It's also a massively complicated bit of tech, with hundreds of metal pieces that form the 110 or so chain links, all of which are in constant motion articulating around the drivetrain's gears. With that much metal-on-metal contact, chains can wear quickly, sometimes needing replacement several times a year.
Most bike mechanics estimate that you should replace your chain every 2,000 to 3,000 miles. But depending on your riding conditions and lubricant of choice, your replacement interval can be as short as 600 miles or more than 10,000. If you miss that critical service interval for your chain (defined as 0.5mm of chain wear), it could lead to your cassette and chainrings requiring replacement this can increase your repair bill from just the price of a chain to (potentially) quadruple that cost.
When I first started looking more deeply into chain lube, I realized that lube is one of the most problematic things to review as a tech editor. Proper and empirical testing of a single chain lube can take months, and that's if you have the equipment to do it. There is no standardized testing for lubes among manufacturers. To make matters worse, the marketing claims of some brands range from over-exaggeration to basically science fiction.
One of the first independent chain lube testing efforts was by Jason Smith of Friction Facts. Smith was doing independent testing of chain lubes before Ceramic Speed (a company that makes parts to optimize drivetrain efficiency) purchased Friction Facts in 2016. Smith's efforts focused on chain lube efficiency by measuring drivetrain losses in watts. This testing required custom-built machines that could set input power and measure output power. They needed to be extremely precise at both ends, with a reported accuracy within 0.02 of a watt.
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Denne historien er fra Fall 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.
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ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
