Is my Chain Worn?

Question:
I have noticed my chain does not seat itself completely on the cassette sometimes. I have adjusted the cables and cleaned the chained. I suspect it is telling me my chain is worn out?

Hi Tommy,

If you cleaned the chain, re-oiled it and have tried to adjust the gears then this only a few things. Have you checked that the rear gear or the rear hanger is not bent? This is unlikely if you haven't had an accident. So the chain is probably worn, as you thought. The easiest way to tell if the chain is worn is to measure it, there are special chain measuring devises available, but you only need a normal tape measure or ruler. If you measure from the center of a rivet over six outer links to the next rivet it should measure 14 cm's, or if you prefer; take a tape measure and measure out 1 foot, this should cover 12 outer links or 24 inners and outers. If the rivet isn't in the 1 foot mark then the chain is worn and should be changed. There is the 1/8 th of an inch rule, if the chain has stretched that much then the sprockets are also probably worn and will not work well with a new chain and will need replacing also.

The more often that you change your chain the longer your cassette sprockets will last, the lighter you are and if you are a smooth peddler this also prolongs the life of a chain, you can do a little to change your weight, but you can learn to pedal more smoothly. Then again chains are not that expensive!