I just used my 12 volt impact wrench (intended for unscrewing stuck wheelnuts on a car) for removing a stuck crankbox, that the previous owner totally messed up, without being able to remove it.
Torque wrench - especially with carbon frames, under/over tightening on some bolts can lead to disaster . . . but I'm getting a CC 4 today LOL Thanks for the tip - I used to use a fine ruler but the chain HAD to be off the bike - a hassle and not as accurate as the CC4 as the chain was not as properly extended as it would be on the bike. Cheers from MTL !
Alls u need is a normal ruler.A new chain will line up on 1 of the rivets at exactly the 12 inch mark.If that rivet starts to completely clear the 12 inch mark u need a new one. Been doing this for 30 years and never had a problem. Try it!
I bought a Trek Singletrack 930 brand new in 1996. Put tons of miles on it, on and off trail. FFWD to 2008 and I'm using it as my commuter to my job at a bicycle shop. The mechanic put that chain wear checker on and it went completely flat against the chain. The cassette and chainrings have worn with the chain as well. I have no issues withe gears skipping, even under power climbing a hill in near top gear. Not saying this Park tool doesn't work - just saying that when everything has worn together in over 10k miles of riding, it somehow still works together. If the chain goes, though, pretty sure I'll have to replace everything, lol. Best bike I've ever owned.
That's the problem. A couple of years ago my chain started skipping occasionally if I hit a large bump while under high load, so I figured it was finally time to replace the original chain after half an eternity of heavy use. Off course when I got a new chain on there about half the gears were completely unusable. These days I replace the chains while they still have some life left in them. Decent chains are pretty cheap compared to decent cassettes, so I see little point in squeezing every last km out of every chain. And when the time comes that the cassette won't accept a fresh chain I'll have a few worn in spares I might try.
25,873 km on my waxed KMC chain for my trainer bike. It's only just getting to show any measurable weak. Start clean, use Silca super secret, and your drivetrain will last longer than you will.
I never found these types of tools to be accurate. I wore out drivetrains using a "fit gauge" like this one. Campagnolo gives a precise dimension for a worn chain and I use a Mitutoyo caliper to measure per Campy's instruction. The difference between a new and worn Campy chain is only about 0.020" (20 thousandths, 0.5 mm). So judging the "percent worn" as the weeks go by is much easier measuring it for real. Good-enough calipers are hardly more than the price of a chain, and you can use the calipers for home projects and vehicle maintenance.
Ollie is the new Sheldon Brown with his chain expertise. Another good way to visualize chain wear is to hang your old chain next to a new one, a long steel ruler is also good. I just replaced one on my ti mtb, it wasn't worn out but was stretched enough to not bother converting it to wax, much easier to start with a fresh chain. Big fan of Silca's hot wax, converting all my bikes to it.
Not really a chain expert. He (and GCN in general) often make beginner mistakes, sometimes even doing more harm than good (just look at the videos about clamping bikes and washing your bike with WD40).
@@izi941 There is nothing wrong with washing your bike in WD40 or using it as a chain lube for mountain biking. Putting WD-40 on your chain to clean it is safer than using degreaser which can snap your side plates. WD40 is a metal cleaner and a rust remover, works great on dirty chains.
Chain gauge tool is essential, and I can't overstress the importance of maintaining a clean drive train. I've been using a wax-based chain lubricant for over 25 years, and just like Mr Miyagi said in The Karate Kid: "Wax on, wax off!" Your chain, chainrings, and cassette should never feel greasy or leave black marks when you touch them. Wax rules, but only if kept clean!😁
This was excellent. I love that you described exactly why the CC-4 is preferable. I worked with the mechanic who invented this type of chain checker in conjunction with Shimano, back at the Bike Gallery in Portland, OR. The other options at the time were not nearly precise enough. We used the prototypes in the shop and immediately got much better outcomes for our high-mileage riders, all-weather commuters, and big-hammer racers. It's one of many tools invented by the only genuine mechanical genius I fixed bikes with in a 20-year career. Park copied many of them. But if it leads to riders having better experiences riding their bikes (and supports always-beleaguered mechanics), that's what matters. Thanks Ollie!
CC-2 is plenty precise enough, but it lumps the elongation of the chain (which is important) with the roller slop (which is not). CC-4 pushes the rollers in the same direction by virtue of that finger pressure, thus excluding roller slop from the measurement. Ollie did not explain that.
So I checked my chain and just before a trip abroad got a new one which I changed at the beginning of that trip. Unfortunately the cassette was already heavily worn out and the new chain didn’t work properly. This ended up with expensive cassette replacement and lost riding time while abroad. So it is important you understand cassette wear also.
supplement: if you properly wax the chain, it will last at least 6 times longer and you will almost never have to change the cassette if you reshape its teeth from time to time
@@makantahi3731How long do you want it to last? properly clean a chain and oil it….ive an ultegra chainset least 8 years old using three chains on rotation with good results…1000’s kms….🤷🏼♂️🥳
Good point: I need to get another one to cater for my 11-speed 2018 Ultegra Roubaix. Had meant to do so and forgot as I haven't ridden that bike for a bit
Referring to actual Sram Chain and Cassette technical instructions, the point to change the Chain is 0,8% on every Drivetrain up to 12-Speed. So forget about the 0,5% Mark unless you take it as a reminder. For Shimano there is no wear limit in Numbers. Only the Shimano TL-CN42 Chain Wear Checker.
Zero Friction Cycling looked at chain checkers, tested them, and found the Park CC-2 is wildly inaccurate. As the Escape Collective noted in a Geek Warning podcast, it's pretty well known that the CC-2 is not the checker to use if you want to correctly and accurately measure chain wear. I'm not sure why you guys think it's worth showing to viewers.
ZFC shills for stuff that they make, they aren't really objective. They claim on their site that their Zero Lube lasts for 1100 km per application which makes it the longest in the world. Both Chain L, Phil Wood oil and pretty much any mineral oil based lube can easily go over 2000km per application. The stuff ZFC makes is good for racing, but it's not the best for everything.
CC-2 is not useless if you understand that it's a relative measuring tool, not an absolute measurement device. I use my CC-2 to check each new chain, then monitor the chain wear going forward. I also have a set of Mitutoyo calipers for more precise measurements, but the CC-2 is quicker and gives me enough accuracy to know that a given chain is or isn't at the end of it's service life.😁
@@___Bebo___ , you haven't really paid attention to ZFC, have you? ZFC doesn't make anything, so that point is dead in the water. ZFC does testing and sells what does best in their testing. Testing from other sources confirms ZFC's testing protocol. If you think ZFC is shilling, you should send an email to them asking them about that. They're more than happy to discuss their testing protocol and what they sell. Oh, and there's no product on their site nor in their test results called "Zero Lube". You're making stuff up. It's also worth noting that ZFC has highlighted the fact that their testing "kms" or "miles" are not equivalent to road miles. Moreover, they're not measuring how long the lube stays on the chain, they're measuring the wear rate of the chain. There's little good that comes from leaving your pet lubes on your chain for 2000km, because with the grit that accumulates in your wet lubes, your lubes will turn into nice grinding pastes. You really should pay attention to what the man says. Clearly you haven't.
