After a long hot summer, I changed the chain, and did some cleaning. The chain is still good, and I will use it for backup. I usually change the chain around this time, so I changed it. I look through all the parts and I did not notice any wear. It would normally be difficult to observe any change on the cogset and chainrings anyway. Replacements only occur when the chain starts to skip, which would be too soon at this point. There are some wears on the brake pads, but it is still good for another 6 months to a year? I did not have any problem with the parts in use. Once, I was going uphill, and I was daydreaming, and I accidentally shift up to the highest gear. The gears made loud grinding noises all the way down. I quickly shifted to the lower gears, and recovered. I noticed that although it was noisy when that happened, the gears did not skip a step on its way up or down. This is a good sign. The cogset probably has wide tolerances and it could withstand some punishment when it is pushed. It did not fail its function. The next couple of months are actually good time for more riding here in Prescott. I will make good use of it. Finally, I measured the Q-factor of the crank, and it is around 155-156 mm. Warren