocked at just how much wear a fixed drive train can take and still keep going.  It makes sense that because there's no shifting involved, it can just run and run.

Some messengers reckon that a high mileage fixed gear drive train keeps on getting smoother as it wears.

Until it dumps you on your arse 

[clifftaylor]

Blimey PaulR - do you brush every day??

[Frenchie]

 

[andygates]

I'm always shocked at just how much wear a fixed drive train can take and still keep going.  It makes sense that because there's no shifting involved, it can just run and run.

There are forty-year-old singlespeeds and Sturmeys out there going strong.  When there's no shifting to be done, the tolerances are amazingly low.  It's only this modern fancy kit that's precious about wear.  Even comparing now to the mid-80s, your 5 and 6 speed manual derailleur rigs could get really ugly before behaving badly, just because everything was chunkier and had more room to maneouvre.

It's one of the bicycle's awesome design strengths: keeps going despite decades of abuse.

[RogerT]

I am running a "period" 5 speed block on my project bike..god knows how old it is, but the tolerances are huge.  I expect it to outlast the "modern" front chainwheel ( and probably me )

It is also quieter running than my modern 9 speed Tiagra unit on the Audax bike.

[PaulR]

  Just how much had your chain stretched?

I haven't measured it, I'm afraid.  I threw it straight in the bin.

I too was amazed at how well it was functioning in this state.  I had been aware of a bit of - is the word grobbling? - going on, particularly when accelerating out of the saddle, so when it got a bit noisier I decided to have a look.  I do keep the drivetrain pretty clean, with a weekly rub-down and check/top-up of lube.

Chainring is, I'm pleased to report, very hard steel and there's hardly any visible wear so I didn't even bother to flip it round.  I might do that soon though, but I'll make sure I have time to flip it back if I find the bike doesn't like it.

The original bottom bracket (less than 18 months' use) was shot and the axle was bent, which explained the variation in chain tension which I'd been unable to remedy using the sheldonbrown whacking method.

I now have an almost silent bike again - a rather-fancier-than-necessary chain, a DA sprocket and a UN72/3 BB.  I now need to find a way to stop the carradice saddlebag from creaking and knocking when I wave my posterior in the air.

[Regulator]

  Just how much had your chain stretched?

I haven't measured it, I'm afraid.  I threw it straight in the bin.

I too was amazed at how well it was functioning in this state.  I had been aware of a bit of - is the word grobbling? - going on, particularly when accelerating out of the saddle, so when it got a bit noisier I decided to have a look.  I do keep the drivetrain pretty clean, with a weekly rub-down and check/top-up of lube.

Chainring is, I'm pleased to report, very hard steel and there's hardly any visible wear so I didn't even bother to flip it round.  I might do that soon though, but I'll make sure I have time to flip it back if I find the bike doesn't like it.

The original bottom bracket (less than 18 months' use) was shot and the axle was bent, which explained the variation in chain tension which I'd been unable to remedy using the sheldonbrown whacking method.

I now have an almost silent bike again - a rather-fancier-than-necessary chain, a DA sprocket and a UN72/3 BB.  I now need to find a way to stop the carradice saddlebag from creaking and knocking when I wave my posterior in the air.

Are you sure it's the saddlebag and not your knees?   

[alan]

 An approprite comment might be

HELLS TEETH

 

[scott]

I now need to find a way to stop the carradice saddlebag from creaking and knocking when I wave my posterior in the air.

(I know, there are better ways, but I had the picture handy...)

[Ian H]

One of the things about the better quality, hardened sprockets is that they will break rather than just wear.

I assume that's a 3/32" one? I'd hope an 1/8" sprocket would be less prone to breaking teeth.

[GruB]

That really is a very nice patina on that table.

Isn't it just?  It's a big repro desk we picked up from a junk shop in Catford for a shamefully small amount of money.  Same place that sold me a really good slide projector for a fiver.  I do check every now and then in case they have a Hetchins in the window...

Probably property from a burglary.

[PaulR]

The desk or the projector?  I suspect neither, actually.

[andrew_s]

Just to show it can happen on gears too...

[valkyrie]

At least with gears if one sprocket goes you've got others to choose from. In fact, with the latest Campag groupsets, you get one sprocket to use and TEN spares! That should last for ages!

[border-rider]

 

Before I knew better.  I kept it for 17 years to remind me.

I rode back down Wharfedale to Leeds on that - it was a bit noisy going home.

[Ian H]

That's nice enough to frame and hang on the wall.

[border-rider]

It was hanging on the garage wall in Lambourn 1994-2008