The diagram on that CC-4 clearly shows (seen at 3:07) the rear prongs of the tool being inserted in the outer links of the chain... Yet you are saying specifically to insert at the inner links. 🤷♂
He is correct. The diagram is misleading. Here is a video from Park Tool themselves showing using inner links. th-cam.com/video/iOaFF_4CqJg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i3WQ1b-KTjM1lpyQ
@@jimbolimbo so essentially everyone who buys this Park Tool and does not watch this GCN video are being directed to use it incorrectly by Park Tool themselves?? Edit: Direct responses from Park Tool addressing this exact question in that video you linked to: "Either will work but we find that sometimes when engaging in outer plates that the tip can ride along the inner plate and give a false reading. ." "Sometimes communication between departments is not perfect. Either way, the tool is effective but it is more predictable when used between inner links."
@@alpinekiwi It does not matter which way you measure. The Park/SRAM/Perdros/etc checkers are both based on Shimano CN-TL40/41 checker, which was the first tool that accounted for roller wear and which they are based. Shimano says use it in the outer plates, SRAM says use it on the inner plates. All that matters is you are pushed against the rollers.
I've missed the point when my SRAM Eagle 12 speed chain went from almost no wear to, suddenly, 0.8% wear (as measured by digital calipers and by the total chain length). I'm glad to report that with the new chain there is no skipping. I think the recommendations for 0.5% on 11 and 12 speed drivetrains are somewhat conservative.
One method to extend the life of your cassette is to run two chains, swapping at regular intervals. Winter commuting in NE Scotland, I swap chains over every week. In summer It would be every three to four weeks. I managed to get three to four chain sets per cassette by changing them when 0.75% worn (9 speed cassette) over two to three chains when running them singularly.
it would be better to have 10 chains and every drive for ex. 1000km, but the best way is to reshape gears teeth when chain starts to skip on gear, you can reshape every tooth 10-15 times before is to weak and could break
@@pedallinraw 10 seconds per tooth is not a lot of time, every 2-3 chains, 2-3 cassette gears , and every 5-7 chains ring gears , in 10-30 minutes you can save money for new cassette
I’d just use kmc chains…three or four on rotation every 200km…that’s usually one ride for me….very easy and fast to clean a chain in an old tub using some white spirit ….gets all the grit out….back on the road next day…easy to do on the road as well 👌🏻
Timely video. I just pulled my tool out this afternoon to check my chain. I’ll go back and ensure I’ve placed it in the inner links rather than the outer ones
This is a basic ass thing to own as a bike rider. You're right everyone should have one. I like the pin type that you twist and it tells you a specific wear rate rather than the fixed metal sheet types.
The double pin checkers are more inaccurate because they don't account for roller wear. The Park CC4 is actually a copy of the older Shimano TL-CN40 chain checker, which does account for roller wear. It's far more accurate. They're also higher quality tools with better tolerances because they're laser cut and QC'd... the cheap chain checkers you find everywhere are just stamped steel. Of course there's also the old school method of taking the chain off and using a machinist ruler on the center pins. Regardless of the CC you use, the rule is if you drop it on the floor, it's garbage because it has lost its calibration.
Good to see more encouraging of the corporate line of saying people have to waste their time and money while increasing the environmental impact of their cycling by replacing slightly worn chains for no good reason. The problem with this whole idea is that If you pass the wear limit even slightly, which can happen mid spin, especially if the spin happens to be in wet, gritty conditions, you get skipping gears anyway. I've had the replacement chain skip when the old chain was just on the replacement interval as determined with the more accurate Shimano chain checker (Most chain checkers don't account for play in the rollers in their measurements, giving premature replacement intervals). This then leaves you with the choice of either letting the chain wear into everything to get some value out of the cassette and rings which already skip with a new chain, or buying a new drivetrain anyway. Letting everything wear in together has given me no skipping gears ever in 30+ years of doing it (Trying the chain replacement was a brief effort a couple of years ago, which failed precisely because it added work for me and did no make the drivetrain last longer). Turns out even when the chain is worn to the point the rollers literally fall off it, the gears still don't skip - but I tend not to let it go that far as it's not exactly quiet at that point, and produces less waste for (hopefully) recycling. Since a compete drivetrain will run for 4 or 5 times as long as the chain replacement intervals with no intervention at all, apart from basic cleaning and lubrication, it's cheaper to do things this way in cost terms and environmental cost, and cheaper again if you value your time.
I bought one years ago when I had a chain that wasn't shifting well. (It was a Everest with Al side plates) It turned out that the chain wasn't longer than original, but it had a lot of side wear. There are two things to watch out for.
Just replaced chain on FG at 0.5 - it developed annoying rattling which was OK 30minutes after lubing and quickly came back again so I got fed with it. I must say cog started to show slight marks on teeth so I'm not so sure about 1% but that was cheap stamped cog - but I don't want to damage more expensive CNCd cog I used as replacement.
4k and minimal wear, meanwhile I go through ( cheap ) chains every 800km or so ( sunrace chains, on mtb with a Tongshen tsdzb2b so lots more torque going through that chain then I normally would put through it ). Now those chains are dirt cheap, so I don't really mind that much ( as long as I do as advertised in the video and change them before my cassette wears out, since then my wallet hurts more ).
SRAM AXS chains should be replaced at .8% wear. The manufacturer’s technical guide specifically indicates: “Flattop chains last longer than 10/11 speed road chains. Replacing a Flattop chain too early may prematurely wear the chainring and cassette.” As a side note, they are very durable, I wipe the chain with microfiber cloth, top up Silica SS drip-on wax once a week (=every 300-500km depending on dry vs wet conditions) and get easily 16K km out of a Force 12s flattop chain.
The Park Tool CC-4 is a great tool. I'll disagree that the tool needs to be inserted at an inner link and not at an outer link. The CC-4 I have has a diagram right on the tool that shows inserting it between outer links. But it's a moot point. It doesn't matter if the tool is inserted between inner links or outer links. The tool pushes the rollers tight to the same side of the pins at all three places it's designed for. All the links have the same spacing (outer links don't wear out, the wear is inside the rollers and mostly where the pins contact the inner links) so the wear will be the same no matter where on the chain you place the tool, EXCEPT...if the tool bridges the chain's master link, then if the master link has worn differently than all the other links in the chain, it'll affect the chain stretch measurement. The other Park Tool in the video is not recommended because it pushes the rollers in opposite directions, which can result in showing the chain has more wear that it actually has, plus that tool only spans a few links. The CC-4 spans a lot more, reflecting the cumulative effect of many links, not just a few.
I've checked mine using the earlier version of the tool, found it to 50% worn, and replaced the chain for ~$10 rather than the whole drivetrain at ~$120. I hope to get many years out of the cassette and chainrings by staying on top of chain wear.
I change chains every month so each link wears on a slightly different area of the tooth. Minimal wear. 3 waxed chains. The fancy park tool chain checker is the better buy.
I don't know how do you use mathematical expression of percentages but in my opinion if you use percentage there is 💯 % of one whole unit. That means if you want to say half of sth (1/2 of whole piece) it is 50 % not point five (0.5). And the same is about 3/4 of one piece it is mathematically 75 % in percentage (not 0.75% as you say). Because you and the tool speeks about extension by one chain segment not percents. But anyway. Thank you for the correct way how to measure the chain! I think a lot of riders keep one of those tool but not everybody knows how to use ut in right way 👍
His mathematics are right. A new chain is set at 100,0% without wear. A worn one with 1% wear will have 101% of the length compared to the new specs. 8 or 9 speed chains can be driven until 1% wear, while more modern 12 speed chains are considered as worn with 0,75%. If you measure it with a ruler instead of such a tool it's the same, a new one has 25,4 cm over 10 double links while a worn one with 1% wear has 2,54 mm more
As an engineer I’d like to understand how the 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0% limits are established? Is there a scientific reason or simply an empirical/economic reason for different chain types?
