Woopsie-dasies.
Everyone knows it’s a great idea to change out pieces of equipment the day before a group ride, especially an honorary Ronde van Vlaanderen Cogal involving steep, cobblestone climbs. There is obviously also no need to test-ride the equipment after making said change.
I remark at this point that it is rather unexpected to find an 11 speed chain inside a box labeled as being 10 speed. I also note that an 11 speed chain is not obviously narrower than its 10 speed counterpart. Once installed, it even seems to operate normally, happily jumping from one cog to the next, up and down the cassette, as you click away at it on the work stand. It gives the strong impression of being a happy chain.
This is a ruse. It is not a happy chain. In fact, it is a borderline malicious chain; it lulls the rider into a false sense of security, right until the moment that enough pressure is applied to the pedals, at which point the chain will rudely skip. The amount of pressure required to make the chain skip is dependent upon in which gear you are riding; some skip easily, some (seemingly) not at all. The ones that seemed like they didn’t skip at all were the two lowest gears. Comforting, knowing the steep cobbled climbs that were to be gobbled up towards the end of the ride, where they would be most instrumental.
As it turns out, the amount of pressure required to skip the chain is the amount applied at roughly 20% and the rider has risen out of the saddle in search of extra power. This came as quite a surprise to me, the rider, and also to those riding behind me, who used words like “ejected” and “like you hit an invisible car” to describe what they saw.
So, I can make with certainty the following observation: a 10 speed chain and 11 speed chain might not have any outward trappings of distinction between them but they are indeed very different. This difference manifests itself by one functioning as expected and the other having the capacity to eject a rider when combined with a 10 speed drivetrain. It all seems very obvious, but that doesn’t make it less true.*
There are many other examples of this I’m sure; I remember having quite a job of properly connecting my Cinelli stem to my Scott Drop-In handlebars because the diameters did not quite match. That one also resulted in some high speed handling anomalies.
There are two morals to this story. First, it matters whether your equipment is interoperable. Second, if you make a change to your gear before a big ride, for the love of Merckx, take it on a test drive.
*As it turns out, it does in fact make it less true; this should function flawlessly but it was a worn(ish) cassette that held the secret to the bikes newly discovered ejection function.
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Sounds like quite the mishap @frank. I hope you worked out that Gremlin. One must keep the rubber side down at all times or risk a few lost teeth.
My Campy chains have 11's or 10's marked all over the plates.
@Buck Rogers
I'm perfectly cheerful, but just don't like bullshit masquerading as fact! My comment will disappear in the queue but the article will remain telling people something that could affect choice and is plain wrong. Sorry if it comes across badly but I can't not say anything.
@frank maybe the person who put up the direction sign in the title photo was working on the " chain gang" the day the offending equipment was produced ?
That erection is the saddest thing i've seen in a while.
I had a new chain skip badly on steep climbs, but it was on the single speed MTB running a fast-wearing aluminum cog. The incident didn't make me snarky though. JK. Not about the skipping cog though. Actually happened, got switched out before next ride, and eventually replaced with steel.
@Kevin Smith
Cobble taste test - yes that's what I'm going to call it from now on. So much better than "endo." Funniest thing I've read in a while. Almost choked on food.
So this weekend was a big optimum race weekend here.
So as I put on my race wheel I thought I'd throw on a new chain as well.
The next morning I load my bike and went off to race the crit.
I begin to warm up get out of my saddle to throw down a little power CRACK BANG.
People were scared and thought my frame broke.
A hanious chain skip.after I messed with it the the super pro bike mechanic messed with it he said it must be the chain. Both ten speed one just older, but not that old.
do I drove home grabbed the old chain put it on.
Scared as hell I throw the hammer down.1300 watts. No skip. No more issues.
older rings and cassette like orders chains
looks like it's time for and expensive drivetrain upgrade.
There are several issues at hand here. I'll skip the pretense of putting my comments together in anything resembling thoughtful approach, and just hack at it.
1. I was kinda surprised when I didn't see "Don't install a new part the night before a race" included the first edition of the rules published. Then I thought it must be because this is so fucking common sense (and common knowledge) there was really no need to codify that particular Rule. Obviously I was wrong. When this is included in the next set of amended rules, please be sure to point out this also applies to mounting new tubs.
2. Chains and cogs wear together, as illustrated by @Gerhardt's account. If you change out back wheels fairly often, you'll likely be able to run through several chains before the cogs show enough wear to affect performance. But if you're an Earthling and you have only one wheelset per bike, you will need to change your chains and cassettes together. Chainrings not so much, but eventually that shit wears out too, in which case, good on ya!
3. Installing Scott Drop-Ins in the wrong sized stem is not apropos of this topic. Please address this silly shit separately.
4. I think we can all excuse @frank for this particular indiscretion. Once. It should be clear to all when I explain it this way: Normal human beings would realize "my chain is shitty" long before a cogal, or they would acknowledge it will need a change eventually, but not quite yet. It's one hell of a coincidence that, the night before a cogal, one's chain is suddenly longer than it used to be and it needs to be replaced. But that's for a normal human being. In @frank's case, it is just as ordinary to think "I ought to change that chain" as it is to think "It's not overcast today and the way the light catches my coat means I'll have to wear this Brioni 7 fold today instead; so, naturally, I'll go with these finished tan brogues instead of the rough-side-out chukkas. Duh."
5. @oli is a grumpy fucker today.
Rule #96?
@litvi
Took me a whole lot of googling to discover you were not talking about cycling here.