Front sprocket lock washer (aka locking plate) pretty rusty looking. Should I replace?

680 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by DukeofSeven, 20 d ago

radek79

Discussion Starter · 24 d ago

Hi all,

So I was cleaning out the gunk out of the front sprocket and I noticed that the somewhat diamond shape lock washer on the front sprocket is looking rather brown. I'm not noticing anything mechanically wrong with the bike, but out of an abundance of caution this has me a little concerned.

Should I replace this?

And a secondary question for those who have messed with this part of the bike, is it just a simple replace with 2 screws or are there any gotchas?

Thanks y'all.

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radek79

Discussion Starter · #4 · 23 d ago

DukeofSeven said:
Edit: by the way, your center rollers are crying dry.. you really need to lube them, they spin.

Are you talking about the circular part with the number '41' on it?
What do you lube that with?

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radek79

Discussion Starter · #6 · 23 d ago

JingalalaHoe said:
he means the round thing in the chains, ones that touch the sprockets in the center. The entire chain as a whole looks very rusty and not maintained well. Lube your chain asap.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. The crazy thing is that I lube and clean my chain every 500 miles.

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radek79

Discussion Starter · #8 · 23 d ago

Interesting. Though it doesn't look like it, I do maintain it every 500 miles. Must be all the riding in the rain I've been doing this winter.

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radek79

Discussion Starter · #10 · 23 d ago

DukeofSeven said:
Yeah, that'll definitely kill it. I live in SW FL, god help me (forget I said that), and the first year I owned my bike, I rode in rain at least twice a week. Intense rain. It killed my first chain.

Now I find myself lubing the chain once a week, I put on around 36 x 5 miles a week. The o-rings aren't an issue, since I stopped using ultra-sticky sprays; the center rollers are the main focus of my attention, and the slides of course. Slick and smooth makes it all ultra-predictable, no surprises.

What lube do you use?
I've been using maxima but it is pretty sticky and fortnine'a video confirms it.
I bought gear oil so I'll try that next.

I'm in the same boat as you it sounds like. I don't own a car so rain or shine, I ride. During the first year of owning my bike, it was dry conditions, the chain was never rusty and lasted 10k miles. But with the rain this season, it's looking like it does and it's been 6k miles.

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