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Improve Chain & Cassette Wear

Improve Chain & Cassette Wear

Improve Chain & Cassette Wear

There are a lot of tips and tricks to improve chain & cassette wear. This tip helps minimize wear and bent cassette teeth.

It’s pretty simple.

Check out the video then read the post for more details.

So, fairly self explanatory. For those still interested let’s look a little deeper.

MTB involves a lot of steeps with high torque as well as dirt and grime working to accelerate wear. No need to abuse the product.

Improve Chain & Cassette Wear

Just because you CAN dump a bunch of gears all at once doesn’t mean you should. I know, why can you if you shouldn’t. Because in some situations it’s not a big deal. However understanding what those situations are and why other situations are particularly hard on drivetrain wear will help you get the most out of your purchase.

But it works in the stand! Yes, most the time indeed. In fact there are a lot of times it works no issue on trail too.

The times it doesn’t work though, it’s hard on your drivetrain.

In the stand you’re putting very minimal torque through the drivetrain. When the chain catches in the stand there is substantially less force trying to drive it through the stall then on trail. Especially when you’re pedaling hard.

The rear tire is also operating resistance free. Not only free of rotational resistance, but, it’s also free of lateral resistance.

In the second clip the chain stalls just slightly, albeit with enough force to pull the bike towards the camera. We’ve established that you’re most likely pedaling with much more torque than I’m spinning the drivetrain in the stand. Well your rear tire is also planted on the ground. So, that energy you visually see pulling the bike has to dissipate differently. Namely into the chain and cassette. This manifests in premature wear or bent teeth.  And to repeat, with more power through the cranks on trail there will be a substantially increased force compared to the video in the stand…

Dump shifting a bunch of gears under torque is costing you time, ride quality and cash.

If you’re in a high torque situation, climbing under power, etc there’s an option. And it’s almost as quick too. Simply shift one gear at a time without uncocking your thumb. This allows the chain to settle across each cassette cog before moving to the next one. You will find substantially less clanging and crunching out of your bike. Plus your gear will last longer.

So when can you dump shift? Well it depends on your technique and terrain. I get away with it going downhill or on some flats prior to climbs. On easier climbs I might jump two gears in a shift but seldom more than that. It just doesn’t make me enough faster to deal with putting a bike in a stand looking for a nuisance tick from a bent cassette tooth.

 

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