As an engineer, I guess that Shimano have done durability testing and have shown that cassette and chain ring wear becomes non-linear (accelerates) beyond these "wear limits". The theory is that you replace the cheaper chain rather than the more expensive cassette and crankset. However, if you use cheap Sunrace cassettes and Ali Express cranksets you could just wear them all out together as an "assembly" as they all cost roughly the same amount and not get the same slippage till a bit later and they are worn to the same degree. Don't blame me if you go over the handlebars though 😁
Doesn't matter, if the chains not too stretched in use it won't prematurely wear the cassette and chainrings. Shouldn't never check a freshly waxed chain though, only one that's done some miles.
The CC-4 chain checker is not cheap. You can buy two or three chains for the price of the tool. Anything more than a 9 or 8 spd cassette is a money pit. Stick to 5 or 6 spd and save money. Better still go single speed. The CC-4 is better because it takes up the slack in worn rollers that do not contribute to chain "stretch". The other chain checkers do not allow for this and they indicate more than the real wear. You could be tossing a chain that is still good.
My only question is, with 11 speed usually first it will only drop to 0.5 at one place, most of time around the quick link but if you measure at several places on the chain other points are still fine, maybe with your hands applying some force it will go in but from it self it won’t. So when is it really 0.5? Should I replace the chain when it drops at one place and nowhere else or at this point still some life left in it and it’s fine until it starts to drop in several places?
use vernier caliper jaws for holes, below 119.75 mm is below 0.5%, over 120.00mm is over 0.75%, easy!?!?!?, measure on different spots/links many times
@@___Bebo___ quick or not are abstract terms, the mileage is important, but it is also important how the chain was maintained, so if it had good maintenance, then you can talk about whether the chain has worn out prematurely or not
@@makantahi3731 Do you think any pro riders carefully wax their chain, keeping it with ancient stressed side chain plates as long as possible to get more wear than the manufacturer intended? I doubt it, they probably toss the chain after a race. Even if you are from a crap country you should change your chain often.
While this tool does help, there is an important thing to know: Chain wear is not the same as chain stretch. When the chain stretches - it will ruin your sprockets, this tool will help you diagnose this and you can prevent it. All good. Chain wear though....you can't see it with this tool. And the problem is that the rollers within the links are going to start wearing out regardless of the chain stretch. This is why you should change your chain regardless of the chain stretch.
Weird that the cc-4 sticker seems to indicate to use the outer links in the diagram… I checked the manual and that indeed tells to use the inner links.
You think Park didn't think about that? I use the bottom of the line 3.2, and after a few years and a few chains, checking the chain has become a formality. When the shifting gets lousy, the chain checker just confirms what I already know. That chain is done.
If your cassette or crankset have worn to some level, you will also find you can´t fit your new chain on them. That is what my bike mechanics told me after I failed to replace the chain by myself. Now I just take his suggestion: Keep riding until your cassette or crankset can not grab your chain tight and correctly, then replace all of them. Every day I ride 30km to work and it takes me at least 6000km to do such replacement (I don´t wax the chain because wax can not hold the wet winter weather in north Germany). Such tool is totally useless and just waste of your money. Don´t be victim of bike industry.
@2:10 the pointer points to inner plates with a roller between yet the pin is not in place to hold it. Seems the rollers don't spin around the pin, do they Ollie. You've got all the bits in front of you, now figure out that rollers don't rotate nor spin, they ROLL, hence the name. Look for the tangents and tangential contact(s), answers are there.
here are options 1. you are lying 2. you are weak 3. you rinse the chain hard with wd40 so it is always clean 4. very good chain 5. a combination of points 1-4
I used to use WD40 as a chain lube in college, it's underrated. I'd take my bike over to the janitor closet and lube up right there for free like once a week, worked great.
@@___Bebo___ did you measure the chain before you started using wd40 and for the entire time of use, because the chain can be completely worn without causing problems because the cassette is also worn, so they work well together
Some confusion about where to put the rear pin of the CC-2. You say between the inner links, and yet a Park Tools video from seven years ago, shows it being used between outer links. A couple of years ago, Alex did a video and he put the pin with the measuring device, the front or left hand pin in between two outer plates, which means that the other pin goes into two INNER plates. Surely it doesn’t matter as long as one pin is between two inner plates, ant the other is between two outer ones?
I guess then that if the chain wear is uneven, we should should be using the tool to check several different parts of the chain, maybe two or three different areas.
You have the dislike button disabled, I thought I should let you know... No, you do not need that tool... You guys are smart, you can do better than this. I really enjoy your videos, please try harder to keep them interesting...
Road bike = Shimano 11 speed,gravel bike = SRAM flattop 12 speed Chain checker (BBB) no problem for road bike. Unfortunately not on SRAM flattop Any suggestions ?
How often should one be checking one's chain? Obviously it will vary with the typical riding conditions, but is this something that can sneak up on you quickly?
I don't know the extent of your knowledge of chain waxing but I think you are being sarcastic. If the chain is a waxed one the apparent "build-up" on the chain links could be excess external wax resulting from leaving the chain in the molten wax too long after the wax heater had been turned off. The wax will start to cool and solidify so that when you lift the chain from the molten wax, instead of the wax that is on the exterior of the chain running off, it will stick to the chain. The hot Wax that is inside the pins and rollers does not run out. The excess exterior wax will simply flake off when the bike is ridden.
Please, please don't promote the use of the cc2. It is horribly inaccurate and very easy to misuse. Thank you for promoting the correct use of the cc4.
Why would it matter - it's the chain only that's being measured and this is not affected by gear choice. Making sure you have enough straight chain exposed to fit the tool on it is the only reason you might have to select a different gear (If you have really short chainstays).
I replace my chain right away after installling. Wouldn't wanna risk wearign my cassette. So I just have a huge box of brand new chains and keep bolting them on the bike. I never even ride, only replace chains. And guess what? My cassete is in amazing condition. Checkmate, bike snobs!
The title of the video left me wondering. I own a belt drive bike, so I don´t need this tool. Now, does Ollie not consider me a cyclist? 😄 Even if I regularly do a tension test on my bike´s belt🚲
I have the CC2 from Park Tools. It works fine on my older bike, but the pins will not fit into my Campy 13-speed chain. What would you recommend for us riders on the bleeding edge?
just measure it with a good ruler. 10 double links have 254 mm in new condition. With 0,75% wear it has 256 mm. That's very exactly to do and it also avoids the error the play of the roller gives you to a normal chain checker you stick into a chain
i got a question on 3:07 i see a lot of grey/black gunk, i assume Ollie using wax on his chain. i heard lots of good things about waxing your chain, but these grey/black gunk keep apearing on my chain/jockywheel/cassette. is it possible to do a video what is the level of waxing is right? cause i always see/think my chain is dirtier than i used normal lub. i use Smooth, even i follow the instruction of the wax lub, it looks sooo dirty after 1 short ride. (cleaned throughly chain + did not over wax) thank you
@@michaelnewman4302 In reference to? The best checker for SRAM flat top chains costs as much or more than a full on chain. Park Tools chain checker is best if you can't get or afford a brand specific device (you can't use the SRAM checker for any other chain).
