Aah, one more thing... I would seriously reccommend getting 24/34/44 rather than 22/32/44 as the shifting up and down to/from the big ring is so much more efficient, a whole lot quicker and easier. You get a small but useful bit extra momentum as well. Not a lot, but it helps.
I've tried all manner of rings and IMO Shimano shift the best. Get steel inner/middle (Deore) from CRC and they are dirt cheap, will shift great and last an age. The downside is you gain about 110 grammes (big wow). You can piss that amount of weight out pre-ride.
I have Deore chainrings at the mo and they haven't held up well. Maybe this was beacuse I've been bone idle and I've only just realised the importance of cleaning the chain!!
Maintaining a drivetrain is difficult if the chain get's knacked. Once a chain stretches, the cogs get worn very quickly. Any chainrings will cope with a good clean and relube every ride, but let's face it, who does that??
The steel Deore rings last a stack longer than any alu rings I've ever had and I don't look after my drivetrain very well. In terms of spending dough on my bike, chains and rings comes low on the agenda they are essentially disposable in my eyes.
You'll need one of those chain length gizmos to check if your chain is shagged or not. If you put new rings on with a shagged chain it'll jumo all over the place. I've also used Middleburn rings which do seem to last quite well as do Black Spire with TA being the lightest but not necessarily the most long lived.
You can get by without a gizmo, just hang 'em up side by side on a couple of nails & pull any slack out. The maximum stretch should be no more than 1/2 a link over it's length. Even if it's getting near this I'd be inclined to change it.
You are allowed 1% stretch then the chain should be replaced otherwise the wear rate will increase and annihilate your cassette and rings.Usually 1/8"over in 12" of chain.
I have just learnt a painfull lesson regarding the chain length/stretch.
I bought a new chain in late december. I have been riding it constantly since then twice a week in very bad conditions. I have been ill for 3wks recently and decided to get to the bottom of bad gear change.
I have had to replace mech(Slightly bent), chain stretched and worn beyond belief, 2 chainrings require replacement, cassette was changed in november but i bought a spare recently to check if this was the cause, mech hanger was also replaced to give best chance of gear shifting improvement.
I am broke now and will keep a bloody good eye on my chain wear from now on.
Indeed it does. Rule of thumb's always worked fine though. Get to see 3 months or so out of a chain over winter with similar usage to yourself without having to change out rest of drivetrain on a too regular basis. It does mention on the Park site that a chain should be replaced before it gets to 1%
The Park tool measures 0.75% and 1% stretch.Best to change at .75% wear to be safe. Changed the MTB chain last week and that had gone over 1% but the new chains working okay on the cassette.
I change my chain every 6 to 8 weeks based on the amount of riding, but I keep the old chains! After the 3rd new chain I go back and recycle the 1st chain and repeat the process. This roughly balances the chain stretch against ring and cassette wear and I can usually get three complete cycles out of each chain.
I also start buying the replacement parts at each chain change after the last new chain is fitted, including all the parts for rebuilding my hubs. Little and often and its almost painless financially, but there is something very reassuring about having a complete drive train sitting on the shelf paid for as the existing one nears the end of it life.
I've used them all. Shimano Alu rings are softer than butter avoid. Steel ones will last for ages, shift fine but weigh a tonne
RaceFace dont last much longer than the Shimao Alu ones
Middleburn Hardcoat slikshft all the way for me. Light and look good too
Change the chain at 75% and you should be able to get through 4 chains for each cassete or fron chainring (unless you use shimano ones). Nothing changes gear quite like a fresh chain on brand new cassette and chainrings
