Originally Posted by
BCRider
I'd suggest a good quality steel ruler. ...
...And when checking the wear with a ruler where there's nothing built in to tension the chain be sure to measure across the upper run of the chain while you hold some tension on the crank arm so the chain is under tension. If you want both hand free use a bungee cord from the rear wheel spokes to the pedal with the crank on the low side to tension the chain up.
Originally Posted by
pdlamb
...Or you can simply measure the bottom run, where the derailer (should your bike be equipped with such a thing) keeps the chain tensioned.
I take my chains off every once in a while to do a deep soak cleaning in mineral spirits. I have a little nail in the edge of a shelf in the garage. I hang the chains from that nail and measure a foot with a steel ruler. In between times, which is almost always, I use the fancier type of chain checkers shown above. I think I have a Pedros and a Shimano. They work about the same.. If I have any question at all, I just dangle the chain and measure with a ruler.