While this video is good and informative, I'd like to point out your nasty dirty chain in this demo, as well as "high tolerance" misleading the purpose of a CNC machined tool. It's highly precise with low tolerances, meaning it will be more accurate. Sorry, I don't usually do this, but this irked me a bit too much this morning. Keep it up, rest is good 🙂
Recently measured my chain and was surprised to find it quite badly worrn. However, I measured it across the quick link. Tried again on another part of the chain and it was fine. Quick link had been opened and closed one time. 8s this normal?
You have to measure in multiple places and take the average. Even a new chain can show to be worn if you measure in a bad spot. Confusing I know but it is what it is.
@@colinmackie8857Shimano original as far as I can tell, but who can be 100% sure buying stuff online 😢 I take my chain off about once every 6 to 8 weeks for deep cleaning and try not to reuse the quick links more than once as they do get loose.
The CC-4 is one of the few chain checkers that can accurately gauge chain wear on SRAM Flattop chains since two of the three prongs touch the front side of the rollers, taking roller diameter out of the equation. Almost all chain checkers in the market don't gauge this chain's wear accurately.
Aww, poo. A chain wear tool? That's one more thing for me to worry about (😁). Fortunately, my grotty old bike is not the kind of glamorous recreational thing that appears on proper cycling channels such as GCN. It's a 55 lb steel-framed monstrosity from Halfords, now laden with panniers and racks for carrying groceries. It also tows a homemade trailer which can haul 150 lbs of gubbins, dooh-dahs, wotsits and stuff. I'm not proud of it. It's a tool. The bike cost me £130, brand new, over 15 years ago. [A direct replacement would cost precisely the same - £130 - which is probably less that most peeps reading this spent on their carbon-fibre and titanium water bottle mount...] I ride 70 miles a week, every week, in West Yorkshire in the gloomy north of England, where every wind is a headwind and the hills only go up, never down [joke]. The bike's done well over 50,000 miles. I'm skint, so the poor thing gets treated appallingly. I keep a chain on until it start missing gears. Then, rather than swap the chain, I just switch to a different gear and keep pedalling. I currently have access to three gears from a total of eighteen, so it may be getting close to the time when I consider thinking about buying some new bits... Yes, I'm a bad, bad, BAAAAD girl. Um... is waxing a chain anything like waxing your legs?🤔
That's what a waxed chain looks like, his just has a lot of wax on the outside. Also, Silca's wax (which GCN use) is actually dark-ish grey from the additives in the blend, apart from purely the wax.
#askgcntech thanks Ollie! I didn’t know that 11/12 speed should be replaced at 0.5% so consequently I have went out to 0.75%. Why do I need to replace the cassette? There are no visible signs of wear and the shifting performance is still perfectly fine. What are the symptoms of a cassette that needs replacement?
Usually slipping gears and/or a rear mech that indexes correctly on a work stand but slips when changing gears out on the road. Only know this cos just replaced my chain (9 speed Sora) at 0.75% wear and did some research when I did have some slipping. Was fine after a complete re-index though.
Chain slippages on cassette (I've nearly gone over the handlebars with a new chain on a worn cassette). You can also "feel" burrs on edges of cassette teeth with a dental pick
Worn cassette might cause chain skip but look at chainring wear, too - if chain isn't engaging properly at rear, it must engage farther at front - thus it needs to cut into chainring.
Which is your favourite tool? Tell us in the comments 👇
Square Taper crank remover is pretty satisfying to use. The feeling of the crank sliding off the axle smoothly as you turn the tool.
Thanks Ollie, worth adding that the CC-2 won't measure SRAM 12 speed, so when i bought my N+1
I just used my 12 volt impact wrench (intended for unscrewing stuck wheelnuts on a car) for removing a stuck crankbox, that the previous owner totally messed up, without being able to remove it.
Torque wrench - especially with carbon frames, under/over tightening on some bolts can lead to disaster . . . but I'm getting a CC 4 today LOL Thanks for the tip - I used to use a fine ruler but the chain HAD to be off the bike - a hassle and not as accurate as the CC4 as the chain was not as properly extended as it would be on the bike. Cheers from MTL !
I would say that the pump is a pretty important tool 😁
Alls u need is a normal ruler.A new chain will line up on 1 of the rivets at exactly the 12 inch mark.If that rivet starts to completely clear the 12 inch mark u need a new one. Been doing this for 30 years and never had a problem. Try it!
True, Trouble is most people never check chain wear.Either way do it it will save you $$.
I bought a Trek Singletrack 930 brand new in 1996. Put tons of miles on it, on and off trail. FFWD to 2008 and I'm using it as my commuter to my job at a bicycle shop. The mechanic put that chain wear checker on and it went completely flat against the chain. The cassette and chainrings have worn with the chain as well. I have no issues withe gears skipping, even under power climbing a hill in near top gear.
Not saying this Park tool doesn't work - just saying that when everything has worn together in over 10k miles of riding, it somehow still works together. If the chain goes, though, pretty sure I'll have to replace everything, lol.
Best bike I've ever owned.
That's the problem. A couple of years ago my chain started skipping occasionally if I hit a large bump while under high load, so I figured it was finally time to replace the original chain after half an eternity of heavy use. Off course when I got a new chain on there about half the gears were completely unusable.
These days I replace the chains while they still have some life left in them. Decent chains are pretty cheap compared to decent cassettes, so I see little point in squeezing every last km out of every chain. And when the time comes that the cassette won't accept a fresh chain I'll have a few worn in spares I might try.
25,873 km on my waxed KMC chain for my trainer bike. It's only just getting to show any measurable weak. Start clean, use Silca super secret, and your drivetrain will last longer than you will.
Thank you. I've been using a chain checker for 2 years but didn't know it needed to used on the inner link!
You learn something new every day 🙌
I never found these types of tools to be accurate. I wore out drivetrains using a "fit gauge" like this one. Campagnolo gives a precise dimension for a worn chain and I use a Mitutoyo caliper to measure per Campy's instruction. The difference between a new and worn Campy chain is only about 0.020" (20 thousandths, 0.5 mm). So judging the "percent worn" as the weeks go by is much easier measuring it for real. Good-enough calipers are hardly more than the price of a chain, and you can use the calipers for home projects and vehicle maintenance.
Ollie is the new Sheldon Brown with his chain expertise. Another good way to visualize chain wear is to hang your old chain next to a new one, a long steel ruler is also good. I just replaced one on my ti mtb, it wasn't worn out but was stretched enough to not bother converting it to wax, much easier to start with a fresh chain. Big fan of Silca's hot wax, converting all my bikes to it.
Not really a chain expert. He (and GCN in general) often make beginner mistakes, sometimes even doing more harm than good (just look at the videos about clamping bikes and washing your bike with WD40).
He might need to let the beard grow a bit and get the sandals out more 😉But we'll take this as a big compliment!
@@izi941 There is nothing wrong with washing your bike in WD40 or using it as a chain lube for mountain biking. Putting WD-40 on your chain to clean it is safer than using degreaser which can snap your side plates.
WD40 is a metal cleaner and a rust remover, works great on dirty chains.
