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swapping from 14T to 13T is pretty common on lots of chain drive bikes. It puts much more strain on the chain because the chain has to bend around a tighter radius and there is more pressure on the engaged teeth. Now, these changes are not huge but they are not good for long chain or sprocket life. I hope you changed both sprockets and chain at the same time. If not, you will find that everything will start to wear faster. After all, the worn chain is ever so slightly longer in pin to pin distance. Now the old chain won't be putting even pressure on the sprocket teeth. A smaller number of teeth are carrying the load. This will cause the chain to wear faster and also cause the sprockets to wear faster. Throw in your super challenging riding conditions and.....well, things wear out faster.
With all that said, I wish I could have been on that trip.
Peter Y.
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