Noticed something about chain wear at the shop downtown

I stopped into City Cycles over on 3rd Street yesterday to grab some lube. The mechanic there showed me how he checks chain wear with a ruler instead of that fancy gauge tool. He said most people replace chains way too early because the tool reads wrong. Has anyone else compared the ruler method to a chain checker?

2 comments

2 Comments

valwest18d ago

My buddy and I tested this a few months back on an old 10-speed. We grabbed a Park Tool chain checker and a ruler, measured the same chain both ways. The gauge said it was at 0.5% wear, but the ruler showed barely any stretch over 12 inches. @foster.wade is right, we rode that chain for another 500 miles before it actually needed swapping. It saved us like thirty bucks.

foster.wade19d ago

Yeah that ruler trick is the real deal. I used a chain checker for years and it was telling me my chains were shot way before they actually needed replacing.