A steel rule is for drawing a straight line under your name on an exam paper not measuring anything 🤣
Chain gauge tool is essential, and I can't overstress the importance of maintaining a clean drive train. I've been using a wax-based chain lubricant for over 25 years, and just like Mr Miyagi said in The Karate Kid: "Wax on, wax off!" Your chain, chainrings, and cassette should never feel greasy or leave black marks when you touch them. Wax rules, but only if kept clean!😁
This was excellent. I love that you described exactly why the CC-4 is preferable. I worked with the mechanic who invented this type of chain checker in conjunction with Shimano, back at the Bike Gallery in Portland, OR. The other options at the time were not nearly precise enough. We used the prototypes in the shop and immediately got much better outcomes for our high-mileage riders, all-weather commuters, and big-hammer racers. It's one of many tools invented by the only genuine mechanical genius I fixed bikes with in a 20-year career. Park copied many of them. But if it leads to riders having better experiences riding their bikes (and supports always-beleaguered mechanics), that's what matters. Thanks Ollie!
CC-2 is plenty precise enough, but it lumps the elongation of the chain (which is important) with the roller slop (which is not). CC-4 pushes the rollers in the same direction by virtue of that finger pressure, thus excluding roller slop from the measurement. Ollie did not explain that.
For pub trivia, the chain is the component with the most moving parts.
Please say you go to a cycling pub quiz? 🚴
So I checked my chain and just before a trip abroad got a new one which I changed at the beginning of that trip. Unfortunately the cassette was already heavily worn out and the new chain didn’t work properly. This ended up with expensive cassette replacement and lost riding time while abroad. So it is important you understand cassette wear also.
If you replace your chain in ample time you'll get one cassette to every 3,4,5 or more chains
supplement: if you properly wax the chain, it will last at least 6 times longer and you will almost never have to change the cassette if you reshape its teeth from time to time
If you never replace your chain, the money you didn’t spend on chains can go towards a new cassette 😂
@@andymoss4285 and ring gear and pulleys what is not cheaper than chain
@@makantahi3731 depends on how long you leave it. For more cycling money saving tips, don’t ask me 😂
@@makantahi3731How long do you want it to last? properly clean a chain and oil it….ive an ultegra chainset least 8 years old using three chains on rotation with good results…1000’s kms….🤷🏼♂️🥳
Bravo.......I'm old school.....chain check......front big sprocket .......lift chain......1/8 inch......new cahin.........cheers
2 x grinding pastes! GCN bingo!
Thanks for the vid ollie, I didnt know that about different speed groupsets having different wear tolerances 👍
Good point: I need to get another one to cater for my 11-speed 2018 Ultegra Roubaix. Had meant to do so and forgot as I haven't ridden that bike for a bit
Referring to actual Sram Chain and Cassette technical instructions, the point to change the Chain is 0,8% on every Drivetrain up to 12-Speed.
So forget about the 0,5% Mark unless you take it as a reminder.
For Shimano there is no wear limit in Numbers. Only the Shimano TL-CN42 Chain Wear Checker.
new chain is 0.4%, so 0.5% is too early, 0.6-0.65% is proper time to replace
HG is .75% wear, replace chain; 1% wear replace chain and cassette
Shimano checkers are set around ~.75%
Zero Friction Cycling looked at chain checkers, tested them, and found the Park CC-2 is wildly inaccurate. As the Escape Collective noted in a Geek Warning podcast, it's pretty well known that the CC-2 is not the checker to use if you want to correctly and accurately measure chain wear. I'm not sure why you guys think it's worth showing to viewers.
ZFC shills for stuff that they make, they aren't really objective. They claim on their site that their Zero Lube lasts for 1100 km per application which makes it the longest in the world. Both Chain L, Phil Wood oil and pretty much any mineral oil based lube can easily go over 2000km per application.
The stuff ZFC makes is good for racing, but it's not the best for everything.
CC-2 is not useless if you understand that it's a relative measuring tool, not an absolute measurement device. I use my CC-2 to check each new chain, then monitor the chain wear going forward. I also have a set of Mitutoyo calipers for more precise measurements, but the CC-2 is quicker and gives me enough accuracy to know that a given chain is or isn't at the end of it's service life.😁
@@___Bebo___ , you haven't really paid attention to ZFC, have you? ZFC doesn't make anything, so that point is dead in the water. ZFC does testing and sells what does best in their testing. Testing from other sources confirms ZFC's testing protocol. If you think ZFC is shilling, you should send an email to them asking them about that. They're more than happy to discuss their testing protocol and what they sell. Oh, and there's no product on their site nor in their test results called "Zero Lube". You're making stuff up.
It's also worth noting that ZFC has highlighted the fact that their testing "kms" or "miles" are not equivalent to road miles. Moreover, they're not measuring how long the lube stays on the chain, they're measuring the wear rate of the chain. There's little good that comes from leaving your pet lubes on your chain for 2000km, because with the grit that accumulates in your wet lubes, your lubes will turn into nice grinding pastes. You really should pay attention to what the man says. Clearly you haven't.
The diagram on that CC-4 clearly shows (seen at 3:07) the rear prongs of the tool being inserted in the outer links of the chain... Yet you are saying specifically to insert at the inner links. 🤷♂
He is correct. The diagram is misleading. Here is a video from Park Tool themselves showing using inner links.
th-cam.com/video/iOaFF_4CqJg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i3WQ1b-KTjM1lpyQ
@@jimbolimbo so essentially everyone who buys this Park Tool and does not watch this GCN video are being directed to use it incorrectly by Park Tool themselves??
Edit: Direct responses from Park Tool addressing this exact question in that video you linked to:
"Either will work but we find that sometimes when engaging in outer plates that the tip can ride along the inner plate and give a false reading. ."
"Sometimes communication between departments is not perfect. Either way, the tool is effective but it is more predictable when used between inner links."
@@alpinekiwi It does not matter which way you measure. The Park/SRAM/Perdros/etc checkers are both based on Shimano CN-TL40/41 checker, which was the first tool that accounted for roller wear and which they are based. Shimano says use it in the outer plates, SRAM says use it on the inner plates. All that matters is you are pushed against the rollers.
Exactly what I was thinking mate
I've missed the point when my SRAM Eagle 12 speed chain went from almost no wear to, suddenly, 0.8% wear (as measured by digital calipers and by the total chain length). I'm glad to report that with the new chain there is no skipping. I think the recommendations for 0.5% on 11 and 12 speed drivetrains are somewhat conservative.
One method to extend the life of your cassette is to run two chains, swapping at regular intervals. Winter commuting in NE Scotland, I swap chains over every week. In summer It would be every three to four weeks. I managed to get three to four chain sets per cassette by changing them when 0.75% worn (9 speed cassette) over two to three chains when running them singularly.
it would be better to have 10 chains and every drive for ex. 1000km, but the best way is to reshape gears teeth when chain starts to skip on gear, you can reshape every tooth 10-15 times before is to weak and could break
@@makantahi3731reshape….easy enough done….you must have lots of time then 🤣
Swapping chains is the way 🙂👍🏻
@@pedallinraw 10 seconds per tooth is not a lot of time, every 2-3 chains, 2-3 cassette gears , and every 5-7 chains ring gears , in 10-30 minutes you can save money for new cassette
@@makantahi3731 Do you use a round engineering file? 🤔
Great timing! My chain checker just came in the mail. I was hoping for a GCN video with tips :-)
I’d just use kmc chains…three or four on rotation every 200km…that’s usually one ride for me….very easy and fast to clean a chain in an old tub using some white spirit ….gets all the grit out….back on the road next day…easy to do on the road as well 👌🏻
Timely video. I just pulled my tool out this afternoon to check my chain. I’ll go back and ensure I’ve placed it in the inner links rather than the outer ones
How did you get on?
