Durable 10 speed cassette and chain?

[Laissez]

So I'm using BBS02 and I have 10 speed cassette and I would like to have really durable cassette and chain was looking at Shimano Deore CS-HG50 and SunRace CSMS3 both are steel. Or should I change to 8 or 7 speed is there any significant difference between 8speed and 10 speed durability? Downside for going to 8 speed would be inferior parts like derailleur and shifter which goes only up to altus tier.


My bikes specifications:

 

[markz]

10 speed is a narrower chain, which is weaker then 7 or 8 speed chain.
Plus the 7/8 spd components are cheaper then 10 spd.

 

[Laissez]

10 speed is a narrower chain, which is weaker then 7 or 8 speed chain.
Plus the 7/8 spd components are cheaper then 10 spd.

Yep, the downside is that I need to downgrade my rear derailleur and shifter, only entry level stuff. After googling I found out that Xt 10-speed doesn't work with 7/8 speed.

 

[pwd]

The CSMS3 works pretty well for me on my 2kw mid-drive. I'm running a basic KMC X10 chain and it also works well. Are you looking for a cassette and chain that just doesn't wear out as fast or are you having breakage issues?

 

[Grantmac]

Modern ebike specific 10 speed stuff is stronger than cheap 7/8spd.

 

[MadRhino]

Mid drives are wearing the drivetrain, that is not avoidable. You can obtain a longer life with precise tuning, frequent lubrication, and using the best components, but busy maintenance schedule of the drivetrain components is part of the deal with mid motor.

 

[markz]

I'd rather have the mid drive wear out cheap 7 speed components and chains then more expensive 10 speed components and chains.

....and gears.

 

[Laissez]

double

 

[Laissez]

The CSMS3 works pretty well for me on my 2kw mid-drive. I'm running a basic KMC X10 chain and it also works well. Are you looking for a cassette and chain that just doesn't wear out as fast or are you having breakage issues?

Nope, I was just going through my options, wanted to hear how robust 10speed cassettes and chains really are in real world usage. How much mileage you get out of those?

Modern ebike specific 10 speed stuff is stronger than cheap 7/8spd.

Never heard about ebike 10 speed drivetrains, could you tell the models?

Mid drives are wearing the drivetrain, that is not avoidable. You can obtain a longer life with precise tuning, frequent lubrication, and using the best components, but busy maintenance schedule of the drivetrain components is part of the deal with mid motor.

Doesn't bother me, I tend to keep good care of it anyways because I bike commute daily. It's really fast to do basic maintenance on your drivetrain!

 

[Warren]

You can look for NOS 8-9 speed derailleur, 8 speed shifter and cogs. That is all I run on my bikes, with SRAM 8 speed chain. I bought this stuff when it was just obsolete, before it became collectible. lol

https://www.ebay.com/b/Shimano-Rear-Derailleurs-for-Mountain-Bike-8-Speed/177813/bn_5670514

https://www.ebay.com/b/Shimano-Rear-Derailleurs-for-Mountain-Bike-8-Speed/177813/bn_5670514

 

[Laissez]

You can look for NOS 8-9 speed derailleur, 8 speed shifter and cogs. That is all I run on my bikes, with SRAM 8 speed chain. I bought this stuff when it was just obsolete, before it became collectible. lol

https://www.ebay.com/b/Shimano-Rear-Derailleurs-for-Mountain-Bike-8-Speed/177813/bn_5670514

https://www.ebay.com/b/Shimano-Rear-Derailleurs-for-Mountain-Bike-8-Speed/177813/bn_5670514

Yep I know that I can get shimano altus, but it's really inferior compared to XT to be honest with you.

 

[pwd]

Nope, I was just going through my options, wanted to hear how robust 10speed cassettes and chains really are in real world usage. How much mileage you get out of those?

These are rough figures but I'd say I get about 800km out of a chain (X10) before it reaches 0.5% wear and probably around 1800km + on the cassette (CSMS3) (haven't actually worn it out yet). I tend to ride mostly on off road trails etc. 50% of the time I ride it like a dirt bike.

 

[Warren]

Yep I know that I can get shimano altus, but it's really inferior compared to XT to be honest with you.

I don't know what you see when you use the link I posted, but I see NOS (new old stock) 1990's XTR, etc.

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

everything I saw from the flea bay links was Used (and likely worn?).. not New old stock.. and anything actually quality NOS costs a small fortune..

 

[Warren]

everything I saw from the flea bay links was Used (and likely worn?).. not New old stock.. and anything actually quality NOS costs a small fortune..

Yeah. Like I said, I bought a bunch back when this stuff was considered obsolete. Not a good as buying Bitcoin at $850 like my buddy, but I'm happy. lol

 

[electric_nz]

What’s the difference between a 10 speed derailleur and 8 speed? The shifter determines the shift distance so is it just the width of the chain guide and jockey wheels etc?

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

10, 11, 12 speed has different pull ratio than 7,8,9 speed.. so they don't play nice together..

 

[ilu]

I've noticed that even with a rather low power (750W) mid-drive the smallest cogs (11t and 13t) wear out really quickly. If you don't need huge range in the cassette, it would be better to stick to bigger cogs. Other option is to buy a bunch of cheap 11t and 13t cogs and replace them as necessary rather than changing the whole cassette.

 

[Laissez]

I've noticed that even with a rather low power (750W) mid-drive the smallest cogs (11t and 13t) wear out really quickly. If you don't need huge range in the cassette, it would be better to stick to bigger cogs. Other option is to buy a bunch of cheap 11t and 13t cogs and replace them as necessary rather than changing the whole cassette.

Yeah I got myself 48T narrow wide chainring so I could use more the middle gears. It's strange that Shimano/Sram doesn't make any proper ebike drivetrain stuff yet.

 

[Michael B]

I think you are on the right track using the 48T narrow wide.

I just used what I had when installing my mid drive (42T steel chainring) to see how it went and quickly realised I wanted a higher cruising speed without using the two smallest cassette cogs.

I did the sums and changed to a flat aluminium 54T narrow wide. Then needed a longer chain so replaced cassette and chain together (slightly different cassette to give lower gearing but better chain line in the gears I use). I typically only use the central 7 gears of an 11 speed cassette. Can't use the two largest cogs with current rear derailleur and chain line is too far out of whack for my liking anyway. Only use the 11 and 13 with a strong tail wind or briefly down hill. I normally manage with 15 - 31. 31 is where a 27 used to be.

 

[Grantmac]

I had a big reply typed and it didn't post.

Basically the weak point in a chain is the rollers. They are the same width for all multi speed bike chains. Only the side plates are different and those don't typically wear.

The ebike specific group sets use 11 or 10spd chains and spacing with fewer cogs having bigger ratio jumps in order to keep the chainline straighter. They also limit downshifts to one gear because trying to jam 150nm through a derailed chain is how you bend cogs.

 

[Warren]

I've noticed that even with a rather low power (750W) mid-drive the smallest cogs (11t and 13t) wear out really quickly. If you don't need huge range in the cassette, it would be better to stick to bigger cogs. Other option is to buy a bunch of cheap 11t and 13t cogs and replace them as necessary rather than changing the whole cassette.

Yes. I made my own 14-40, 8 speed cassette for my mid-drive.