Replace the chain - go by chain checker tool or mileage?
#1
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Replace the chain - go by chain checker tool or mileage?
I've been using a chain checker tool (similar to the one in the image below) to determine when I need to change my chain. Right now my tool is telling me the chain is at 50% life/wear.
Yet when I do a search online re: when to replace a change, I'm getting mileage/distance recommendations. Frequently in the 2,000 to 3,000mi range (https://www.bicycling.com/repair/a20...ur-bike-chain/). This seems kind of young/early to me.
So I'm torn. What's best practices? Replace the chain by distance or when the chain checker tool says the chain is at 75% life?
Yet when I do a search online re: when to replace a change, I'm getting mileage/distance recommendations. Frequently in the 2,000 to 3,000mi range (https://www.bicycling.com/repair/a20...ur-bike-chain/). This seems kind of young/early to me.
So I'm torn. What's best practices? Replace the chain by distance or when the chain checker tool says the chain is at 75% life?
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#3
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Chain Checkers are known for showing more wear than you actually have.
I finally got a worn enough chain to use my PARK tool.
It barely fit at .5%.
I took the chain off and measured a 3' section with my scale.
3/32" or .25%.
Is your CC "calibrated"?
I finally got a worn enough chain to use my PARK tool.
It barely fit at .5%.
I took the chain off and measured a 3' section with my scale.
3/32" or .25%.
Is your CC "calibrated"?
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...best practice is to measure chain wear with a steel ruler between the pin centers for 12 double links. Should be 12 inches. Chains ought to be replaced before they start to wear the teeth on chainrings and cogs, which are more expensive than chains to replace (mostly).
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If the chain is worn, or "stretched" to it's limit, then "distance" is irrelevant, it's just an average amount of life a chain will have. How hard you ride, and how clean or dirty you keep the chain, will affect its period of service. If the chain is still ok, then how far it's ridden isn't necessarily a hard-fast rule, it just puts you in the ballpark.
And, as stated above, I'd go with measuring it, versus using a chain checker. 12" on a ruler or a tape measure is going to be 100% consistent, unlike the various models of chain checkers.
And, as stated above, I'd go with measuring it, versus using a chain checker. 12" on a ruler or a tape measure is going to be 100% consistent, unlike the various models of chain checkers.
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Absolutely use a ruler, my opinion is that chain checkers exist to help sell more chains.
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Case in point for YMMV == Your Mileage May Vary
Inspect chain and measure !
Inspect chain and measure !
#10
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https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chain-wear.html
Scroll down to the section titled Measuring Chain Wear to find all you’d ever want to know about when a chain is bad and how to gage it based on what you’re measuring with the tape measure. Keep in mind you’ll need a tape/ruler longer than 12” to be able to measure the wear.
Scroll down to the section titled Measuring Chain Wear to find all you’d ever want to know about when a chain is bad and how to gage it based on what you’re measuring with the tape measure. Keep in mind you’ll need a tape/ruler longer than 12” to be able to measure the wear.
#11
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Steel ruler it is! @3alarmer thanks for the detailed explanation
@Bill Kapaun There isn't much to calibrate on my chain checker. It's just a metal 'ruler' that slots in to the spaces of the chain links.
@Bill Kapaun There isn't much to calibrate on my chain checker. It's just a metal 'ruler' that slots in to the spaces of the chain links.
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+1 on the steel ruler. Replace at 12-1/16" per 12 full links, or 12-3/64" if you've got a week-long ride coming up.
Last edited by pdlamb; 07-31-19 at 11:18 AM. Reason: Fixed upper limit (3/64" over).
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...best practice is to measure chain wear with a steel ruler between the pin centers for 12 double links. Should be 12 inches. Chains ought to be replaced before they start to wear the teeth on chainrings and cogs, which are more expensive than chains to replace (mostly).
My TiCycles was set up 9-speed in '08. 3 cassettes for two wheels. 12,000 miles. New chains go on just fine.
Steel tape measures work really well. (I typically start at 10" so a stretched chain might be showing 22 - 3/32") Measure front of pin to front of pin.
