caddabs Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Just wondered how long you would expect a reasonably well maintained chain to last? had mine a year and its starting to stretch. It's a Regina which i guess is the cheaper end of the market. any recommendations for a reasonably priced chain that wont stretch too quickly? cheers Caddabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paxdad Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 IMO a mid-grade 520 (Regina or Renthal) chain should last a couple of years depending on the amount of use and the amount of sprocket wear. I have usually had to replace the rear sprocket before the chain if it is aluminum. Again there are quite a few variables that dictate the life of the chain. I once had a Sidewinder chain that I won at a race and ran it for 2 years on a 450 MX bike which had 150 hours of use. I put it on the bike when it was new along with the hour meter!!!! I kept it clean and used WD-40 to displace the water after each wash. I usually check the chain wear/ stretch by pulling the chain back from the rear sprocket and if it pulls back where you can see space greater tan 1/4 of the space between the teeth i consider it worn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombush Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Caddabs like piston life, brake pads and as the previous poster says, there are so many variables that affect this. There are variables such as cleaning, lubrication, riding conditions and quality. I have had sand events kill a new chain in 4 events (enduro), and also had a chain last 2 years when only riding in the summer. However, there are a second variable... your view on what worn out is!! Personaly i take a relaxed view on this and tend to wait for the sprocket set to fully wear out as well, mainly because i've never really been adversely affected by letting it go for a while. The previous poster said pull the chain away from the sprocket and look for 1/4 of the height of the tooth to become visible... I use the same technique but allow a more relaxed 1/2 the height..Its a personal thing. My last comment is always buy a decent chain. People talk about chain stretch, but its really just wear (even if some of this is just bedding in). The better quality chains can significantly cut down the need for constant adjustment. Dom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormplus Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 depends how many trials you have done in a year.a year out a chain kit is good.nothing wrong with a regina its one of the better ones. at least they dont break the side plates like an iris chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 (edited) depends how many trials you have done in a year.a year out a chain kit is good.nothing wrong with a regina its one of the better ones. at least they dont break the side plates like an iris chain. Saw a chain break today - guess what, it was an Iris. (though I think that was the least of his problems, how many stitches did you get Jonathan ?) Edited March 6, 2011 by B40RT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddabs Posted March 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Thanks all - i recon i'll get another season out of it, but wasnt sure if that was good or not. from the above, sounds ok as long as my snail cams last out cheers caddabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony27 Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Running a smaller front sprocket also seems to cause more wear, you'll go through more than 1 front before the rear is worn out Buy a set of oversize snail cams, the originals won't let you get full movement of the axle. I bought a jitsie set for mine which make quite a difference, pretty sure there's a few other manufacturers doing them as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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