Chain Plates Breaking ????

[Andrew Wilson]

I installed the chain 4 months ago and it has aprox 2500 miles. Regularly cleaned and lubed and never in the rain. The bike is a Cruzbike V20 with SRAM components and a Rotor Q disk. For reference this is the same set up I have had for a couple of years and previous chains have lasted over a year with no issues. 2 days ago I noticed chain skipping. I pulled the chain and cleaned the drivetrain and noticed 1 link had its side plate fractured at the pin. All other links were fine. I replaced the bad link with a link connector and all was fine. 2 rides and 75 miles later I have 4-5 link plates that have done the same thing and per the picture. I have enough chain from this purchase to replace the whole chain so we’ll see if it happens again. I’m really suspecting a heat treating issue with this lot of chain. 1 plate could be a fluke, but multiple plates I suspect another issue.. The bike shifts perfectly and ramps, cogs, front or rear, not show any issues or damage. Thoughts ???

 

[Gregory Carlsen]

How are you cleaning the chain?
Some cleaners can cause brittleness.

Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn - Not-so-Simple Green

Dear readers,I am always amazed how a single reader letter can sometimes generate a flood of follow-up mail. Over the last couple of weeks I have received a good deal of e-mail about the potential problems people encounter when they soak chains in Simple Green for an extended period. Many of...

www.velonews.com

 

[Andrew Wilson]

Thanks. I was just reading about that. The cleaner I use is called “Oil Eater” it says food safe, biodegradable and non corrosive but the PH tests at over 9 full strength which is how I use it. But it only soaks for 5 -10 min then is rinsed.

 

[Andrew Wilson]

I just checked the PH. Around 9 and I see no surface dulling on the plates but did find more cracks on other plates around the pins. I bought enough chain to replace it 2x so what is on now is the same batch. I’m sure it will do the same thing if its a mfg issue.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I too have SRAM and I saw on the Facebook SRAM page that a few other users were having the same issue. I didn't comment on their issues, but a bad lot is exactly what came to my mind as you wrote.
There were no SRAM cassettes, cranks or hubs available when I bought my Force AXS, so I just went with a Shimano freehub, an Ultegra 12sp 11-30t cassette and a KMC chain. It works perfectly with my 105 crankset.

Edit: Waitaminit! Your KMC chain is having the issue? If so, that is the first I've heard of one. If so, it is still likely a manufacturing issue or a bad lot.

 

[Jeffers]

As a motorcycle mechanic, we were told to inspect the battery vent tube and make sure tube was long enough to hang below and clear of the chain.
And that battery acid on the chain could cause a chain failure. I never saw it happen, but it sounded so bizarre that it stuck in my mind.

 

[Andrew Wilson]

I just heard back from Terracycle and they suspect a Mfg issue and will be contacting KMC. They are also replacing the chain. First Rate customer service.

 

[JOSEPHWEISSERT]

For what it’s worth, I have two KMC chains on my Vendetta that I swap out every 600 miles at most. Each gets thousands of miles per year. I’ve been using the same two chains for almost eight years now. I can’t measure any chain stretch. I never clean them. I just cook them in inexpensive paraffin wax every 600 miles or so. If I get caught in the rain, I’ll swap out the chain sooner. I recently swapped out my cassette to get a cog with more teeth for climbing. I have no skipping, which I would expect with a new cassette if my chains were stretched and if the old cogs were worn, which would hide the wear. This season, I had a quick link break after all these years, so I replaced all of my quick links. I carry spares just in case. I don’t know how long these chains will last, but there is no end in sight so far.

 

[LarryOz]

Chain waxing is the best - I would say it easily doubles or triples the life of the chain. I rode a total of 34,000 miles last year on 2 chains - swapping them out every week. I use Molten Speed wax = the key is cleaning the chain out of the box.

 

[bladderhead]

I use candlewax. The internet says that candlewax is too brittle and cracks and flakes off, so when I melted it I mixed in a bottle of vaseline. The first time you do it you have to get all the lubricant off the drivetrain. This is a pain, but you only have to do it once. When the chain starts squeaking I drop it in the wax. Easy. Goodbye to the black gunge.