Chain and cassette replacement advice

[Codswallop]

First time poster in pedal powered, so some (all) of the following questions are probably a bit basic...

I've got an old mountain bike that I'd like to recommission. Reason I stopped using it was because the cassette lost a few teeth (snapped off), and it's sat for a while since.

I'm planning to to fit a new cassette and chain, however I'm not sure whether I need new front crank rings and derailleur jockey wheels too?



Not sure the middle ring looks very healthy with that wonky tooth?



Current setup is as the bike came, and I think it's all Shimano. 13-28 8 speed rear cassette with 3 ring crank (52t)

Don't need any overly fancy replacement parts, but see Shimano have a lot of different models - I'm guessing it's all interchangeable?

[lufbramatt]

The wonky tooth is meant to be like that. It helps the chainring pick up the chain when you shift from little ring to middle ring, you can see the shift ramp just below.

Looks like Shimano tourney stuff, which is cheap as chips. Shimano acera or Alivio is a bit better quality without breaking the bank. How many gears has it got? As that will determine what bits you can mix and match.

[anonymous-user]

I think I would treat the chainrings (front) to a good clean up with a wire brush and some petrol, then a spray over with some gt85

A new chain and cassette properly lubricated and it should be good to go

[Barchettaman]

+1, those chainrings will be alright once cleaned up, I reckon.

Get them off the frame if you have a crank puller.

[Codswallop]

lufbramatt said:

The wonky tooth is meant to be like that. It helps the chainring pick up the chain when you shift from little ring to middle ring, you can see the shift ramp just below.

Good to know!

Thanks for the advice folks. I'll get the ol' wire brush on the chain rings and jockey wheels. I'm going to go with the Shimano Acera HG41 8 Speed Cassette and an HG40 8 speed chain. Not fancy but it'll do for my intended use.

Hopefully that'll be compatible with the rest of the drive-train.

This was the first time shopping for bike parts - can't believe the spread and range of what's available! I should imagine it can get quite addictive buying upgrades

[stuarthat]

Changing a few parts you will have issues you have to change the lot .

[Kermit power]

stuarthat said:

Changing a few parts you will have issues you have to change the lot .

No you don't!

Sure, if you leave it too long to change your chain it'll knacker your cassette, but you only need to change the mech and front rings if they're knackered!

I've done around 6,000 miles on my CX bike, in which time it has had one new rear mech (accident after 200 miles! ), two new cassettes, three new chains and no new chain rings.

My MTBs get more new chains and cassettes because I ride them in all weathers off road, but again now new chain rings.

[Zippee]

stuarthat said:

Changing a few parts you will have issues you have to change the lot .

No those chainrings are fine, same with the jockeys - just need a good clean. New chain and rear cassette and good to go.

[stuarthat]

Why take a chance on bodging a service ?jockey wheels look fine but the bearings inside ,also plastic can be brittle ?look at the rust ,honestly jockey wheels are £2 each ,the amount of people I see and hear either broken drive chain or the gears sounding like a football fans rattle,why ruin the ship for a bucket of tar ,don’t bodge it do it right .

[stuarthat]

Why take a chance on bodging a service ?jockey wheels look fine but the bearings inside ,also plastic can be brittle ?look at the rust ,honestly jockey wheels are £2 each ,the amount of people I see and hear either broken drive chain or the gears sounding like a football fans rattle,why ruin the ship for a bucket of tar ,don’t bodge it do it right .

[Kermit power]

stuarthat said:

Why take a chance on bodging a service ?jockey wheels look fine but the bearings inside ,also plastic can be brittle ?look at the rust ,honestly jockey wheels are £2 each ,the amount of people I see and hear either broken drive chain or the gears sounding like a football fans rattle,why ruin the ship for a bucket of tar ,don’t bodge it do it right .

Because it's an unnecessary waste of money?

[stuarthat]

Walking can be a waste of time if you have a failure ,my mistake jockey wheels £1.29 fail to prepare prepare to fail .

[Barchettaman]

The jockey wheels look OK to me but I would take the back plate off the rear mech and give them a good clean before reassembling.

[Kermit power]

stuarthat said:

Walking can be a waste of time if you have a failure ,my mistake jockey wheels £1.29 fail to prepare prepare to fail .

They might only cost £1.29, but they're freely available, and won't fail suddenly, so god only knows how you think you're going to end up having to walk as a result!

Just because something is cheap, that doesn't mean it's a good idea to just throw money away for no reason.

[leyorkie]

Well that small ring needs changing.
Just look at the profiles on the big ring for comparison.
The cost of parts these days, I’d change the lot, and I’m a Yorkshireman

[stuarthat]

Walking can be a waste of time if you have a failure ,my mistake jockey wheels £1.29 fail to prepare prepare to fail .

[stuarthat]

Why take a chance on bodging a service ?jockey wheels look fine but the bearings inside ,also plastic can be brittle ?look at the rust ,honestly jockey wheels are £2 each ,the amount of people I see and hear either broken drive chain or the gears sounding like a football fans rattle,why ruin the ship for a bucket of tar ,don’t bodge it do it right .