Is this the best explanation of chain stretch ever?
 

Yes. Yes it is.

They don't stretch... they wear.

pfffft... just file down that tool until it fits that seasoned chain.

That was the whole point of the video.

I didn't need to waste 5 minutes of my life.

Another excellent vid from RT...

Chains wear out and there is no magic lube that will increase the lifespan of a chain...Chain cleaning is also waste of time and does nothing to increase the lifespan of a chain. ..Just enjoy riding your bike and replace your chain when it's worn out.

Wrong.

I like my chain shiny and quiet, so I'm gonna do it anyway.

Does that also apply to people?

John

Most people don't have chains, but:

"Chains wear out and there is no magic lube that will increase the lifespan of a chain...Chain cleaning is also waste of time and does nothing to increase the lifespan of a chain. ..Just enjoy riding your bike and replace your chain when it's worn out."

I believe there is something to this statement. A guy I ride with replaces his chain around the 4000 mile mark. All he does is lube it to keep it quiet. Runs the same cassette through 3 or 4 chain changes. The outer chain ring where he rides most of the time has never been replaced. This bike is about 14 years old now. He is not a masher, but does weigh around 200lbs. Terrain is relatively flat with a few steep hills along the way.

When riding with him he can't hear the squeaking chain so I have to tell him to lube it when he gets home. He never cleans it, just adds lube. It really baffles me as I replace my chain every 1000-1500 miles. I have yet to replace the cassette or chain ring, but the drive train has only seen 3 full seasons.

Best explanation?

Maybe? My take is, knowing what causes elongation should make you Not use a "in between the rollers" chain gauge. Least if elongation is what you want to gauge. If overall wear is what you are after its fine, but just be aware roller wear adds a lot to apparent elongation.

From the video it appears as if the chain is "extremely worn" (he says) measured with the park tool gauge, but the same chain measured with the blue ruler shows less than 1/16" elongation in 12". That is at worst 0.5%. That doesn't qualify as Extreme. Not by a long shot.

Of course we can argue all day if roller wear should be included. I think it should, but implemented in the gauge to account for both true elongation and apparent elongation, to not cause you to prematurely discard the chain.

A road bike chain should last a lot longer than 1500 mi. Something is up with your lube, cleaning or both. Or, Im guessing, you are discarding the chain prematurely based on a faulty chain gauge.

I replace chains every 6500-ish km and they have more life in them at that point, but I have an important race coming up or something and want everything to be in perfect condition, or last time I changed my chain I installed an OSPW and hence had to put a longer chain in and so on.
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Cleaning and lubing with quality stuff, and the chains are Dura-ace 11 speed. It absolutely matters - not all lubes are the same and chain quality differs.
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Since they are in reasonably good condition still, I didn't toss the last couple or so in the garbage. Might use them for kids' bikes or something.
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During winter season when the roads are heavily salted and sanded, all it takes is one short ride to mess up a clean chain. It's is pointless to use any type of special chain cleaning devices...All I do is wipe the chain with a rag and keep it well lubed and replace it after it wears put...Chain cleaning won't increase the lifespan of the chain when a bike is ridden frequently in very dirty conditions, the best thing to do is just to keep it lubed and replace it when it wears out..

During this time of the year it's impossible to keep the chain shiny and clean...unless all you do is ride your bike in your basement on your indoor trainer...because if you do any type of riding outdoors your chain is going to get messed up daily.

Unless you live somewhere like the San Diego area, FL, etc.

Gotta say, I really like the approach of using oversize models to help show what surfaces are wearing, and how that wear results in an increase of the chain pitch.

That wasn't news to me, but I appreciate it as a resource that might be useful when trying to explain it to someone else.

You seem to be operating under the misconception that everyone in the world lives and rides where you do.