Rohloff Chain

[PH]

It's easy to be too particular when it comes to chains, especially if you've had a lot of experience with derailleurs. Best to forget everything you've learned and keep running them till they're knackered.  I'm using a £10 single speed chain, it has a tough looking anti-rust coating, rarely gets cleaned, oiled with 3in1 when it squeaks, tightened when it looks like it's in danger off falling of and has never given any trouble.  This is why I have a Rohloff, if I wanted to spend time cleaning and adjusting I'd have stuck with derailleurs[]

[pyjamas]

Oh no!  There I was thinking the drive chain would all be nice and easy to maintain (especially compared with derailleurs), but the posts in this forum make it seem very complicated, difficult to get right, and not necessarily very long lasting.  I hope I am only reading of rare problems that people have had!

[peterh]

Hmm, well I fitted a new chain and everything is fine. I haven't given it much attention in the last 3 years, cleaned it occasionally, dribbled some oil on it when I remembered - tightened it a few times a year. Definitely easier than my last bike with a derailier. A new chain every three years isn't bad I think.

[daviddd55]

I've done about 3000 miles on the new chain and it's starting to sag quite a bit; guess there's some life in it yet though. Do Thorn fit a Rohloff chain to the new bike? (Raven Tour) or is it an extra - can't remember. I haven't turned the cogs yet - should I do that now?

[geocycle]

Hi David, Just had a look at your blog -looks great.  I can see that being a regular read as I eat my lunch! 

The rohloff chain is an extra, my RT came with a SRAM PC48 which I've since upgraded to a PC68. 

There seems to be two schools of thought regarding chain and sprocket life.  I now subscribe to the 'leave well alone until it falls off view' -this has taken a while to get used to as I had been an avid chain fettler on my derailleur bikes.  I assume you've tightened the eccentric to remove the worse of the sagging chain?  According to the literature you should expect more than 3k miles before you need to reverse the sprocket (I think i read 10k miles somewhere).  I guess yours is pretty heavy duty use though!  I'd be tempted to change the chain half way -Cairns has some good bike shops - and if it seats OK on the sprocket leave it as it is, otherwise reverse it at that time.

[daviddd55]

SEE OTHER THREAD, but yes, heavy use alright, and I only got 6000km on sprockets and chain. I did clean the chain 2 or 3 times but maybe ought to do that more.