Mileage: 3,000 miles approx
Hey everyone,
I’m about to check out my first decent gravel bike, and I’m a bit worried about the chainring. It looks like it might have some wear or damage—how serious is that usually? Could it affect performance or mean costly repairs?
The frame also has a few scratches, but I’m guessing those are mostly cosmetic and not a big deal, right?
I’d really appreciate any tips on what to check regarding the chainring and frame before I decide. Also, how much might it cost to replace the chainring if needed?
Thanks so much for your help!
by PerformanceGuilty650
1 Comment
I wouldn’t worry about the scratches personally. It’s just cosmetic.
The chainring does show a lot of wear for only 3,000 miles. It could be because the owner didn’t care for cleaning the drivetrain frequently. Dirt in the chain can cause premature wear. To determine whether that needs replacing you’d have to test ride it and check if it’s skipping and if the chain sits on it correctly. If if drives and shifts fine, I wouldn’t worry. However because of the wear on the chainring, I’d inspect the cassette and the chain as well.
Worst case if all parts need replacing, they are not overly expensive to replace – I imagine £20-25 for the FSA chainring, another £20-25 for the Shimano cassette and £15-20 for a new chain (recommended to replace with a new cassette).
The cost will increase substantially if you are unable to do this work yourself and have to take it to a bike shop. Then you’re probably looking at double/triple the cost of parts depending on prices around where you live.