Time for a Checkup? Is it time for a new Chain?
Check Your Drive Train
Keeping your drive train clean is important. Oils/wax products should be inside the chain, not outside. Outside surface oil/wax collects dust & dirt and can make your leg greasy!
Your chain is one of the first things to wear out. If your chain is not replaced when worn, it will put extra wear on the chain rings and rear cogs. Normally, you can replace your chain twice before needing to replace cogs and chain rings. However, if you let a worn chain go, you will almost always need to replace other parts sooner. Remember worn cogs and chain rings can damage a new chain.
A good method for checking chain wear is by measuring it with a ruler. Park Tool© has some great advice on this (See Chain Check Below): “Start at a rivet and line it up at the zero mark. Count 23 more rivets and your last rivet should be at the 12” mark of your ruler. If it is off by more than 1/16” the chain is stretched and should be replaced.” Note: chains do not wear on the outside, chains wear out on the pins inside. So you cannot tell if a chain is worn out just by looking at it.
And, according to Park Tool©, you can make a quick check by looking for slack when the chain is wrapped around the big chain ring: “If [the chain] lifts off the chainring to the point where you can see a lot of daylight [1/4″] between your chain and chainrings, you’ll either need to replace your chain, or you are approaching the point of replacement. It’s not as accurate as using the proper tool, but it’s a good starting point if you haven’t replaced your chain in a while.”
Take a Look at the teeth on your chain ring & rear gears. Oftentimes, they will be visibly worn into sharp points at the tooth, especially on small cogs. Worn cogs will allow a new chain to have slack when wrapped around the cog. Slack on a new chain around a cog indicates wear, and It’s probably time to change them all out. It’s best to replace all the cogs and chain rings at the same time, regardless of individual wear.
Here is a link to a Park Tool video on how to check your chain.
- Check for slack on the chain ring
- If you don’t have the proper tool to measure for chain stretch, use a ruler as described above.
- If your uncertain take your bike in to your local bike mechanic for inspection.
How to Video
Key Takeaways
- Always check bolts and fasteners
- keep chain clean and lubricated
- A little preventive maintance can keep you riding trouble free
