(07-07-2020, 10:24 PM)Jesper Wrote: [quote='CharleyFarley' pid='39056' dateline='1594154076']
.....I asked the 'mechanic' if chains only last 1,000 miles, after he told me it was shot. He said they're only good for 800 miles so I was lucky to get a thousand out of it....
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Sorry to hear someone tell you that a chain is lucky to last only 800 miles (absolute tripe!); l can only assume that it refers to a chain that gets no maintenance on a fixed/single speed.
This was on a 7-speed cruiser. I've learned, since then, that he was talking nonsense
Quote:If you are doing 100 mile maintenance regularly under the conditions you stated then your chain will (should) last much longer than that "mechanic" (SALESMAN) stated. One reason some chains don't last is due to over tensioning on a single speed bike. Our single speed bikes always worked fine when we were kids. Of course, we were always dousing the chain in motor oil (Still an ample solution if that's all you have).
I remember adjusting my chain when I was a kid. Being that the chain ring and/or the single speed freewheel might not be perfectly round, but have a high spot, we had to make sure that the chain didn't tighten up as the pedals were turned and the chain hit the high spot. And 3 in 1 oil was the lubricant. I used to run a lot of miles with a friend, all over the city, deliberately getting lost and exploring, and I never had to change a chain. I wouldn't have known how to, anyway.
Quote:Those chain cleaner devices do work just, not to the greatest degree possible. Since l primarily deal with aluminum alloy chainrings, and some alloy freewheels (they are expensive!); l like to ensure that everything is as clean as possible. Granted, this is "professional" racing level maintenance; look at any well maintained racing bike and everything looks clean and new. The problem with chain "cleaners" is the fact that you continue to run your chain through a dirty solvent bath. Yes, you will get rid of a lot of the "gross" debris and grit (which mostly causes sprocket wear), but you are leaving behind the tiny stuff which is what actually "chews" up in innards of the chain.
It works fine for my need. What's left in the container after I've run the chain through it, is jet black. It's better than not cleaning it at all. And I'm not wearing chains out. I ran a Schwinn hybrid for 4,500 miles on one chain before I sold it, and it was in excellent condition. Also used it on a Sun fat bike, and my Specialized fat bike with no problems.
Quote:PS. As a side study, l'd be curious to know how long your chain lasts since it is obvious you keep a tally of your mileage. A chain wear gauge is a cheap investment ($10-$20). I think too many shops are ready to sell a part, than to do the required maintenance; chains being the best example of this practice. A good shop should have a parts cleaner bath just like a good automotive shop does. Unfortunately, it has turned into a sales ethic and not repair.
My Specialized fat bike has 8,500 miles on the original chain. I do have a Park clicker tool to check for chain wear. It is reading .05 at the moment. Park recommends a new chain at .075, but other cyclists have said they change the chain when it reads .10. A brand new chain reading starts around .25. I'll stick with Park's recommendation. Obviously, I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of the chain. The chain cleaner I run it through apparently has done no harm and may even have helped prolong the life of the chain.
The mechanic who told me a chain is only good for 800 miles, has shown me he is no mechanic. Indeed, I'd put my work up against his, any time. And here's why:
I bought a new Sun fat bike from the LBS. It came with a hub gear but I noticed a derailleur hanger on the chain stay. I asked him if he could swap the hub gear for a derailleur. He said he could, and I paid them another $100 to do that. When the bike was done, they called me to pick it up. I guess I should have given it a test ride at the shop but I failed to do that. When I got it home, it was almost unrideable because the lowest gear felt like taking off in fourth. Obviously they never tested it after doing the job. It took several weeks to get the correct chain ring. They just assumed the original chain ring, matched to the hub gears, was good for the derailleur. Also, they fitted an 8-speed freewheel and lever shifter, but when the chain was on the largest cog it touched the tire. They adjusted it so that the shifter started at #2 position to prevent the chain going onto the large cog. I didn't like that so I adjusted it to start at number one, and adjusted the derailleur so it wouldn't go onto the large cog.
