Reply To: Help diagnosing chainring wear

#229144

As a professional mechanic for 40+ years, I would offer a  couple of things to check:

1) It looks more like this wear is from the chain being cross-chained than actual “load” wear on the teeth.  So – as far as user-related things to check – do you ride in that larger ring often with the rear being in the larger two or three gears?  That makes the chain have to angle onto the front ring as it engages at the top, under load this will wear the outside faces of the teeth as you pedal.  If this is something that you do (common these days on 2x drivetrains), when you approach a hill that you think you will need a lower gear to get up, shift to the smaller front ring BEFORE you get to the start of the effort, and run the chain in the middle of the range in the back or larger cog as you need.   This will keep the chain running “straighter” and also slightly reduce the tension it is under as it comes off the teeth, reducing wear.  (Be aware though, that the smaller ring may also wear a bit faster as it has less teeth, so they engage the chain more frequently…)

2) Your chain appears to be clean – that is good.  Have you been lubricating your chain with a high-quality chain-specific lubricant?  That will also help it “slide” onto the drivetrain teeth as you ride.  Get a good, ‘dry lube’ style of lube (I have been a big proponent of the Boeshield T-9 lube), Rock’nRoll, Prolink, Purple Extreme and others work well too.  Don’t over-lube the chain – I wipe mine off after each ride with a rag, and then rub my fingers on the chain after – if I get any sign of lube coming off on my fingers, I probably have enough lube for another ride.  If the chain made noise while riding, or feels dry after wiping the dirt off, I lube AFTER I am done riding and let the bike sit – a quick wipe-off before I head out again (takes 30 seconds) helps make sure that no new dirt adheres to the chain.  (Over-lubing the chain, or doing it right before you ride tends to attract dust and dirt and you will get some fast wear and a shitty-looking drivetrain!)

Get a chain-checker.  Use it every few weeks/half-dozen rides and as soon as the chain checker “fails” on the first check level, replace it.  You can usually get a few chains over a cassette and rings before they will need to be replaced.  I use good quality but not flashy high-end chains.  I consider them wear items that need to be replaced regularly.  I buy high quality cassettes and chainrings, as a well-maintained and regularly replaced chain will make them last a long time.  One other thing – if the above recommendations are already being done, have a qualified mechanic check the bicycle’s chain-line.  Sometimes, the parts spec’d on a less-expensive bike (not sure what you have…) may not be optimum for the geometry of the frame and the chain will never really run at the best angle.   This might be able to be changed with a part swap or two – see if the dealer will help you out with a discount on the parts, or even a warranty if this is the case.  It’s rarer that this happens these days, but still not unheard of.

Enjoy your bike!