Ben
#14
Really Old Senior Member
Steel ruler it is! @3alarmer thanks for the detailed explanation
@Bill Kapaun There isn't much to calibrate on my chain checker. It's just a metal 'ruler' that slots in to the spaces of the chain links.
@Bill Kapaun There isn't much to calibrate on my chain checker. It's just a metal 'ruler' that slots in to the spaces of the chain links.
Some day I'll learn what the .75% mark really means. Maybe .5%?
#15
Senior Member
There are only three chain checkers that are reliable. Two from shimano and one from Pedro's. https://www.amazon.com/Pedros-Chain-...ateway&sr=8-10
I have the Pedro's because of the price. It is as reliable as a ruler.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/302818236459
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283533481109
Info on the rest. https://www.pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-0...easuring-tools
I have the Pedro's because of the price. It is as reliable as a ruler.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/302818236459
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283533481109
Info on the rest. https://www.pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-0...easuring-tools
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#16
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FWIW, calibration only tells you how accurate (closeness to the truth) and precise (repeatable) a measuring device is. Calibration in and of itself doesn't actually change how any tool measures.
One can also repair or service a tool so that it is more accurate and precise but that isn't really part of calibration. Service often goes along with calibration but it isn't part of what calibration is.
-Tim-
One can also repair or service a tool so that it is more accurate and precise but that isn't really part of calibration. Service often goes along with calibration but it isn't part of what calibration is.
-Tim-
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That is correct, though I've noticed that dictionaries will often include the second step of adjusting or rectifying as part of the definition. It seems that as our language evolves it becomes less precise.
#18
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Most chain checkers add roller wear to actual elongation, so they exaggerate the wear. When a precision steel rule costs so little, why use anything else? One thing I first found out with campy 10 chains is they can have severe roller and side clearance wear, but show little elongation. I have ridden enough on the 11 or 12 speed chains to know if that's still the case.
If you really want maximum chain and cassette life, alternate the use of 3 to 4 chains, so you're never putting a new chain on worn sprockets. I plan to resume that technique with 2 bikes that have the new Chorus 12 components. All it takes is few hundred miles on a chain to a avoid new-chain skip. I'll also be trying chains from sram, KMC and campy. The new axs chain works.
If you really want maximum chain and cassette life, alternate the use of 3 to 4 chains, so you're never putting a new chain on worn sprockets. I plan to resume that technique with 2 bikes that have the new Chorus 12 components. All it takes is few hundred miles on a chain to a avoid new-chain skip. I'll also be trying chains from sram, KMC and campy. The new axs chain works.
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I'm an outlier because the cheap Park tool is good enough for me. I'm easy on my gear and don't obsess over getting a couple of thousand more miles from a chain. All those little numbers on a ruler....
#20
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I don't know if there is a "best practice." If you replace prematurely, you're wasting money and resources. If you replace too late, you're wearing out your cassette and possibly pedaling harder than you need to. The trick is to find a decent balance between the two. I like to err on the side of wastefulness. But I don't usually use a checker, so I can't say at what metric I replace a chain. Take a guess. You don't have much choice.
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#21
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Yep, and vernier calipers work just fine too, mine measures to .1mm. In fact, I think calipers are more accurate measure of the chain wear. I always measure the new chain right after I've installed it and the variances in different chain brands chains can be up to .3mm over the legnth of chain that I measure. So I calculate the wear limit based on the actual legnth of the chain, not theoretically what its supposed to be.
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Il faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace
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#22
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If digital calipers are used between rollers, you are adding roller wear to true elongation and roller wear can be quite large.
Use a precision machinist's rule and place one end at the edge of a pin. When the pin at the other end is half exposed, you have reached .5 percent elongation.
Use a precision machinist's rule and place one end at the edge of a pin. When the pin at the other end is half exposed, you have reached .5 percent elongation.
#23
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...best practice is to measure chain wear with a steel ruler between the pin centers for 12 double links. Should be 12 inches. Chains ought to be replaced before they start to wear the teeth on chainrings and cogs, which are more expensive than chains to replace (mostly).
#24
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