@@gcntech great. I had done it correctly and my chain is still good
This is a basic ass thing to own as a bike rider. You're right everyone should have one. I like the pin type that you twist and it tells you a specific wear rate rather than the fixed metal sheet types.
The CC4 is more fool proof. I've seen many riders get an incorrect reading from the CC2.
Those are the least effective chain checkers.
The double pin checkers are more inaccurate because they don't account for roller wear. The Park CC4 is actually a copy of the older Shimano TL-CN40 chain checker, which does account for roller wear. It's far more accurate. They're also higher quality tools with better tolerances because they're laser cut and QC'd... the cheap chain checkers you find everywhere are just stamped steel. Of course there's also the old school method of taking the chain off and using a machinist ruler on the center pins. Regardless of the CC you use, the rule is if you drop it on the floor, it's garbage because it has lost its calibration.
Good to see more encouraging of the corporate line of saying people have to waste their time and money while increasing the environmental impact of their cycling by replacing slightly worn chains for no good reason. The problem with this whole idea is that If you pass the wear limit even slightly, which can happen mid spin, especially if the spin happens to be in wet, gritty conditions, you get skipping gears anyway. I've had the replacement chain skip when the old chain was just on the replacement interval as determined with the more accurate Shimano chain checker (Most chain checkers don't account for play in the rollers in their measurements, giving premature replacement intervals). This then leaves you with the choice of either letting the chain wear into everything to get some value out of the cassette and rings which already skip with a new chain, or buying a new drivetrain anyway.
Letting everything wear in together has given me no skipping gears ever in 30+ years of doing it (Trying the chain replacement was a brief effort a couple of years ago, which failed precisely because it added work for me and did no make the drivetrain last longer). Turns out even when the chain is worn to the point the rollers literally fall off it, the gears still don't skip - but I tend not to let it go that far as it's not exactly quiet at that point, and produces less waste for (hopefully) recycling. Since a compete drivetrain will run for 4 or 5 times as long as the chain replacement intervals with no intervention at all, apart from basic cleaning and lubrication, it's cheaper to do things this way in cost terms and environmental cost, and cheaper again if you value your time.
Buy five chains, then rotate them every 1000km for the life of the drivetrain. If you look after the chains, this should last quite a while.
I bought one years ago when I had a chain that wasn't shifting well. (It was a Everest with Al side plates)
It turned out that the chain wasn't longer than original, but it had a lot of side wear.
There are two things to watch out for.
Just replaced chain on FG at 0.5 - it developed annoying rattling which was OK 30minutes after lubing and quickly came back again so I got fed with it. I must say cog started to show slight marks on teeth so I'm not so sure about 1% but that was cheap stamped cog - but I don't want to damage more expensive CNCd cog I used as replacement.
12 speed chains now come with the advice to change your chain before or at 0.5%, which seems to make current chain checkers a bit obsolete.
Biggest thing on 12 speed chains is not so much stretch of the chain. But the lateral flex in the links.
I think most important is what chain do you use. Connex SX, KMC sl gold, Shimano Dura ace
Is it possible to check SRAM 12sp chain with CC-4?
yes
Thanks Ollie! That was helpful.
4k and minimal wear, meanwhile I go through ( cheap ) chains every 800km or so ( sunrace chains, on mtb with a Tongshen tsdzb2b so lots more torque going through that chain then I normally would put through it ).
Now those chains are dirt cheap, so I don't really mind that much ( as long as I do as advertised in the video and change them before my cassette wears out, since then my wallet hurts more ).
SRAM AXS chains should be replaced at .8% wear. The manufacturer’s technical guide specifically indicates: “Flattop chains last longer than 10/11 speed road chains. Replacing a Flattop chain too early may prematurely wear the chainring and cassette.”
As a side note, they are very durable, I wipe the chain with microfiber cloth, top up Silica SS drip-on wax once a week (=every 300-500km depending on dry vs wet conditions) and get easily 16K km out of a Force 12s flattop chain.
Finally ordered one last night!
Awesome! Did you go for the cc-4?
Thank you for this video - very helpful!
The Park Tool CC-4 is a great tool. I'll disagree that the tool needs to be inserted at an inner link and not at an outer link. The CC-4 I have has a diagram right on the tool that shows inserting it between outer links. But it's a moot point. It doesn't matter if the tool is inserted between inner links or outer links. The tool pushes the rollers tight to the same side of the pins at all three places it's designed for. All the links have the same spacing (outer links don't wear out, the wear is inside the rollers and mostly where the pins contact the inner links) so the wear will be the same no matter where on the chain you place the tool, EXCEPT...if the tool bridges the chain's master link, then if the master link has worn differently than all the other links in the chain, it'll affect the chain stretch measurement. The other Park Tool in the video is not recommended because it pushes the rollers in opposite directions, which can result in showing the chain has more wear that it actually has, plus that tool only spans a few links. The CC-4 spans a lot more, reflecting the cumulative effect of many links, not just a few.
Got one, there a must have.
I've checked mine using the earlier version of the tool, found it to 50% worn, and replaced the chain for ~$10 rather than the whole drivetrain at ~$120. I hope to get many years out of the cassette and chainrings by staying on top of chain wear.
I change chains every month so each link wears on a slightly different area of the tooth. Minimal wear. 3 waxed chains. The fancy park tool chain checker is the better buy.
I've heard the pins bend a bit easily from Zero Friction Cycling's channel and the laser cut type don't have that problem.
Great video!
I don't know how do you use mathematical expression of percentages but in my opinion if you use percentage there is 💯 % of one whole unit. That means if you want to say half of sth (1/2 of whole piece) it is 50 % not point five (0.5). And the same is about 3/4 of one piece it is mathematically 75 % in percentage (not 0.75% as you say). Because you and the tool speeks about extension by one chain segment not percents. But anyway. Thank you for the correct way how to measure the chain! I think a lot of riders keep one of those tool but not everybody knows how to use ut in right way 👍
His mathematics are right. A new chain is set at 100,0% without wear. A worn one with 1% wear will have 101% of the length compared to the new specs. 8 or 9 speed chains can be driven until 1% wear, while more modern 12 speed chains are considered as worn with 0,75%.
If you measure it with a ruler instead of such a tool it's the same, a new one has 25,4 cm over 10 double links while a worn one with 1% wear has 2,54 mm more
Moral of the story - winter training on a single speed 👍👍
You still need to change the chain on a single speed, just not as frequently.
Yeah 1.0% chain wear limit for single speed chains...nice.
Do you find that makes you really strong come summer?
@@richardggeorge It starts feeling like garbage sooner than that.
Nothing builds short burst climbing power like a single speed (for me at least).
Great info. 👏👏
As an engineer I’d like to understand how the 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0% limits are established? Is there a scientific reason or simply an empirical/economic reason for different chain types?
As just some dude, this question sounds smart, so I am also hoping someone answers it.
You'd probably get the best chance of an answer by posting this question to Park Tool's channel.
