Checking Bike Chain For Wear And Stretch

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There are no more important parts on a bike than its chain. However, it is easy to overlook chain wear, which can lead to severe transmission inefficiencies and even the risk of chain failure.

Clutching the teeth of your chain and sprocket, the chain transfers the power generated by your foot to the rear wheel. In doing so, its rollers and pins will gradually wear out. Usually considered stretched, the chain’s length will actually stay the same, but its ability to do its job will decrease and decrease until your gear eventually slips. Heavily influenced by the conditions you drive and how much cleaning you might mind, its lifespan can be difficult to predict. Fortunately, there are ways to accurately diagnose your condition.

Let your chain wear too much and your ability to change gears will suffer, along with the condition of the chain, cassette and race wheels. However, replace it before it degrades too much and you will prolong the life of other components in the transmission. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the chain when the roller clearance has increased (due to wear) by 0.75%.

Checking Your Bike Chain For Wear And Stretch

1. Check your chain with a chain checker

Various tools are available to measure chain wear; from manifold gauges to digital calipers and easy-to-install models. They all do the same job of measuring roller wear between a short track

Easy to use, you just need to insert them between a defined number of links. Inner samples will fit on one side, if the second end also fits this usually shows 0.75% or 1% wear; it will be marked on the instrument, while more complex gauges may require you to zoom in on them for more accurate readings.

2. Check for wear without tools

Place your chain on the largest leash. Find the point in the middle of the part where the chain meets the teeth of the chain. It will be around 3pm. Try moving the chain away from the ring.

A new chain will only detach slightly from the chainring 

If you can see more than one ray of daylight, that’s a good sign that your chain is worn. See pictures above and below for comparison.

A worn chain pulling away easily from the chainring denotes ware and tare. 

This is just a rough guide, so if you notice a big difference, now would be a good time to have a bike shop check it out for you or even invest in a tool to help you out. do it for you. . It’s a ten second job that can save you a lot of money. This tool will pay for itself instantly.

• If you find your chain is worn, check out our bike chain buyer’s guide