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[Pard]

Especially if you are a more spirited rider.  If you are running a chain on ...lets say... hi torque mode and it lets loose, that'll wreck your ass in short order.  Things that may be an inconvenience in one instance can be catastrophic in others.

I wonder if a chain did let loose on an Energica when under high power, how quickly it'd be able to catch itself before shit starts flying out the walls of the motor or tranny?  God help you that bastard locks the rear tire though.

I was doing a heavy horse run on my bike today, nice and cool out, fkn wind, holy shit is that a menace at 3D  speeds.  When I got home, I could hear my chain rattling at lower speeds, so,  umm, yah I probably need to adjust the tension on it again.

How can you tell when a chain is shot and it needs to be replaced, besides for it breaking of course?

Aaron

[Specter]

One thing he didn't mention is, IF your chain adjuster is all the way out.
THe back slack, can be taken up easily by adjusting your chain tension.

I have also heard people say that as long as the guide rods?? between the links are not worn hard that you can see them, you can actually take a link out of the chain, wind the tensioner all the way back in, and readjust and still use the chain until the end of the next tension span.  Other people say that's crazy and a good way to snap a chain and hurt yourself.  But then why a user servicable master link if not then?

Just want to try to stay safe, although sometimes it's hard to see the way I ride ! 

Aaron

[jotjotde]

With a chain gauge you can measure the actual lengthening. Something like this: https://tsubaki.eu/products/chain/tools/chain-wear-indicator/

If you measure in 4 places of the chain you get a good impression of the state the chain is in.
Usually the chain should be changed if the lengthening reached 1 % which is quite a whopping 20 mm on our 2 m long chain.
The less lengthening you tolerate before changing, the higher the chance you don't need to change the sprockets as well.

As described, the HPE was perfect at 10,000. Then rattling began at 13,000. Several tensionings in shortening intervals, death at 14,000.
So, a rattling chain which was quite before might indicate a beginning demise.

[Specter]

I got about 6k on my Chain and have taken up oh maybe 6 or 7 mm so not much.
Just seems odd that you measure and adjust, go around the block and the measurements change a mm or 2.  I find that if it's too tight the thing makes a shit ton of noise, very mechanical noisy, but being a mm or so looser runs a lot quieter.  In the end Im thinking being a bit loose if one must be off perfection is better than too tight.

What would tear up a chain more,  high torque starts, or constant high load like running WOT for miles?  Im thinking the high T starts would booger it up more since it's a sudden hard stretch where the high speed, although it's under a lot of power, it's constant.

FWIW I have my traction control set at 3, I really don't like doing wheelies at 80 MPH if I can help it

Aaron

[jotjotde]

In short, yes, load peaks destroy a chain faster than smooth running.
So does bad alignment, insufficient lubrication, debris between the gliding surfaces.


The long version (sorry for lecturing):
As far as I understand, chain wear is not linear (like a brake-pad), but increasing exponentially. Small locations of wear widen over time, non-worn surfaces get smaller and smaller and at some point it cascades. Generally wear is accellerated by high mechanic stresses like high torque (dragster racing style starts but in our case also high regeneration). A badly aligned chain wears faster as the load is not distributed evenly but concentrated on one side.
The job of the lube is to hinder the direct contact of the gliding surfaces. Otherwise, if they rub against each other, there is microwelding and tearing, destroying the surface. But lubes are degrading under mechanical and thermal stress (cracking of molecules). Or the lube is diluted by solvents (chain cleaner). Or hydrolysed by water ingress.
That's why I found the Regina HPE so appealing, they are marketing these chain with the claim of a special surface coating that makes wet lubrication nearly unnecessary. From my job Iknow glide bearings made of PTFE or special bronze for industrial applications which are running fine, so I regarded this claim as valid.


How does your rear tyre look right now? I think the wear of the rear tyre should tell quite well how your riding style is. It sounds logic: If the tyre is worn early, normally the chain should be worn as well. I am getting more than 11,000 km out of my tyre (Pirelli DR III), from that you can deduct that I am far away from being a serious racer.

[Specter]

My rear tire is unfortunately new. I picked up a piece of glass or something that slit the old one to the point where it would not patch and had to replace it at about 4k miles.  The front tire is looking well... pretty pristine.

I take the bike on track, and ride it hard at times.  No I don't do burnouts and wheelies etc but do put some decent acceleration on it.
When passing people I don't like to f..k around all day in the other lane so will romp it to get over get around and get back. 

Aaron