Today's Bike Ride

[Hanneke]

75 kms in 2 hours... never knew I would be able to ride for that long, in such a small gear, pedalling at such a high cadence :w00t: Hard work, but very satisfactory ride. Windy, but we kept it dry... Changing off the front every 50 revs... Just Ian and me though, so hard work!

[daz h]

OOps, just out for a quick 20 when halfway round my cassette starts moving around, very looseslightly dodgy to change gear but steady ride hope without alarm in what gears I had! What do you reckon Daz, time for a new cassette and chain, done about 4,000 miles on this one?

Yes on yout terrain your well pushing it. Your cassete should certainly not be moving around. The only way it should move is forward. A very simple way of knowing if your chain is worn is to either get a chain checker( £3.00) or measure with a ruler.
You simply put the chain checker in the chain and if you have over 0.75 of wear over the length you need a chain. The ruler method is simple also.
Put the ruler across the length of your chain and bear in mind we will be working in imperal. Put the zero on your ruler in line with the centre of one link. Then count across 8". If your chain is 8 1/16" its prob okay. If its 8 1/8" it needs replacing.
Toffer the way most people know that their chain is knackered is when you start upshifting to pedal easier and it starts skipping a sprocket or two. Most people then start adjusting things in frustration and eventually end up taking their steed down to the LBS to be told that it needs a new chain, cassete and the gears need re adjusting.
The chain is designed to wear before your sprockets.
So the minute your links start wearing and you get to the point whereby it needs changing, change it. This will prolong your cassete life immensly.
Dont wait until its too late or you will need a new cassete.
Heavier riders will have to change a chin earlier than a lighter rider. Also if your a cross chain merchant you will too have premature wear.
The chain should always be kept straight, not at an angle.

So I would take your cassete off Toffer and check the wheel. That may need a hub ?. If not put the new cassete on. If your not sure how to do that its a 2 min job with the chain whip and correct socket for the sprocket end cap.
Then put your chain on. Remember to check the length against the old one.

[daz h]

And a little tip when your cleaning your chains.
Take the back wheel out. ( you shouldnt be spraying de greaser into your zillion pound wheel hubs) . Now your going to be turning the pedals but your chain will be catching on your rear stays( Not good ) and your frame will get scratched.
The tip is simply take your skewer out your rear wheel and put it back in your frame with the chain over it. This enables the chain to glide over it and your free to clean away without scratching your frame.
Simples
Keep a spare skewer back for this job if you dont want to use your current one.

[dominion]

OOps, just out for a quick 20 when halfway round my cassette starts moving around, very looseslightly dodgy to change gear but steady ride hope without alarm in what gears I had! What do you reckon Daz, time for a new cassette and chain, done about 4,000 miles on this one?

That'll be a new bike Toffer??

[Hanneke]

Toff, were those the Mavic wheels, the same ones I have? If so, I had a similar problem with mine... I only just changed the casette from 9 speed (as I had them on my ole dbike before) to 10 speed and although I had done the casette change properly and tightened it up properly, it needed an extra spacer! I am not the only one who has had this problem with these wheels, i.e. hubs...

Daz, excellent tip yet again about chain cleaning!

I replace my chains regularly, i.e. when they start to wear, and make my casettes last a long long time as a result

[Toffer]

That'll be a new bike Toffer??

hmmmmm, reckon one should have at least two Italian bikes in one's "stable"........in case of emergency you understand........

[Toffer]

Yes on yout terrain your well pushing it. Your cassete should certainly not be moving around. The only way it should move is forward. A very simple way of knowing if your chain is worn is to either get a chain checker( £3.00) or measure with a ruler.
You simply put the chain checker in the chain and if you have over 0.75 of wear over the length you need a chain. The ruler method is simple also.
Put the ruler across the length of your chain and bear in mind we will be working in imperal. Put the zero on your ruler in line with the centre of one link. Then count across 8". If your chain is 8 1/16" its prob okay. If its 8 1/8" it needs replacing.
Toffer the way most people know that their chain is knackered is when you start upshifting to pedal easier and it starts skipping a sprocket or two. Most people then start adjusting things in frustration and eventually end up taking their steed down to the LBS to be told that it needs a new chain, cassete and the gears need re adjusting.
The chain is designed to wear before your sprockets.
So the minute your links start wearing and you get to the point whereby it needs changing, change it. This will prolong your cassete life immensly.
Dont wait until its too late or you will need a new cassete.
Heavier riders will have to change a chin earlier than a lighter rider. Also if your a cross chain merchant you will too have premature wear.
The chain should always be kept straight, not at an angle.

So I would take your cassete off Toffer and check the wheel. That may need a hub ?. If not put the new cassete on. If your not sure how to do that its a 2 min job with the chain whip and correct socket for the sprocket end cap.
Then put your chain on. Remember to check the length against the old one.

Thanks Daz, the locking nut just seemed to have come completely undone! Now cassette and nut back on, cassette doesn't look too bad, certainly had no chain slippage/jumping. Gonna get a ruler and do the chain check, in imperial of course, will report back.....

[Toffer]

....and no Hann, not the lovely Mavics, older set on the Ridley
Now, where was that ruler....

[dominion]

hmmmmm, reckon one should have at least two Italian bikes in one's "stable"........in case of emergency you understand........

You know the formula??

Correct number of bikes = n + 1

[where n = current bikes]

[Toffer]

That is my mantra, obviously I need a new bike........
Not sure Mrs T is aware of said formula........however isn't mantra No2 "forgiveness is easer to obtain than permission"?