X-ring or O-ring damage should not have started to happen at only 2-3k miles. I've gone through many chains with nearly 20k miles, and have never seen that type of damage.
I would ease up on the chain cleaning, and not worry about getting every speck of dirt off, because that means you are brushing the rubber seals and maybe contributing to the shredding that you describe.
Unlike a normal O-ring, an X-ring has two thinner contact surfaces with a groove between that's supposed to hold a bit of grease. I wonder if the bristles of your toothbrush could've gotten past the outer X-ring seal and introduced water/debris that contributed to the wear you are noticing.
30+ X-rings is a lot of damage. Have you noticed this before with other chains?
I would ease up on the chain cleaning, and not worry about getting every speck of dirt off, because that means you are brushing the rubber seals and maybe contributing to the shredding that you describe.
Unlike a normal O-ring, an X-ring has two thinner contact surfaces with a groove between that's supposed to hold a bit of grease. I wonder if the bristles of your toothbrush could've gotten past the outer X-ring seal and introduced water/debris that contributed to the wear you are noticing.
30+ X-rings is a lot of damage. Have you noticed this before with other chains?