It all comes down to the physics of you and your bike. Torque,
cleaning and lubrication are most likely your issues. Too much torque
and not enough of the other two = component wear. You sound like a
forceful rider, or one who is frequently in situations that require
above average demands on a drive train. As to whether components have
become "softer" is hard to argue, unless a lot of people are reporting
these same problems.
Either way, unless component manufacturers want to get on the list and
admit their products are more delicate than XX years ago, the whole
matter is guesswork. I broke a chain for the first time in 30+ years
recently. Is it because I weigh more than I used to, or are chains just
punky now. Hard to say.
Dave
On 9/28/2010 7:09 PM, Steve Palincsar wrote:
On Tue, 2010-09-28 at 19:03 -0700, MobileBill wrote:
The questions: Could it be that cassettes and chain rings have become
remarkably less durable in the past XX years? Are lightweight high end
cassettes and chain rings more or less durable than lower end rings?
Or have the indents and carvings on the hyperglide systems made
components more vulnerble to wear? Is it that modern cassettes and
rings are machine (laser?) cut whereas the old freewheels were hand
cut? Any significant difference in manufacturers (shimano vs. sram?)
Or am I just making this up?
The situation: I'm kind of appalled that I've managed to wear
serious shark's fins in my middle, 36T, ring in fewer than 3,500
miles. Cassette is just as bad. Should have changed em out a 1,000
miles ago. Both are Riv standard issue, which is at the low end of the
shimano scale (HG30), and would presumably be heavier and perhaps more
durable than the super lightweights at the upper end of the scale (HG
70). It's a rough world on my commute, frequent stops and quick
accelerations, grinding hills, frequent rains and lots of additional
weight from computers, groceries and what not. But the transmission
gets frequent maintenance, and I have freewheels and chain rings that
are very nearly two decades old and still useable.
Implications: At this rate, I'm going to be replacing cassette and
one to two chain rings (not to mention the chain) twice! each year on
the beloved Saluki. Is it time to reassess whether cassette and chain
ring improvements are really an improvement? Are there transmission
components more appropriate for Riv riders who have little use for the
racing style refinements of modern cassettes and chainrings?
I'm using those same Hyperglide components -- typically XTR (cranks)
and XT, cassettes usually Ultegra or HG70 and have been doing so
for quite some time. I have tens of thousands of miles on chain
rings, and I usually get many thousands of miles on chains and cassettes.
On the other hand, I used to get no more than 2-3000 miles on a
freewheel back in the 70s and 80s.
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