Hi all,
the bike in question is about 4 years old, has now done a total of 3000 km (~900 of those on the trainer this winter). After getting a bit more serious about biking I thought I should be more serious about maintenance as well. I quickly found that I should change my chain (chain gauge foto). How do I assess whether or not the change the cassette as well? I would assume the milage is ok, but am unsure due to age and maintenance up to now. Thanks in advance!
by machaeraHB
14 Comments
Check if the teeth look “sharpened”. If so, they’re most likely work. But tbh, 3k is a decent point in which to replace the casette.
Ofc you could go another 3k w/o any issues, but if you’re gonna change the chain, why not take the whole package?
That looks humped to me, so run it into the ground as it’ll keep working as is at this point.
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Change the chain also. And if you replace the cables, the bike will change gears like silk.
You can’t tell by looking at the cassette if it needs to be changed… always change the chain and then if the chain is slipping on the cassette change the cassette.
I use about 4 chains on the cassette and i change the chain at 0.5%, never let the chain pass the 0.7%
That drivetrain is very dirty…clean it before instaling the new chain and use chain lube (dry lube when is dry wet lube when is wet )
Watch some tutorials on how to properly lube your chain (link by link and whipe the excessive oil, you need oil inside the rolers not outside or the cassette)
Is the chain starting to skip on the cassete teeth?
At least in the pic the chain looks snug(ish) on the cassete. Mine looks way worse at 5800km and it’s starting to skip, so i’m running this chain(4th chain) and cassete until it skips too much then replace both.
If your isn’t skipping i’d go for 1 more chain, unless your cassete is inexpensive.
[Check how mine was at around 5000km](https://www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/comments/16brtj4/this_spaces_are_a_sign_of_cassete_wear_right_its/)
new chain and casette, its done
I can tell you what I do: I’ll change the chain and see if that works. If it does, fine, I’m done – if not, I’ll get a new cassette. If that works: see above. Otherwise I’ll also replace the offending chain wheel.
About $20 bucks for a chain and $30 for a cassette. Just do both.
Change the chain, then if it skips under high torque, change the cassette.
The only way to know is to put a new chain on and see what happens. Note that you won’t see chain slippage when adjusting on the stand – you actually have to take the bike out and test ride it, because slippage only happens under load, which you can’t simulate in the stand.
If it slips, the cassette has to be replaced. If it doesn’t, the cassette is fine. Note that slippage may only occur in one or two cogs, which would happen to be your most commonly used ones.
Get yourself a chain gauge. I like the Rohloff or the Var
https://www.all4cycling.com/en/products/misuratore-stato-catena-var?variant=37995593007286&country=us&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google-Shopping-USA&utm_content=Misuratore%20stato%20catena%20Var&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhtWvBhD9ARIsAOP0GogfFIUsIXxTWZrogrhiGS1LYUyyiTUtts9P8OilcaElmLny_493vYMaAuEDEALw_wcB
Zooming right in it looks like the teeth are deformed, if so you really need a cassette, show us a pic of it clean to be sure.
Depends how long you’ve been riding the bike with a worn chain