You asked for it, and I gave it to ya. :)motometal said:regarding the chips falling, that would be a function of floor cleanliness, times a constant "k" which is 3.4192 squared, times the "three second rule". :p
It really doesn't take much time to maintain your drive properly. You simply need to know how to do it. But I agree, some have different priorities.motometal said:The ends don't justify the means for them, just like intensive chain maintenance isn't a priority for many riders, due to time vs. money factor.
Brand new side plates will have a minimal amount of elongation due to the metal actually stretching. But initial stretch is very very minimal, and many mfg's are now "proof stetching" the chains at build to eleminate the consumer having to make any adjustments due to this stetch.motometal said:regarding chain pitch, Jaybird, I realize as a chain wears or stretches it gets longer. But if that is 100% wear and 0% stretch, the chain wouldn't necessarilly ride any different on the sprocket.
No, it will not measure under pitch by "pushing" the chain together. Take a stretched chain apart and you will see that the pin has only one area of the circumference that has a worn spot on it. These worn spots will always be to the inside of the link. There will also be worn spots on the bushings, but they will always be on the outside of the bushing reel. Only if the wear was around the total circumference of the pin or bushing would what you say be true.motometal said:think of it this way, when measureing that worn chain, if we stretch it out it measures over pitch, but if we push all the links together it will measure under pitch.
When a stetched chain is on a new sprocket set, or a hard sprocket set that has no deformation of the teeth, the teeth have a very hard time meshing with the links. The driver has trouble gettin into the link, and the driven has a hard time getting out of the link. And I agree that with this, the sprocket teeth can become compressed and deformed from it, but it is still wear due to pitch variance. The brute force of the bike will not deform a perfectly matched pitch set. However, when the chain has elongated, then the force of the bike does in fact come into play and helps accelerate the demise of the teeth.motometal said:the problem lies in the fact that the pin to bushing clearance is now greater, and only the first roller or two is actually contacting the sprocket and pulling it, even though the remaining rollers may ride in the "normal" spot. With an aluminum sprocket, I suspect rather than purely wear from friction, we are also looking at plastic deformation of the working surface of the tooth. Note the rolled over edge or burr.