As an engineer, I guess that Shimano have done durability testing and have shown that cassette and chain ring wear becomes non-linear (accelerates) beyond these "wear limits". The theory is that you replace the cheaper chain rather than the more expensive cassette and crankset. However, if you use cheap Sunrace cassettes and Ali Express cranksets you could just wear them all out together as an "assembly" as they all cost roughly the same amount and not get the same slippage till a bit later and they are worn to the same degree. Don't blame me if you go over the handlebars though 😁
Are you the engineer that puts bolts in terrible locations where I can't use a wrench properly? 🤔
@@_Zane__ yes , that is he
I use the park tool 3.2 chain checker and dont find any issue with using it.
Should you account for the added thickness of your wax coating?
Doesn't matter, if the chains not too stretched in use it won't prematurely wear the cassette and chainrings. Shouldn't never check a freshly waxed chain though, only one that's done some miles.
I use a good quality caliper, it works just like that.
Hehe. In our day and age, I of course have a digital chainchecker 🙂
Pfff digital .... That's nothing. I have a nuclear chainchecker.
Store inside a baggie/ziplock bag, and be sure it does not touch other metal tools as it will cause galvanic corrosion
The CC-4 chain checker is not cheap. You can buy two or three chains for the price of the tool. Anything more than a 9 or 8 spd cassette is a money pit. Stick to 5 or 6 spd and save money. Better still go single speed.
The CC-4 is better because it takes up the slack in worn rollers that do not contribute to chain "stretch". The other chain checkers do not allow for this and they indicate more than the real wear. You could be tossing a chain that is still good.
My only question is, with 11 speed usually first it will only drop to 0.5 at one place, most of time around the quick link but if you measure at several places on the chain other points are still fine, maybe with your hands applying some force it will go in but from it self it won’t. So when is it really 0.5? Should I replace the chain when it drops at one place and nowhere else or at this point still some life left in it and it’s fine until it starts to drop in several places?
use vernier caliper jaws for holes, below 119.75 mm is below 0.5%, over 120.00mm is over 0.75%, easy!?!?!?, measure on different spots/links many times
Measure in several places. If they all are over, replace. Some chains will show wear but it's not over the limit.
Toss it, if a chain spikes up to 0.5 super quick it's a crap chain you got a dud.
@@___Bebo___ quick or not are abstract terms, the mileage is important, but it is also important how the chain was maintained, so if it had good maintenance, then you can talk about whether the chain has worn out prematurely or not
@@makantahi3731 Do you think any pro riders carefully wax their chain, keeping it with ancient stressed side chain plates as long as possible to get more wear than the manufacturer intended? I doubt it, they probably toss the chain after a race. Even if you are from a crap country you should change your chain often.
Tape measure works 100%.
While this tool does help, there is an important thing to know:
Chain wear is not the same as chain stretch. When the chain stretches - it will ruin your sprockets, this tool will help you diagnose this and you can prevent it. All good.
Chain wear though....you can't see it with this tool. And the problem is that the rollers within the links are going to start wearing out regardless of the chain stretch. This is why you should change your chain regardless of the chain stretch.
Just ordered a CC-4 from Amazon to replace my CC-3.2 and the pictures of it in use were wrong, not using inner link. No wonder people get confused.
Weird that the cc-4 sticker seems to indicate to use the outer links in the diagram… I checked the manual and that indeed tells to use the inner links.
The picture on top of the CC-4 is wrong as in the picture, the tool is placed on the outer link :/
Grinding paste mentioned!
I use Mineral Oil lube for max grinding paste, it's the only way.
The CC 4 is the only that makes sense because the way it works it dont include roller wear.
You think Park didn't think about that? I use the bottom of the line 3.2, and after a few years and a few chains, checking the chain has become a formality. When the shifting gets lousy, the chain checker just confirms what I already know. That chain is done.
Pedros make a 3 prong chain checker called the Plus 2.
I would like to know which bike lube. You recommend for those of us that don't wax
If your cassette or crankset have worn to some level, you will also find you can´t fit your new chain on them. That is what my bike mechanics told me after I failed to replace the chain by myself. Now I just take his suggestion: Keep riding until your cassette or crankset can not grab your chain tight and correctly, then replace all of them. Every day I ride 30km to work and it takes me at least 6000km to do such replacement (I don´t wax the chain because wax can not hold the wet winter weather in north Germany). Such tool is totally useless and just waste of your money. Don´t be victim of bike industry.
@2:10 the pointer points to inner plates with a roller between yet the pin is not in place to hold it. Seems the rollers don't spin around the pin, do they Ollie.
You've got all the bits in front of you, now figure out that rollers don't rotate nor spin, they ROLL, hence the name.
Look for the tangents and tangential contact(s), answers are there.
We WANT the GCN channel back👀😊😊😊😊😊😊😊🙏🙏🙏🙏
Is there any different procedure for a flat-top 12-speed chain? (a local shop told me this, and I've never heard that).
CC-4 is one of the best tools in the box. Throw away that old CC-2 immediately.
throw it to me
Only Ollie can take the joy out of 'jumping, skipping and play'
My favourite chain tool is a ruler. No need for extra tools.
Change your chains at 0,5 👍 as a bike shop I like that…more chains sold. We recommend before 0.75 and using CC2 type tools
Pinion drive and Gates belt stops all the gears from slipping and clacking and getting filthy and out of adjustment. Forever.
What is going on with that chain, you were trying to hide the maker with dirt?
11k miles or about 16k km on a new DA chain this year using regular wd40 on it every 4 rides and it has stretched 3mm in total length.
here are options
1. you are lying
2. you are weak
3. you rinse the chain hard with wd40 so it is always clean
4. very good chain
5. a combination of points 1-4
I used to use WD40 as a chain lube in college, it's underrated. I'd take my bike over to the janitor closet and lube up right there for free like once a week, worked great.
@@___Bebo___ did you measure the chain before you started using wd40 and for the entire time of use, because the chain can be completely worn without causing problems because the cassette is also worn, so they work well together
@@makantahi3731 No it was some mountain bike I don't care about 25 years ago. No one cared about this stuff back then.
Ollie, should you be in the large chain ring/small cog when using the chain checker tool?
It doesn't matter what gear you're in, as long as there's enough room to fit the chain checker onto the chain.
Park Tool® promo
Some confusion about where to put the rear pin of the CC-2. You say between the inner links, and yet a Park Tools video from seven years ago, shows it being used between outer links. A couple of years ago, Alex did a video and he put the pin with the measuring device, the front or left hand pin in between two outer plates, which means that the other pin goes into two INNER plates.
Surely it doesn’t matter as long as one pin is between two inner plates, ant the other is between two outer ones?
check it on different links no matter if it is inner or outer, chain is not uniformly worn
I guess then that if the chain wear is uneven, we should should be using the tool to check several different parts of the chain, maybe two or three different areas.
You have the dislike button disabled, I thought I should let you know... No, you do not need that tool... You guys are smart, you can do better than this. I really enjoy your videos, please try harder to keep them interesting...
Road bike = Shimano 11 speed,gravel bike = SRAM flattop 12 speed
Chain checker (BBB) no problem for road bike.
Unfortunately not on SRAM flattop
Any suggestions ?
the CC-4 is recommended for the 12s flattop
@@NicholasKing Thx for the info 👏
How often should one be checking one's chain? Obviously it will vary with the typical riding conditions, but is this something that can sneak up on you quickly?
depends how good is maintenance, if you do not care, as soon as possible , if you hot wax chain every 100km, then you have to check it every 500-800km
0:04 one of Ollie's pristine waxed chains?
