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For many years I had a chain checking tool that had two prongs to grip a roller and another curved pin that inserted into the gap between rollers about 6 inches away. You could monitor the wear progress depending on how far the pin went in and it was double sided to give you up to 0.75 percent or 1 percent wear. Very quick and easy to use, but after reading various articles on how inaccurate many are, I bought what was supposed to be the most accurate type, a Pedros II (same design as a Park Tool CC4).
I have persevered with the Pedro's for 5 years now and I'm just not convinced it is more accurate and it is certainly a lot more difficult to use. According to the instructions you have to insert pin 1, then 2 and the final pin 3 is what you measure from. I have found that it is very sensitive to how much you push in pin 2 as to the reading you get in pin 3. If I push in firmly it will say the chain has no wear, but on my original chain checker it will suggest something around 0.5%. If I take the chain off and compare to a new chain, there is clearly wear on the chain, so I have now lost confidence in what are supposed to be the most accurate chain checkers.
What are other peoples experiences? Is there a specific technique to the Pedro's type beyond the instructions?
I tend to use the most recent version of the Park Tools one (which does 0.75/0.5 mm wear) and I’ve not had any issues with that.
I do have a pretty half-hearted approach to maintenance though.
I've got one of the Pedro ones coming as its one of the few sram says works with their axs flat top chains.
I "think" you have to push pin 2 in quite firmly as that is what forces the pins and rollers together at one side to then measure the wear at pin 3?
Apparently you are supposed to measure it when the chain is stripped for re lubing, especially if its a waxed chain as the solid wax in the rollers can prevent the rollers and pins from pushing right against each other.
I've four in the measuring draw if the tool chest.
Rohloff caliber
Park CC4
Abbey Bike Tools LLC
600mm steel rule with markers to measure the longest length possible.
I find the Park and Rohloff are both pessimistic but I guess that's the better way to have it. Not warm a chain out since getting the abbey Bike tools but when any get close I check them against the steel rule for the final verdict.
I have the Pedro chain checker, too. Agree that it needs pushing hard to make sure the first two pins operate correctly.
I have a crappy park one. Measure the chain whenever it goes up on the stand. Then when it shows that the chain is worn, i switch to a steel rule. Which i have in the workshop anyway.
check them against the steel rule
(tension clean unwaxed chain over a decent length and measure against a rule. Hell, use a caliper if you want). I don't but surely that's the "best" *
* Best really is the one you use most reliably and most often. For me that's shoving in a cheap one and seeing what happens. Even the supposedly discredited simple ones will tell you that things are getting slack/funny and then maybe you measure properly
I tend to use the most recent version of the Park Tools one (which does 0.75/0.5 mm wear) and I’ve not had any issues with that.
Same.
But what do we use to check the wear on our chain checkers, eh?
I have an old CC2, but that doesn't measure roller to roller on the same side of each roller. It only measures inside to inside. But it's good enough and seems to more or less correlate with whether I have caught it time for a chain only swap or not. I know it's not flat-top chain compatible, but I haven't got any of those for now.
Big article on measuring chain wear (paywalled, think you can read one story for free though).
https://escapecollective.com/threaded-24-a-modern-guide-to-measuring-chain-wear/
Chain waxers like me, who just throw the chain in a pot of wax when it needs redoing and don't take all the old wax off first, how do you measure chain wear? Hopefully not the same way as me (ie, you don't 😊)
If you want to remove the wax to check chain length, I have a small milk pan that I will boil the chain in to remove the wax. Also use it after really dirty rides so I'm not contaminating the wax pot.
Thanks all. I reckon I'm going to have to invest in a steel rule and then start doing my own calibrations. The Pedro's one just seems too technique sensitive compared to others. I don't buy that simply tools don't work for two reasons 1) pin and roller wear is most likely symmetrical and 2) you can compensate for that in the cheaper tool.
Chain waxers like me, who just throw the chain in a pot of wax when it needs redoing and don't take all the old wax off first, how do you measure chain wear? Hopefully not the same way as me (ie, you don't 😊)
I keep meaning to buy a chain checker, but then I've been saying that since, er, 1995. I think they're one of those things that logically have a use, but practically don't actually matter.