10 speed chain lifetime?

[benb]

What kind of chain life is expected out of 10-speed chains?

- Assuming riding in the rain on a semi-regular basis
- Not cleaning the bike with kid gloves after every ride?

I swear I have less then 1000 miles on my current chain... (getting married, not good for my riding this spring at all!)

Anyway the shifting has been off, last weekend I found the time to tear it all down & clean & adjust everything. I couldn't get it perfect which is a little odd, usually I have no trouble.. I had some time today and took it into the shop.

Guy puts it on the stand and checks the chain and it's worn out.. (I assume to .75, not 1.0). Kind of shocked.. I didn't bother to check the chain as I thought there was no way in hell it could be worn out yet.

This was an Ultegra chain.

I'm starting to miss 9-speed... ? The mechanic claimed he has seen some people wearing through 10-speed chains in 800 miles?

Maybe I'm all screwed up and lost track, in any case I'm positive I have not put 2000 miles on that chain.

[jlwdm]

My 10 speed Campy chain has 2600 miles on from this year plus some from last year. I have been getting 3000 miles easy.

Jeff

[Dekonick]

there is no gurantee of how long it will last - just a range depending on how you ride, the conditions you ride in, and how you clean & lube your chain. People report anywhere from 1k-3k+ My personal experience has been under 2k per chain, but I am trying a new tactic (using 3 chains per cassette and roatating them weekly) unfortunately, I have a broken ankle and won't be able to report until a later date.

Good luck!

[fierte_poser]

Search for posts by Dave. Its all been discussed in the past.

;)

[Dave]

The chain with the shortest life I ever tested was a Shimano DA 10, but it had lots of life left after 2500 miles. I projected at least 3500 before it reached a true .5% elongation - measured with a full length scale not a Park chain checker.

At the minimum check the elongation with a precision 12" scale. Place one end at the edge of a pin. The pin at the opposite end will be completely covered when new. When that covered pin is exposed by nearly 1/2 it's diameter, the chain has reached .5% elongation.

The chain should be relubed after every ride in a significant amount of rain, if you expect to get much life from it. If that's too much trouble, keep tossing chains every 1000 miles.

I expect about 5,000 from a Campy 10 chain and I have used them for up to 6,000. They still show little elongation at that point, but the rollers are shot and the side clearance is nearly twice the original amount. Any chain used for this many miles must be used in a rotation with other chains. If one chain is used for 5,000 miles with a new cassette, there's a good chance of having chain skip when a second chain is installed, but it depends on how well the wear is distributed among the cogs.

[C5 Snowboarder]

I am well over 2000 miles on my Ultegra 10 sp chain.. and the stretch is very minimal. Lots of miles left.. I do not run the big chain ring with the rear big gear and never run the small chain ring with the little guy.. I think it helps with chain life. my $.03

[lavi]

On replacing chains for a Campy 10 sp drivetrain, should I stick with a Campy chain or switch to something like a Wippermann? What are the differences?

I was thinking of just sticking with Campy, but thought I'd ask to see what the opinions are.

[Dave]

I really like the Wipperman connex link, but not their chains. The only one I ever tried was noisy.

You can't beat Campy for longevity. It will elongate less then any brand I ever tested. The lack of master link is annoying though.

I also had good luck with KMC chains, but only tried the cheap DX10SC.

[lavi]

Thank Dave.

Campy it is.

[Moontrane]

What kind of chain life is expected out of 10-speed chains?

- Assuming riding in the rain on a semi-regular basis
- Not cleaning the bike with kid gloves after every ride?

I swear I have less then 1000 miles on my current chain... (getting married, not good for my riding this spring at all!)

Anyway the shifting has been off, last weekend I found the time to tear it all down & clean & adjust everything. I couldn't get it perfect which is a little odd, usually I have no trouble.. I had some time today and took it into the shop.

Guy puts it on the stand and checks the chain and it's worn out.. (I assume to .75, not 1.0). Kind of shocked.. I didn't bother to check the chain as I thought there was no way in hell it could be worn out yet.

This was an Ultegra chain.

I'm starting to miss 9-speed... ? The mechanic claimed he has seen some people wearing through 10-speed chains in 800 miles?

Maybe I'm all screwed up and lost track, in any case I'm positive I have not put 2000 miles on that chain.

My experience with Shimano Ultegra and 105 10sp chains is typically just under 4,000 miles. Throw in some rain and so-so maintenance and I can see it worn after 2,000 miles.

[rickygarni]

like almost everybody here, I get 2.5-3K miles from a 10 speed Campy chain – no rain riding (almost ever) and cleaning it every month or two

[kgreene10]

I kept having shifting problems and my mechanic had me replace my chain, then my cassette, but it didn't improve much. It turned out that the RD cable was fraying at the head inside the shifter. So, you might take a peek in there.

Still, I only get about 2k miles out of a DA10 chain. I'm trying KMC next.

[GBD]

On Campi Record 10, I get 6K-8k miles. It seems that riding higher cadence, 85-95, extends the life span of chain.

[Moontrane]

I kept having shifting problems and my mechanic had me replace my chain, then my cassette, but it didn't improve much. It turned out that the RD cable was fraying at the head inside the shifter. So, you might take a peek in there.

Still, I only get about 2k miles out of a DA10 chain. I'm trying KMC next.

How many miles did you get from that shifter cable? Shimano, I presume?