Warning: I measured 42 chains last week and 9 were worn past 0.75, nobody checks the wear indicator on their chain tool

Patricia Nguyen · 2026-09-21T08:55:04.695713+00:00

I run a small repair stand out of my garage in Portland and last week I did a tune up special for $45, which got me 42 bikes through the door in five days. I started actually measuring every chain instead of just eyeballing sag, and 9 of them were past the 0.75 mark on my Park Tool CC-3.2. What surprised me was that 5 of those 9 owners had a chain checker at home. They just never used it because they thought a chain lasts until it skips. One guy's cassette had shark fin teeth so bad I had to show him with a flashlight, and he still argued it was fine. I get it, a $15 tool feels like a waste when the chain looks okay. But a $40 chain and a $60 cassette later, the math stops working in your favor. So do you measure at every tune up, or only when the shifting feels off?

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Warning: I measured 42 chains last week and 9 were worn past 0.75, nobody checks the wear indicator on their chain tool | Bicycle Mechanics - The Community Guide