Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rlgvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rlgvax!dennis From: dennis@rlgvax.UUCP (Dennis Bednar) Newsgroups: net.bicycle Subject: Re: 5000 miles too short a Life For a Chain? Message-ID: <806@rlgvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 19-Nov-85 17:33:41 EST Article-I.D.: rlgvax.806 Posted: Tue Nov 19 17:33:41 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 21-Nov-85 21:48:07 EST Organization: CCI Office Systems Group, Reston, VA Lines: 46 Heres a direct reply, in case anyone else is interested. From: Roger Hayes To: dennis@rlgvax.uucp Newsgroups: net.bicycle In-Reply-To: <839@rlgvax.UUCP> Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson Cc: You gotta clean them! Especially if you ride in rain, or if your bike gets muddy or sandy. What happens is that dirt gets into the bearings between the links. Then the holes that the link pins go through in the inner links, turn from round to oblong. This is called "stretch" because it makes your chain get longer. It also makes it sloppier from side to side; a new chain will have perhaps 1/2 inch sideways slop between chainwheel and freewheel. An old, dead chain will have an inch or more. Try it; just move the middle of that stretch of your chain sideways. (Narrow chains have more side flex than regular ones). Note that the sideways stiffness of the chain is what lets you change gears. If you ride with a dead chain, you (as you learned) carve the teeth on your chainwheel and freewheel into funny shapes. Once this happens, there's really no help but to replace chain, chainwheel, and (almost certainly) freewheel. See, if you put a new chain on, it will skip (because it only contacts one or two teeth solidly) and wear out very quickly; if you put on a new chainwheel, it will wear out rapidly because the chain is still bad (which is what wore it out in the first place, right?) In both situations, the new part is gonna wear very rapidly -- a waste of money. Vetta makes a handy-dandy gadget that makes it much easier to clean your chain -- you can do it right on the bike. It's called a "Chain Cleaner", of all unusual names, it is a little fluid bath with brushes that fits over the chain right on the bike, and retail is less than $20. (I get no kickback, I just think it's a great idea). All the Best, Roger Hayes Tucson, AZ rogerh@arizona.CSNET ihnp4!arizona!rogerh -- Dennis Bednar Computer Consoles Inc. Reston VA 703-648-3300 {decvax,ihnp4,harpo,allegra}!seismo!rlgvax!dennis