SDizzle
07-07-2005, 10:47 AM
First, a primer. I've been running a Veloce cassette (12-23) since January, with a Wipperman chain. I assumed I'd put about three thousand miles on it, but have re-evaluated that number to be closer to six thousand. Pretty good for any chain, especially a Wipperman...and here might arise my problem.
I assumed the Wipperman was the source of noise and play (neither excessive, but always present) that I'd had in my drivetrain, but also chalked it up (possibly) to my crappy Veloce derailler (on a full Centaur system; since I built the bike for winter riding, I figured I'd trash the derailleur pretty quickly anyway). So, at several folks' suggestions, I bought a C10 chain for it. I put it all together (with the perma-pin, not the Connex link) and got it shifting flawlessly in the stand. Better than it's ever shifted, in fact. But riding it out of the driveway showed otherwise. The chain skipped like crazy under any power - not really up or down, at least not so I could tell. It just jump over the cog, and did it worst in cogs 6 and up. So I gingerly rode the bike into town and thought I'd have a professional (Vecchio's in Boulder) check it out. He put it in the stand, eff'ed with it for a minute, and said he thought it was OK, but to ride it around the block. I crossed my fingers and did as I was told, but to no avail. It still won't do anything smoothly.
Obviously, my first thought, and one that Vecchio's confirmed, was that I needed a new cassette. But after five or six thousand miles? That doesn't seem like much riding at all, and I've maintained everything meticulously - regular lubing, thorough cleaning (ie, disassembling the cassette every two or three weeks), and not particularly bad weather riding (little rain, no road salt or snow). Also, it *shows* little visible wear - the cogs don't look worn in any way (other than the norm).
First, is my cassette trashed? Second, should I rightly expect to get more than this kind of mileage from a cassette? Third, should I have changed my chain a long time ago? Thanks!
I assumed the Wipperman was the source of noise and play (neither excessive, but always present) that I'd had in my drivetrain, but also chalked it up (possibly) to my crappy Veloce derailler (on a full Centaur system; since I built the bike for winter riding, I figured I'd trash the derailleur pretty quickly anyway). So, at several folks' suggestions, I bought a C10 chain for it. I put it all together (with the perma-pin, not the Connex link) and got it shifting flawlessly in the stand. Better than it's ever shifted, in fact. But riding it out of the driveway showed otherwise. The chain skipped like crazy under any power - not really up or down, at least not so I could tell. It just jump over the cog, and did it worst in cogs 6 and up. So I gingerly rode the bike into town and thought I'd have a professional (Vecchio's in Boulder) check it out. He put it in the stand, eff'ed with it for a minute, and said he thought it was OK, but to ride it around the block. I crossed my fingers and did as I was told, but to no avail. It still won't do anything smoothly.
Obviously, my first thought, and one that Vecchio's confirmed, was that I needed a new cassette. But after five or six thousand miles? That doesn't seem like much riding at all, and I've maintained everything meticulously - regular lubing, thorough cleaning (ie, disassembling the cassette every two or three weeks), and not particularly bad weather riding (little rain, no road salt or snow). Also, it *shows* little visible wear - the cogs don't look worn in any way (other than the norm).
First, is my cassette trashed? Second, should I rightly expect to get more than this kind of mileage from a cassette? Third, should I have changed my chain a long time ago? Thanks!