In the meanwhile, the cruiser I had bought from them had some kind of fault in the front wheel rim. It would suddenly grab at a certain spot. I cleaned the rim, as they said, with alcohol, and if necessary, 400 grit paper. It worked for about a half mile and then started grabbing again. I removed the wheel and tire and checked the width of the rim all the way around; it was perfect. Pressing the sides of the rims to make sure there wasn't a soft spot, it was hard all the way around. Looking at it, I thought I might find a difference in the metal, perhaps the alloy wasn't properly mixed at the factory. I don't know, I was trying to think of what could possibly be causing the grabbing. So I went to the LBS and asked them to get me two better quality rims. The mechanic said I'm wasting my money because "all rim brakes grab." I didn't argue with him but just asked the owner to get me the rims. That cured it. I'd had several bikes since I was a kid and none of them snatched like this one did. And the mechanic went into a lecture about rims, talking about this measurement and that measurement. I tried to ask him a question and he snapped at me. "I don't care what it says..." he snapped. They'd told me to ask questions if I had any, but when I did, that was what I got. I figured he's having a bad day so I kept quiet.
When I was cleaning the fat bike I noticed something odd about the rear disc brake caliper. The caliper is made to sit flat on the mounting bracket, but one end of this caliper was lifted up and a thick adjusting washer inserted, threaded onto the bolt. I'd not dealt with disc brakes, before, but even to me this was shade tree mechanic work. I took the bolt out, removed their washer, and bolted the caliper down. Then I found out why they had done that. The caliper bit down on the rotor. But I could see the mounting bracket was adjustable, so I moved it a bit, and all was well. They couldn't figure that out!
Next, I didn't like the Sun fat bike so I traded it and the cruiser in for a Specialized Fatboy. When I was cleaning it, I noticed the rear disc brake looked odd. The two caliper bolts were sticking up in the air. The bolts were too long so they threaded a 3/4" stack of washers onto each bolt. I removed the washers and cut the bolts down to the right length.
I was on a long run (long for me) a 35-mile round trip. I was just leaving the city where I had gone, and was going uphill. I changed down to the lowest cog and the chain came off and wrapped around the axle, jammed between the large cog and the pie plate. It took me quite a while with no tools to dig it out. I carry tools but nothing that would dig the chain out. And it was pulled tight around the chain ring, so I couldn't get any slack to pull at the chain. By time I got it out and back onto the cog, my hands were black and sore. I was furious! When I got it home I put it on the bike work stand and found both limit screws were way out. Not only didn't the low limit screw prevent the chain from coming off the large cog, but the high limit screw wouldn't let the chain go onto the smallest cog. I would have though that was the bike shop's responsibility to check those kind of things before the customer takes it away.
Finally, I had bought a Schwinn hybrid online, and I wanted to fit rim brakes with replaceable pads. The LBS only had one pair and said they would order another pair and call me when they come in. That was in February of the year. In May I happened to be riding near the shop so I stopped in to ask if there was any news on the brakes. The mechanic was standing on the showroom floor when I walked in. He greeted me with a smile and I simply asked him if there was any news on the brakes. He spun around, walked briskly away from me, throwing a hand up in the air, and snapped, "We'll call you when they come in!" He then disappeared into the work shop. I stood there, dumbfounded and quite angry. I suppose I should have gone after him and asked him what the problem was, but decided to not do that. I walked out of the shop and decided I would not go there ever again. Their lousy work and his bad temper drove me away, but I figured I'd still get the brakes when they called me. October came around and no call, so I got them, online.
I did contact the LBS owner through his Facebook page, and told him about the long bolts on the fatboy caliper, and suggested he check bikes coming in for repair, and going out. Obviously, he had no idea about the lousy work his mechanic was turning out. He wrote back, ignoring what I had said about the bolts, and said that washers are used to adjust disc brakes. He didn't have a clue!
About a year after I quit dealing with them, I got a Facebook notice that a customer had written them a review. I got the notice because I had left a good review at the very beginning. I read the woman's review and she was pleased with the attention they gave her when she took her bike for new tires. I saw that her review was right near mine, so I deleted my review and removed the photos I'd posted. A few weeks after that I looked at their Facebook page, again, and the woman had removed her review and left a really bad one about being ripped off and having to take her bike to another shop to have the job done properly. Couldn't even fit tires? They responded, saying it was all her fault. And that business has been around for 40 years.
Hey, I can write books, too.