An Ode to the Chain Checker
This 1 simple trick can save you HUNDR€D$ of pounds!
O tiny sliver of metal
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways...
You tell me the state of my drivetrain
You tell me when to change my chain
You save me hundreds of £££
I have a weird obsession with chain wear indicators (aka chain checkers), probably because they are such a simple tool that is so incredibly useful to any home and professional mechanic.
Over the years we have amassed a collection in search of the perfect one, and we are closing in…
I won't keep you waiting, it's the Unior chain checker, and you can buy one from us here. It's inexpensive (£10), reassuringly weighty, not prone to bending, and gives us not 2, but 4 (FOUR) different readings. WOW. Just wow. Colour me impressed. Great if you have bikes with different width chains.
My only qualm with it is that the readings are printed and not engraved, so only 4/5 stars as they might rub off with time. I would recommend using a sharpie to mark the other side with the .5 and .75 readings, arguably the two most important. I think they’re coming out with an engraved one, so watch this space. That one will retail for £15.
By the way, if you purchased an Ice Toolz chain checker from us last year, we emailed you a recall as we found that they were giving incorrect readings - it would say your chain was fine when it was clearly worn! Not good. Get in touch if your tool is doing this for an exchange.
There are other chain wear indicators out there, and I will probs make a video reviewing them and their shortcomings. Today I'd rather focus now on why chain checkers are so great and why you should have one if you don't have one already!
1. You tell me the state of my drivetrain
Nothing lasts forever, my friend, especially not your chain. The chain is part of your drivetrain, and the drivetrain is made up of the chain, cassette/freewheel (the sprocket[s] on the back), and chainring(s) on the front. The jockeywheels on the rear derailleur are kinda part of it, but they are merely guides - they are not doing the pulling that make bike go vroom.
The chain consists of the softest metal (and is therefore the weakest link - ha!) in the drivetrain. This is a good thing, because considering how crappy metal parts are these days, it’s at least helping them last longer: it’s a sacrifical part. The chain gives its life so that the cassette and chainrings can live to see another day. It’s like Jesus to the huddled masses, or the canary in the coalmine. But unlike Jesus, the chain will come back to haunt you if you don’t change it at the point the chain checker tells you to. It will ravage your cassette and chainrings like Saruman or Darth Vader (minus the redemption at the end).
The amount of wear on the chain tells us the state of the drivetrain. An 11 speed chain coming in at .5 tells us that the chain needs changing, but the cassette and chainrings are still ok. But if the checker says .75, you’ll need to change your cassette as well, and potentially the chainring if the teeth have become pointy. (Want to learn more about this? We do a class!)
Which brings us to number 2…
2. You tell me when to change my chain
The chain checker's reading is not enough knowledge in and of itself. You also need to know what these dang numbers mean: the number correlates with when to change your chain. This handy chart by Park Tool is your second piece of knowledge, which tells us when to replace a chain.
Also - single speed peeps - you can change your chain at 1%. Yet another reason to ride a single speed! If you want to know how to build your own, I wrote a book on it: How to Build a Bike.
If you change your chain past it’s acceptable wear point, the new full size rollers of the chain will not get on with the old worn teeth and will roll right over. This results in slipping of the chain, which will often happen when applying more pressure to pedals while going uphill or when the light changes green.
🎶 I can’t get no-o, drivetrain traction 🎶
3. You save me money
If you know the state of your drivetrain, and if you know when to change the chain, then your third step is to actually change the dang chain and this will save you money. As mentioned before, the chain is the weakest link. Its rollers are a softer metal than the teeth of your cassette or chainrings. And before you start complaining that parts these days are made of cheese (as a retrogrouch I would agree with you, but) know that this is done on purpose.
The chain is the cheapest part to replace.
This means that if you change your chain when it’s exhibiting wear, you’ll prolong the life of your other drivetrain components: the cassette and chainrings. I hear tell of people getting 3, 4, heck - even 5 chains on the same parts. Now that’s some savings right there!
If you ignore your chain wear and just keep riding, then your entire drivetrain will eventually get to the point where there’s no traction at all and you will have to replace everything all at once. This is very expensive.
11 speed chain = £25
11 speed cassette = £60
Chainrings = £1/tooth (so a 50 tooth chainring is around £50)
So if I told you there was a little £10 piece of metal that could save you from this extensive sojourn into your wallet, that would sound like a good deal, right?
Trust me - your local bike shop will be thrilled if you’re keeping tabs on your chain. We WANT your parts to last longer! This creates less waste and less work for us 😹 WIN/WIN!
If you want to learn how to use one, take our Intro to Maintenance class. Learn how to keep tabs on your bike and prevent problems before they become PR0B£€M$.
If you’re looking to take your knowledge to the next level and learn how to change a chain and cassette, take our ‘How to Change a Chain & Cassette’ class (does what it says on the tin innit).
BAR TAPE-A-THON
DATE CHANGE
Sunday 1 October: 2pm - 6pm
I don’t know what I was thinking - after 16 years of experience hosting events in some shape/form, scheduling a fundraiser with a week to promote is a huge no no! Actually, I do know what I was thinking, and that was SH!T WE NEED MONEY NOW TO PLACATE THE HMRC GODS. But instead we made a sacrifice at the altar (read: I spent 2 hours of my life on the phone with them and several more with accountants) and they are giving us some breathing room. We still owe the money tho, so here’s our new date: Sunday 1 October, 2-6pm.
Want some fresh bar tape and to help LBK at the same time?
We are raising money to pay for our £6600 VAT bill through 1:1 bar taping lessons!
When you arrive you’ll draw from our Lucky Dip bag of bar tape. Which colour you will get will be up to statistics! Then you’ll head off with one of the mechanics for a 30 minute lesson in professional bar taping. (Of course you can choose black if you like, but that’s an extra £12).
You will learn:
why rotational direction matters
how much tension to apply
why you’re not supposed to use the entire roll
how to ensure the tape doesn’t undo itself
how to get that segggsy smooth finish with electrical tape
why bar end plugs are an essential safety feature
Tickets are by donation, suggested donation £25 but please give more if you can.
That’s all for now friends!
Your homework is to check your chain wear and let me know in the comments - what percentage wear are you at? Check this every month or so to keep tabs on your bike. Learn how to do this and much more in our Intro to Maintenance class.
Thank you so much to all you amazing folks who signed up to become a paying supporter of this here newsletter. But whether you’re free or paid, I love each and every one of you - I’m so glad you’re here to learn about your bike, and there’s more goodness to come.
We have christened our paying subscribers “LBK Friends with Benefits”. For our FWBs, we’re almost done setting up our private Discord server where you’ll be able to chat with us, ask questions, buy/sell/trade/giveaway bike parts, share animal gifs, and whatever else may organically transpire. If you’d like to join, you can become a paid subscriber here👇👇👇👇👇
I leave you with a fascinating time capsule of a video: the Panasonic Individual Custom System (PICS). Absolutely amazing how they built up custom cycles in the 80’s with precision robotics. Love the graphics, music, and moustaches.
Don’t forget to get your ticket to our Bar Tape-a-Thon, now on Sunday 1 October!
Ride on,
Jenni x
PS - check your chain wear now, and lmk what your reading is in the comments!
Crazy that something so small and so cheap can save you so much in the long term, I think I have about six keep loosing and finding them but even owning multiple is cheaper than chains and cassettes
I’ll go first - my Brompton chain is at .75%! 🙈 Time for a new chain 😅