I am converting my chain to wax…
I removed the wheel to clean the casette snd pulleys and i am wondering if the casette is due for replacement?
I see a couple of shark fin teeth on some cogs…or perhaps my ocd has reached new heights
Thanks
Nothing jumping out at me. Find a pic of a comparable new cassette and you will see the same “odd” tooth profiles. Those are deliberately shaped to aid shifting, especially under load and some look “worn” as a result when compared to the ancient “plain” sprocket teeth of old.
Unless you are experiencing poor shifting, I would not guess the cassette is a problem from the looks alone. Perhaps related, is considering your chain wear diagnosis and replacement practices for reference.
If you’re waxing and have a brand new chain, try using the new chain with the old cassette. If the new chain skips, your cassette is worn.
That looks like new to me.
I’ve had a cassette fail when some teeth on a common gear that got twisted in some imperceptible way.
The cassette looks in very good condition. As @mcneese.chad pointed out, the difference in tooth profiles is deliberate and is meant to aid shifting. I don’t think there is anything wrong with your cassette.
Yup. Typically, problems start in your most-used cogs, especially if you use that cassette on a trainer.
I plannef to use the current chain along wirh a new.
I cleaned the old chain with white spirit and acetone and when tje new arrives do the same to strip factory grease then use silca super secret drip wax…
Not doing the wax bath just yet due to lack of space
There are some old wear indicator tools I have seen, but they may not be the best or even readily available.
- I always start by checking the chains that come off the bike. If any have been run at or over the 1.0 mark and done so for extended time, the chainrings and cassettes should be questioned.
- Putting a brand new chain on the bike and testing shifting & load is about the most simple way I know to check these days. If it shifts fine and doesn’t skip under hard load (test ride), the cassette and or chainrings are fine. If it does skip, that means a new chain at the right spec is showing wear on the other components.
Bike shops love to sell cassettes. I’d ask how the are determining wear.
In my experience, the only visible wear that really sticks out on a cassette is when you get some mushrooming on the face of the teeth. I generally run them until they start skipping in the smaller cogs. It’s not unusual to get 40k+ miles out of a cassette on the road if the drivetrain is well maintained. Off road is highly dependent on conditions you ride in. I had an old Eagle cassette start skipping after ~20k miles, but that was a cassette used on a gravel bike and training on my MTB (so a disproportionate amount of time in the small cogs and in sloppy conditions).
Yeah. My test is if a new chain skips on any of the cogs, the cassette is worn. What I do next depends. I the ring is in good shape, I’ll put a new chain on. I the ring is on the way out, I’ll put the old chain on and run that for awhile longer, then replace it all.