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Why I stopped using a chain checker tool and went back to the ruler method
I used to swear by my Park Tool chain checker for years, the one that measures chain wear by dropping into the links. I thought it was the easiest way until last month when I was working on a customer's bike and it showed the chain was fine, but I had a gut feeling something was off. I broke out my 12-inch ruler and measured the chain, and sure enough it was stretched way past the 1/16 mark over 12 pins. The checker tool was giving me false readings because the rollers were worn unevenly, so the tool wasn't seating right. Now I just use the ruler on every chain check, takes 10 seconds and I know it's right. Has anyone else had a chain checker tool lie to them like that?
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mary7761mo ago
My old Park Tool checker did the same thing to me about a year ago... I was checking a chain on a bike I'd just bought used and it said the chain was practically new. Something felt weird so I grabbed my ruler and it was already past the 1/8 inch mark. It's funny how we trust these little tools so much until they prove us wrong. I think this happens in a lot of areas in life, not just bikes... we get comfortable with a shortcut or a gadget and forget the simple old way is usually more reliable. Like using a tape measure instead of those digital laser things that always seem to be off a little bit. Sometimes the basic methods are the best ones, even if they take an extra few seconds.
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betty_palmer1mo ago
That's the thing about those chain checkers, @mary776 - they're just a feeler gauge basically, right? But when they're off, you'd never know unless you double-check with something more solid... so what even is the point of using them then?
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