So my chain has broken 3x in the past month or so. It's always when standing and torquing up short steep hills. (Which consequently results in a hard fall and cursing). The chain was new this past spring, but I ride 3-4x a week. Also, I have smooth shifting and no chain skip/suck. And since a couple of chains-ago, I've been pretty religious about inspecting the chain when cleaning/lubing. The chain is a Sram PC991 with Sram x9 drivetrain. Bike is full suspension XC, but use mainly all-mountain. The outside plates of the link appear to be spreading and popping off the link. Questions: How many breaks before a new chain? Once it starts breaking, is it toast? I don't remember chains breaking on my hard-tail. Does anyone else? I assume it just keeps breaking where it was put back together? Any of you willing to sacrifice some weight for a sturdier chain? (I don't race.) How much life do you get out of a chain? I thought a chain should last a full season, but maybe not?
Cheers and Happy New Year
Cheers and Happy New Year