I've been having trouble today with my chain slipping when I push big Watts (for me anyway) through the crank. It keeps happening when I'm trying to dart onto a roundabout for example. It happened 3 or 4 times today, the first time I thought perhaps the chain had snapped, the third time the chain came off at the front. I've narrowed it down to being the big ring at the front. When I had it serviced 6 months (3,000 or so miles) back, they replaced the cassette and the chain, but he did make some comment about me being a 'big ring warrior' or something, so clearly he could see wear on the big ring. I combatted it today by trying to remember to drop into the small ring as I approached roundabouts or traffic lights and it then seemed to be fine.
So, can just the ring be replaced, or is it the crank and everything? Looking at it now, it looks like I could have too much oil on the chain. Can that cause it to slip/jump?
Big ring is worn, but not totally trashed - the ideal thing to look for is teeth looking very 'shark tooth' like. There are a couple on there getting towards that but not all of them. A LBS will say to change it early, same with any drivechain component (money in their pocket).
As
@Jonny ///M says, seeing daylight under the chain means that's worn. It looks like it does need a good clean, give it one and then snap another pic. The price of components at the moment I'd say change the chain and see how it behaves, if it's still dropping/skipping then change the chainring AND cassette so you've changed the whole lot before anything wears.
With worn drivechain components once things get 'worn in' changing anything in isolation will just reduce it's life. The newer things are, the 'tighter' the spacing, but if then used with worn 'loose' spaced components they just stretch quicker to 'fit' into the system.
Changing chains frequently reduces this (as they're the first to 'stretch'), which is why we generally check their 'length' (space between links) with a tool. Usual rule of thumb is to change the cassette every 2-3 chains. I change my chains early and probably overly wear my cassettes and they probably do 5-6 chains (about every 3-4 years). Chainrings you can 'see' the wear on teeth profiles (unlike a cassette), so they don't generally have a 'cycle' of replacement. They're also one of the most expensive so generally you're 'saving' them by replacing the others before they get too worn.
My wife finally got round to finishing the RC7s I bought off
@Jonny ///M a few weeks back after a few redesigns! Needless to say I love them! Definitely helped having a plain backdrop for her to work with!
Loads of pics here on Instagram, and one below.
They look awesome, really clean and cool 'pro' custom look!
One day I'll find Goldilocks shoes
I thought my Sidi where it, but the Fizik Powerstrap ones I got recently are very close to them, maybe even slightly better!
You think the cassette as well as the chain and chainring!
Damn, doing high mileage is expensive
I'll probably call my LBS later and see if they can squeeze me in. I have a four day bike trip in 10 days, I'll have to hope they can sort it in time I guess.
I'd change just the chain for your trip and see how it behaves before you go. With it falling off the big ring, it can't get much 'worse'!
3 weeks ago got my LBS to check/bleed my caliper. They 'fitted in' around other jobs as a favour and it was 3 days. But to actually book it in for a complete bleed and hour service it wouldn't have been until 6 weeks after! They're that busy still!
I can change a rear cassette, it's the chain bit I need to learn. I've not removed the front cranks or anything yet. I have a bit of a history with technical stuff of getting something slightly wrong leading to more problems.
The chain went through one of those chain bath things a couple of times only a week back. I only then dabbed on as I rolled it through once. I think what amazes me is how mush oil comes out of the chain when cleaning. Do most people take it off and leave it to soak in something?
I'm also worried cleaning the cassette as I was told the one reason the freehub went was perhaps cleaning chemicals go in and cleaned out the grease?
If you know enough to change a cassette then you can do a chain. With the right tools the 'hardest' parts are getting it the same length and the routing. Just take pictures of the old one before it's off for that (around pulleys on RD, without any tension on the chain, so comparable when you fit new). For the length, lay the old one on the (clean) ground and the new one alongside, then trim it down to length. At the very worst, 'count' the links!
Cleaning cassettes is one of those things - hard to do without getting degreaser in freehubs/bearings or contaminants on your disk rotors. But you know how 'easy' it is to take a cassette off? Just do that! Take it off and take it apart, then bathe it in degreaser/water/oil and scrub scrub scrub! Just be sure you can get the thing back together correctly. For Shimano series the rings are actually numbered so you can't get them 'wrong', just get the numbers facing outwards and in sequence.
As you're on R8000 then likely the biggest 3 rings are fitted together, then the next 3 the same, then a single ring, a spacer, a ring, a spacer, a ring, a spacer, a ring then the final one which has a lip so doesn't need a spacer. 3 spacers. R7000 I think only has 3 rings fixed together (like previous 105 5800 and Ultegra 6800), so has 5-6 spacers.
The spacers themselves are plastic and can be brittle, they don't need scrubbing, just wash and wipe them down. With the sprockets (cogs) off there is no worry about getting degreaser 'in' anything, they're just metal, so scrub them clean as you can. They'll never look 'new', but the 'road gravy' should come off them a treat. The chain brushes you can get work well - long quite solid bristles to get in the gaps, an old toothbrush is also good for more scrubbing.
I am a Outlaw
Congratulations! Well done! How did it go?
