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My girlfriend has a Raymon HardRay E-Nine 6.0 2020.

She already rode 4000 km with it, basically she drives a lot and its not getting less.

The bike reached the point where the chain is slipping all the time.

As for now will replace everything the cassette, the chain, the deore ....

We didn't had any knowledge in riding bikes that much so we didn't replace the chain or anything till now, also the bike didn't get much "hygiene".

I wondered if there is also more reliable "replacements" that the original Shimano CS-M4100, 11-42 ? Which will last more km?

Or if the "hygiene" aspect like put oil on the chain and replacing the chain every 2000km will make the cassette and the rest last way longer.

Schwenk
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  • Can you add the conditions the bike is being ridden in? Is it used regularly for trail riding? And does it frequently get ridden in muddy, dusty or sandy conditions? – Andy P Jul 15 '22 at 12:32
  • It could be that things just need adjustment. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 15 '22 at 12:48
  • Things that maximize drive train life are cleaning, lubrication and don't ride in the same gear all the time. – David D Jul 15 '22 at 12:57
  • @AndyP The all train but mostly thought the forst and more hilly sight, quite a lot of ground (can be mud) and gravel. – Schwenk Jul 15 '22 at 13:23
  • Interesting, I guess on an electric bike you do not get the feeling of the state of the drivetrain the way you feel it on a regular bike, so the urge to lube and clean the chain is not as strong. – Dima Chubarov Jul 16 '22 at 05:30

2 Answers2

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The M4100 is all steel, so I don't think you'll find more durable replacements. The first culprit in cassettes wear is, as you wrote, a lack of "hygiene" for the chain: a worn chain will accelerate the wear of the cassette. The common rule is to replace the cassette every 2-3 chains, if chains are replaced timely.

Replacing the chain should be done when worn, not "every 2000km", as the mileage will depends on the conditions in which the bike is ridden.

Riding a bike in a dusty environment with "wet" lubricants (=for rainy conditions) is the worst for example. Your profile you indicate you are from Germany, from what I understood from the German participants of this stack, wet lubes are the default there. The best is too use a chain gauge, and replace it when the wear goes beyond 0.75. "Dry" lubes deal better with dust/sand, but not with water (they are washed away faster).

Chain maintenance has been already addressed in some other questions, like this one.

EDIT: I'd be suprised that you really need to replace the derailleur (the little wheels can be replaced separately). But if you do, an option to consider is the new Linkglide range of Shimano. It's a new product line where durability is prioritized over weight (according to Shimano, it's up to 3 times more durable). I don't have personal experience with it, but it's worth investigating.

Rеnаud
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    What is your source for "replace the cassette every 3 chains"? It would be nice to know before it becomes a question of religion. – Noise Jul 15 '22 at 12:52
  • @Noise I often end up with 1 cassette : 2 chains, but I ride in all conditions. Cassettes last longer on my commuter/hybrid – Chris H Jul 15 '22 at 13:18
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    @Renaud, you're also in northern Europe I believe, though drier than my bit. We can easily have dusty and wet conditions within a week, even a ride, and changing lubricants means a really good clean is needed - so unless you can have a dedicated dry-conditions bike, wet lubricants are the way to go (or wax but that's another story) – Chris H Jul 15 '22 at 13:21
  • @ChrisH I'm in Northern Europe indeed, but coming back from Southern Europe. Given the lack of rain in the last months, I'm still running them with dry lube. That being said, if you avoid wet conditions when you ride (no commute for instance), it makes sense to keep dry lube even if being located in a region that would require wet lube otherwise. – Rеnаud Jul 15 '22 at 13:26
  • @Renaud So steal it is. I bought an Rohloff Caliber 2 to measure how worn the chain is. Wet lube makes a lot of sense as well. Thanks a lot – Schwenk Jul 15 '22 at 13:29
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    @Renaud I don't trust a normal clean in between lubricant classes - if I was changing between wet and dry, I'd want a bath cleaner of some sort, probably ultrasonic. But my tourer is mostly used on roads, which don't get too dusty, and my MTB is used less, mostly on hard-packed dirt, but an otherwise dry ride can easily include fording streams (I have 3 locally that I've ridden) – Chris H Jul 15 '22 at 13:30
  • @ChrisH my plan was rather to do it when changing the chain... – Rеnаud Jul 15 '22 at 13:31
  • I tend to change chains after the roads stop being salted in early spring, that's usually a wet time of year, then again in late summer - and autumn tends to have changeable weather – Chris H Jul 15 '22 at 13:32
  • @ChrisH Good guideline, thanks for sharing. I ride the fun bike on gravel tracks and forest tracks (no streams). Everything is super dry now, and the weekly rain is not sufficient to have mud. It might change though. – Rеnаud Jul 15 '22 at 13:44
  • @Noise The answer has been updated. – Rеnаud Jul 15 '22 at 13:53
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    @Noise - That's the rule of thumb that I've used. Certainly it doesn't have absolute accuracy, but it's a practical rule to follow. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 15 '22 at 17:33
  • Sorry to hijack the question, but can we get some further explanation on ""Dry" lubes deal better with dust/sand, but not with water (they are washed away faster)."? I don't tend to ride in the wet, but I've been caught in storms before, leaving the bike dripping wet; Would that not "wash away" the dry lube and result in wear as bad as a "dirty" wet lube? The answer you link to contradicts you by stating that, "Many dry lubes are great for damp conditions." I am genuinely confused. – jayded-bee Jul 15 '22 at 22:08
  • @jayded-bee there is a comment on the linked answer, saying "Many dry lubes are great for damp conditions", this seems to be saying that many dry lubes are still tenacious enough to stay working in conditions that are slightly wet, ("damp"), as opposed to heavier rain where they would still be washed off. A bit like saying 'splash proof' instead of water proof. – Swifty Jul 15 '22 at 22:36
  • @jayded-bee Given it's not linked to the original question, and given the format of the site (Q&A), it would be more appropriate to ask a separate question if you want further clarification (although this point is covered in many articles on the web). Wet lube attracts dust & sand, so riding a dirty chain with wet lube will result in purely abrasive wear. A "dry but clean chain" won't have the same kind of wear (I'm not qualified to know what's the least damaging though, that would deserve a question). – Rеnаud Jul 16 '22 at 09:25
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Inspect the worn cassette. If a single sprocket is worn much more than others, replacing just that more timely may be much cheaper option.

nightrider
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