[WesleyJack]

Just got a new bike, Schimano 105 group set. The guy who built it told me that I should be replacing the chain ever 1,000 miles and replace the cassette every 5,000 miles. This seems a little frequent to me but I really just don't know.

Is there a better chain that I can be using to last longer? Do those intervals sound right?

[Engyo]

Are you a road racer or a weekend rider? How hard are you riding and how often?

[wild]

You realy should invest in a simple chain checker, it makes checking the chain stretch easy, thay should be around 10 or 15 $$ . allso might want to pick up a repair manual like the one by ZINN .
My ¢¢

[Xela]

Every 1000 miles?! No way, unless you are constantly riding with the chain crossed (i.e. big sprocket in the front/big in the back or small front/small back). I'm running a thin, light, Campy 10 speed chain and usually get at least 3500 to 4000 miles out of it.

I'd also guess that I get about 7500 miles out of a cassette. Again, that's a light racing cassette that has some of the sprockets made out of titanium for lightness. That lightness, though, comes at the price of the cassette not being as durable. I would think you would get more miles out of a 105 cassette than my Record cassette.

Keep in mind, a worn out chain will wear out the cassette faster. Also, it's usually a good idea to replace your chain when you replace your cassette.

[WesleyJack]

I don't do any racing and don't plan on it. I ride about 20 miles a day 5 days a week to get to and from work and then try to sneak in one loner ride in there (30+ miles) on my day off.
Not a lot of hill climbing but nothing is really all that flat either.

I've heard some people having success with rotating through 3-4 chains to extend the life of everything. I guess its not really a huge investment as I'll be buying them at some point anyway.