Basically the point is that dirty chain collects dust and sand and grinds down the cogs faster. Usually you should change to a new chain when the chain has stretched about 0,75-1%, if the chain has stretched more it has begun to eat on the cogs and then a new chain won't sit on the teeth properly and will start slipping. Normally if this is the case we would recommend to change the whole drivetrain or ride the old one until it breaks. Of course it depends on the quality of the drivetrain, eg if you have a 12-speed cassette it's a lot more prone to wear than, say, a 8-speed one. The fewer gears the longer the life of parts. If you swap the chain often enough you will get more kms from the chainrings and cassette. For normal riding (~5-15kms per day, again, depending on conditions, riding style, drivetrain etc) you should swap the chain about twice a year. If you use the gears evenly and ride so that you don't force the change and use proper gear then you can easily go through several chains before needing to change the cassette.
this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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The life of a chain is best measured in distance used rather than in time. Are you also riding in poor weather? Winter roads with destroy any chain. Up to 10speed a chain should last at least a few thousand kms in seasonal weather and several thousand if used only in good weather.
I’m riding in all seasons and often get caught in the rain. The chain has stopped slipping. So I’m not sure what was going on to cause slippage for a week or two but it corrected itself and so I’m still getting mileage out of it.