I don't know the extent of your knowledge of chain waxing but I think you are being sarcastic. If the chain is a waxed one the apparent "build-up" on the chain links could be excess external wax resulting from leaving the chain in the molten wax too long after the wax heater had been turned off. The wax will start to cool and solidify so that when you lift the chain from the molten wax, instead of the wax that is on the exterior of the chain running off, it will stick to the chain. The hot Wax that is inside the pins and rollers does not run out. The excess exterior wax will simply flake off when the bike is ridden.
Please, please don't promote the use of the cc2. It is horribly inaccurate and very easy to misuse. Thank you for promoting the correct use of the cc4.
High tolerances? Wouldn't you want low tolerances, hence high precision?
High tolerances is not same as big tolerances, High tolerances means high precision
5:49 - what about 13 speed?
Should the chain be in a specific gear front/rear or it doesn't matter?
no
Why would it matter - it's the chain only that's being measured and this is not affected by gear choice. Making sure you have enough straight chain exposed to fit the tool on it is the only reason you might have to select a different gear (If you have really short chainstays).
Just replaced my chain. 😀
I replace my chain right away after installling. Wouldn't wanna risk wearign my cassette. So I just have a huge box of brand new chains and keep bolting them on the bike. I never even ride, only replace chains. And guess what? My cassete is in amazing condition. Checkmate, bike snobs!
I ride til there are no teeth at all on anything
Wow... you beat us 🫡
My chain checker is my bike mechanic
The title of the video left me wondering. I own a belt drive bike, so I don´t need this tool. Now, does Ollie not consider me a cyclist? 😄 Even if I regularly do a tension test on my bike´s belt🚲
just buy that checker and do not ask anything
Ollie considers you as a cyclist, as do the rest of us 🫶
I have the CC2 from Park Tools. It works fine on my older bike, but the pins will not fit into my Campy 13-speed chain. What would you recommend for us riders on the bleeding edge?
just measure it with a good ruler. 10 double links have 254 mm in new condition. With 0,75% wear it has 256 mm.
That's very exactly to do and it also avoids the error the play of the roller gives you to a normal chain checker you stick into a chain
@@simonm1447 That is good to know. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
i got a question
on 3:07 i see a lot of grey/black gunk, i assume Ollie using wax on his chain.
i heard lots of good things about waxing your chain, but these grey/black gunk keep apearing on my chain/jockywheel/cassette.
is it possible to do a video what is the level of waxing is right? cause i always see/think my chain is dirtier than i used normal lub.
i use Smooth, even i follow the instruction of the wax lub, it looks sooo dirty after 1 short ride. (cleaned throughly chain + did not over wax)
thank you
I throw the chain away after each ride. It minimises wear on the other components.
Park should make one that works for SRAM flattop chains.
You can use the CC4. It's based on the SRAM checker. You need to replace at .5% wear.
@@jamesmckenzie3532 Zero Friction Cycling disagrees about the CC-4.
@@michaelnewman4302 In reference to? The best checker for SRAM flat top chains costs as much or more than a full on chain. Park Tools chain checker is best if you can't get or afford a brand specific device (you can't use the SRAM checker for any other chain).
I replace it if it starts to make a horrible noise on the 11t sprocket
Probably a bit late….
While this video is good and informative, I'd like to point out your nasty dirty chain in this demo, as well as "high tolerance" misleading the purpose of a CNC machined tool. It's highly precise with low tolerances, meaning it will be more accurate.
Sorry, I don't usually do this, but this irked me a bit too much this morning.
Keep it up, rest is good 🙂
Recently measured my chain and was surprised to find it quite badly worrn. However, I measured it across the quick link. Tried again on another part of the chain and it was fine. Quick link had been opened and closed one time. 8s this normal?
You have to measure in multiple places and take the average. Even a new chain can show to be worn if you measure in a bad spot. Confusing I know but it is what it is.
Are you using a genuine quick link? The cheap chinese aftermarket ones are poor quality and the pin will wear quickly.
@@colinmackie8857Shimano original as far as I can tell, but who can be 100% sure buying stuff online 😢 I take my chain off about once every 6 to 8 weeks for deep cleaning and try not to reuse the quick links more than once as they do get loose.
Is this good for flat top sram chains?
The CC-4 is one of the few chain checkers that can accurately gauge chain wear on SRAM Flattop chains since two of the three prongs touch the front side of the rollers, taking roller diameter out of the equation. Almost all chain checkers in the market don't gauge this chain's wear accurately.
10 full links are 10". 10 1/16" is a worn chain.
Simple as. All you need is a 12" rule.
And the independent testing says the other is junk, way overestimated wear. Unfortunately that’s the one I own.
chain doesnt become longer. its the rollers that become looser because of wear and tear.
Aww, poo. A chain wear tool? That's one more thing for me to worry about (😁). Fortunately, my grotty old bike is not the kind of glamorous recreational thing that appears on proper cycling channels such as GCN. It's a 55 lb steel-framed monstrosity from Halfords, now laden with panniers and racks for carrying groceries. It also tows a homemade trailer which can haul 150 lbs of gubbins, dooh-dahs, wotsits and stuff.
I'm not proud of it. It's a tool. The bike cost me £130, brand new, over 15 years ago. [A direct replacement would cost precisely the same - £130 - which is probably less that most peeps reading this spent on their carbon-fibre and titanium water bottle mount...]
I ride 70 miles a week, every week, in West Yorkshire in the gloomy north of England, where every wind is a headwind and the hills only go up, never down [joke]. The bike's done well over 50,000 miles. I'm skint, so the poor thing gets treated appallingly. I keep a chain on until it start missing gears. Then, rather than swap the chain, I just switch to a different gear and keep pedalling. I currently have access to three gears from a total of eighteen, so it may be getting close to the time when I consider thinking about buying some new bits...
Yes, I'm a bad, bad, BAAAAD girl. Um... is waxing a chain anything like waxing your legs?🤔
Zero Friction Cycling has tested several brands. Most are not accurate.
What was the testing methodology?
@@danielakerman8241 nobody knows, adams methodology
Whose grubby chain is that Ollie?
That's what a waxed chain looks like, his just has a lot of wax on the outside. Also, Silca's wax (which GCN use) is actually dark-ish grey from the additives in the blend, apart from purely the wax.
#askgcntech thanks Ollie! I didn’t know that 11/12 speed should be replaced at 0.5% so consequently I have went out to 0.75%. Why do I need to replace the cassette? There are no visible signs of wear and the shifting performance is still perfectly fine. What are the symptoms of a cassette that needs replacement?
Usually slipping gears and/or a rear mech that indexes correctly on a work stand but slips when changing gears out on the road. Only know this cos just replaced my chain (9 speed Sora) at 0.75% wear and did some research when I did have some slipping. Was fine after a complete re-index though.
Chain slippages on cassette (I've nearly gone over the handlebars with a new chain on a worn cassette). You can also "feel" burrs on edges of cassette teeth with a dental pick
Worn cassette might cause chain skip but look at chainring wear, too - if chain isn't engaging properly at rear, it must engage farther at front - thus it needs to cut into chainring.
if your chain skips, you do not need to buy another, it can be saved by teeth reshaping
@@richardggeorge it is not because burrs, just different teeth pitch