Spent $40 on a Park Tool chain checker back in 2016 and it's still going strong

I used to just eyeball chain wear and ended up replacing my cassette way too early on my old mountain bike a few years back. Has anyone else found that a simple gauge like that saves you money in the long run, or do you just ride it till it skips?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo_black7621d ago

Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that shifting under load is way harder on a worn chain than people think... actually saw a mechanic on YouTube break it down, said a stretched chain basically files down your cassette teeth over time. @the_wade probably knows that feeling all too well with his old mountain bike story. I picked up a simple chain tool myself a couple years back after hearing that, and it's kept my drivetrain from turning into a money pit. The $40 price tag stings at first but beats dropping $100+ on a new cassette just cause you guessed wrong.

jamie_adams21d ago

Ha! $40 and six years beats the heck out of guessing wrong, doesn't it?

the_wade21d ago

Well @jamie_adams, you're close but that $40 figure's a bit off. The subscription was actually $36.99 back then, not $40 even. I remember because I paid it for two years before they bumped it up to $39.99 in 2020.