Most durable winter drivetrain?

[rwm1962]

Reminds me - must check chain wear!

 

[scant]

worth a quick read https://www.pinkbike.com/news/4-key-fac ... -test.html

 

[greencat]

Suspect some (a lot?) of the variation comes down to rider differences and technique.

I went through my first mountain bike's chain and cogs in 6 weeks (200GS) back in the day. My current modern mountain bike's drivetrain (SRAM GX 11spd) has done 1500 miles and counting. I've got an old marin 7spd (it's never out of the middle ring) which must have done close on twice that - often with heavy loads like firewood, trailer etc and beyond the odd dash of oil, near zero maintenance. I reckon I'm a lot kinder to drivetrains now - no standing on the pedals, shifting under load etc. I'll even walk up some steep hills. I also spread the wear around - my best bike is no longer my do it all bike (I have a number of old bikes for shopping etc).

Amusingly enough after posting this, my bag of bits modern bike with a brand new SRAM NX 11 spd groupset failed yesterday. The chain snapped a few links away from the power link. Less than 50 miles on the clock.

 

[Woz]

worth a quick read https://www.pinkbike.com/news/4-key-fac ... -test.html

Yep, good read. The poor humble 8sp Tourney HG40 chain against 9/10/11/12 XTR / Ultegra :facepalm:

https://cdn-cyclingtips.pressidium.com/ ... 80x774.jpg

Many moons ago, the 9sp HG73 LX/105 chain came out tops for value.

 

[mattr]

I've found the best trade off (for me) with durability and availability is a mish mash of shimano 9 speed bits and pieces. Can still get all the cassettes/mechs/chains/shifters from pretty much anywhere on very short notice (though it's generally only chains and cassettes i wear out) decent 8 speed stuff is getting thin on the ground round here, unless you want to trawl eBay and suchlike. 10 speed is still a bit too expensive but no more fragile than 9.

I do have two winter bikes though, a mud one and a snow/ice/salt/shit one. Bet you can guess which one already has 11 speed on it............

 

[Woz]

I've found the best trade off (for me) with durability and availability is a mish mash of shimano 9 speed bits and pieces. Can still get all the cassettes/mechs/chains/shifters from pretty much anywhere on very short notice (though it's generally only chains and cassettes i wear out) decent 8 speed stuff is getting thin on the ground round here, unless you want to trawl eBay and suchlike. 10 speed is still a bit too expensive but no more fragile than 9.

I do have two winter bikes though, a mud one and a snow/ice/salt/shit one. Bet you can guess which one already has 11 speed on it............

....think you are way up north in Scandinavia right? Biltemma does rebranded cheap KMC chains at
peanut money. I have a mate who has done tests in Sweden snow/ice/salt/shit conditions with two
Biltemma chains on the go - one on the bike and one cleaned and put in an oil/wax bath. He changes
every 3 - 4 weeks, and adds a new chain every 8 weeks or so into the process.

Econimicaly speaking when considering the full drive train it's beaten everything else, including Dura-Ace etc.

 

[mattr]

The 8 speed ones? I pay pennies over the biltema price for my 9 speed stuff..... last time i got 3 chains for ~18 quid, and an HG70 cassette for well under 20. That was a couple of years ago though.

 

[Duxuk]

Yesterday on an incredibly muddy ride my SRAM NX rear mech refused to shift on about 3 occasions. A bit of manual manipulation sorted it. The original GX had got wrapped around the cassette so I replaced with the cheaper alternative. They look and work much the same.
The original chain broke after about a year so I had replaced it with a KMC. Shortly afterwards a small twig lodged in the cassette and broke a couple of teeth from one of the middling cogs. I replaced the cassette and ran it with the same chain for about 18 months more. The links had become so loose that the chain started to jump off. I imagined I'd have to replace the whole lot but looking at the teeth they were still square, not pointy. A new chain has shown no signs of slipping. It all works like new.
So my experience of the SRAM GX/NX has been a mixed bag. Fragile cassette, unlucky with the rear mech. but amazing acceptance of a new chain. I ride about 1,200 miles a year, almost all hilly off road. I used to get 6 to 9 months out of 7 and 8 speed Shimano BITD. Of course I'm older now and tend to use spray grease on the transmission because it seems to give everything a much longer life, so it's difficult to say that modern SRAM GX definitely out lasts Shimano of 20-25 years ago. But maybe it does.