Like the Energizer Bunny, most bicycles just keep going and going and going. Just ask Nigel Shoosmith and Owen Hook. But bikes can’t do it on their own. They require regular maintenance. Take the chain, for example. This critical component is all too often ignored. Until it fails, that is. What happens then? You walk. And chains are more complex than you might think. Each link in most modern chains is built up from at least eight parts, including pairs of bushings, rollers, rivets and side plates. Multiply this times by the number of links in a touring bike’s chain—usually around 112—and you’ve got a LOT of parts, each one subject to daily assaults from water, salt, and road grit.

No chain lasts forever. Chains are consumables, like tires, tubes, and brake pads. But frequent cleaning and lubing will keep your chain running smoothly throughout its life—and insure that this life is a long one. Wear is what kills chains. Rollers and rivets are gradually ground away, and the chain slowly lengthens, or “stretches.” When it gets too long, it won’t mesh properly with the teeth of cogs and chain rings, and then these begin to wear away too. Once that happens, shifting becomes hit or miss, and the chain skips when you push down hard on the pedals. This is not cool if you’re trying to clear a busy intersection before the light changes! Worst of all—assuming you don’t get nailed in an intersection first—you’ll end up having to replace more than the worn chain. You’ll need a new cassette (or freewheel) and chainrings, too. A replacement chain can be had for only USD10, but a new cassette and rings will grow your bill to something closer to USD100. That’s not good.

What to do? Easy. Replace your chain before it gets badly worn. But how will know know when you’ve reached that point? You can’t tell just by looking. You could use a ruler to check chain stretch, of course, but a simple Go-No Go checker is quicker and easier. They’re not expensive, either. This one is a Park CC-3:

To use it, just push the semi-circular recess on the 0.75 (percent) side of the gauge against a chain roller. (Hold the chain taut while you work.) Does the the tooth on the other end of the gauge slide down into the corresponding gap? No? Then your chain is good to go—though it doesn’t hurt to check the chain in a couple of places before giving it a pass. (The chain in the photo above passes the test.) But if the tooth does slip effortlessly into the gap, and if the body of the gauge lies tight against the chain from recess to tooth, then it’s time for a new chain. Now. Don’t wait until the stretch increases to 1.0 percent. That’s too late. By then you’ll be looking at a new cassette, maybe even new rings. Ka-ching!

OK. How often should you check your chain? That depends on how much you ride. I check mine before I clean and lube my chain—say every few weeks in summer or every few days in winter, or after any especially gritty ride in any season. If the chain fails the test, I replace it there and then. (And I’ve saved myself the job of cleaning it.)

I told you it was easy.

 
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