Tip - How to change your chain and sprockets

Even a beautifully maintained chain that spends its life in a shimmering coating of oil and is frequently adjusted to exact manufacturer tolerances will wear out, and it will take the sprockets with it. The chain stretches with miles, its rollers fit less snugly inside the sprocket’s teeth and cut into them, eventually turning each tooth into a pointed hook. You’ll know a chain needs replacing when it requires more frequent lubrication and adjustment, or you notice stuck links, which are known as tight spots. If you feel a lack of smoothness when changing gear, check your chain for wear and tight spots. You should always replace the sprockets at the same time as the chain. Running a new chain on worn sprockets will cause rapid wear, leaving you needing to replace the chain again in very short order, so it’s a false economy to replace just the chain. Before you embark on this job, make sure you are familiar with the technique for breaking and re-fitting a chain’s rivet link, and...