Surly chainrings

[jul]

Hi all,

I show you my Surly stainless steel chainring after 20.000 kms



And a new one to compare (only 1 tooth less)



Both of them (on the right the old one)



In my opinion, i dont see a real wear, but maybe i'm wrong..

length teeth : less than 1/2 mm
Width betheen teeth : around 1/2 mm in addition

Do you think i have to change by a new one ? or i can ride many kilometers with the old one ?

I specify than my Rohloff sprockret is used (10.000kms) but can ride still a lot of kilometers..

Usually i change my chain every 5000 kms to prevent the breakage of a link

[mickeg]

I do not think you need to change them yet.

If you keep using the old one, the chain and chainring wear in together and it has an even number of teeth.  You might note that the old one, the tooth adjacent to the letter L in Surly has more side wear than the tooth adjacent to the letter U.  The chainlinks with inner plates have worn the sides of every other tooth more, and that includes the tooth adjacent to the letter L.

For that reason, I think if you keep using the old one that you should make sure that you put your chain on the same way that it was on before,  thus a link with inner plates should go on the tooth with the letter L, as the chain and ring have been wearing in together that way.

The other new ring has an odd number of teeth, every revolution the chain links will alternate, on each tooth, first an inner plate, then an outer plate, then an inner plate, etc.  Thus, each tooth will wear the same way as every other tooth, so that is not an issue.

[martinf]

When you have finished using one side, if you haven't already done it you can turn the ring over and use the other side.

This can also be done with the threaded sprockets, not sure about the new splined ones.

[mickeg]

When you have finished using one side, if you haven't already done it you can turn the ring over and use the other side.
...

Can you do that with Surly rings?

[martinf]

Can you do that with Surly rings?

Yes, it says "Like all things mechanical, it will eventually wear out. When it does, simply flip the chainring around and you’ll get another lifespan out of it." on this official Surly site:

https://surlybikes.com/parts/stainless_steel_chainrings.

I haven't yet needed to do this with any of the Surly rings on family bikes, but have been doing it for years with flat Sturmey-Archer sprockets on those bikes that have them.

The Sturmey-Archer sprockets are dirt cheap (3 to 5 euros) so it would not seem worthwhile, but I have to order them as they aren't easy to find locally so it saves on shipping and hassle.

IMO it's definitely worthwhile for more expensive chainrings and Rohloff sprockets, so long as the design of the ring/sprocket makes it possible.

[steve216c]

I don't have Surly chainring but Truvativ for which I could find no definitive answer on flippablity, but advice that it was probably possible. So I flipped mine just to see after it had exceeded 20,000km of which over 10k was in my ownership, and the rest was an estimate of the original owner who had owned the bike several years prior but was uncertain of actual distance traveled. My bike came 2nd hand also with its original rear sprocket which I flipped on acquisition when fitting a new chain to replace the Shimano chain from original purchase.

I will be replacing both chainring and rear sprocket sometime soon, but I'm pushing to see how far I can push the original items and maintain rideability. My rear socked is looking very worn already but despite my apprehension, I am amazed that I'm still riding trouble free in the drivechain department already 3000km over my initial goal of reaching 10,000km  before replacing chain, chainring and rear sprocket with brand new items.

I'm passed the 13,000km mark last week and other than readjust my rear sliders (no eccentric on my non-Thorn Rohloff bike) for chainwear since shortening the chain at 10,000km, I am just amazed and astounded how this old worn combo keeps working reliably and without incident despite looking much more worn than yours.  I do expect to eventually reach the point where I cannot flog my dead horses of spockets and chain any longer. But I am beginning to really enjoy how this worn out combination of components still turning and turning and turning.
From experience, on a derailleur bike I would have got through at least 3 or 4 chains, the same number of cassettes and at least 1 chain ring in 13,000km of my ownership of my bike. With original (reversed) chainring and original (reversed) sprocket with 23,000km (or more!) to their name, my bike is JUST on it's 2nd chain!

Note that my bike is mostly used for commuting and no long tours where I might end up stuck in the middle of nowhere. I would not recommend pushing components to the limit I am experimenting with if you are likely to get stranded assuming your bike components will withstand the same abuse.

A Rohloff equipped bicycle is truly a remarkable machine, not just in terms of the technical wizardry in the hub. But in the longevity and reliability of those external drivetrain components compared with derailleur bikes.

[jul]

A Rohloff equipped bicycle is truly a remarkable machine, not just in terms of the technical wizardry in the hub. But in the longevity and reliability of those external drivetrain components compared with derailleur bikes.

Yes i confirm, impressive, you have nothing to do other than ride 

Mickeg, thanks for your remarks, i had never seen this wear.. but maybe it is for that reason than everytime i replace my chain (every 4-5000 kms), i hear an unpleasant sound for a few hundred kilometers...?

Otherwise, i reversed my sprocket