Please recommend me a chain wear checker

[αdαmsκι]

The Knowledge is currently full of stories of chain wear at the moment and dead cassettes and chainrings.  This has got me thinking about buying a chainchecker tool (or rather asking Farther Christmas for one  )  Like all things, there are loads of models that vary from a few quid to £25.  I had a look on Parker International and there are loads of different models that vary from a few quid to lots of quids (eg a BBB one for £3.95 or an IceToolz one for £5.60 or £26.25 for a Shimano one).  And someone also suggested a Rohloff one.  Surely there cannot be much of a difference between the models considering all they're doing is acting as a metal ruler? 

[clarion]

Park Tools make the simplest & best.  Not cheap, but not expensive either.

[Chris S]

Indeed. I use a metal ruler  .

[numbnuts]

Indeed. I use a metal ruler  .

me too

[cc93]

         Park CC3C Chain Wear Indicator - Only £5.95 - Worldwide Cycling Mail Order Specialists and Consultants - Parker International
      

simple and effective (and cheaper than a metal ruler)

[Hello, I am Bruce]

         Park CC3C Chain Wear Indicator - Only £5.95 - Worldwide Cycling Mail Order Specialists and Consultants - Parker International
      

simple and effective (and cheaper than a metal ruler)

No it's not.

[PhilO]

Indeed. I use a metal ruler  .

I use a plastic one, with the edge filed away.  By a bizarre coincidence of disimmilar units the distance between the inner edges of the rollers 12 links appart, when the chain has stretched by 1%, is 300mm. 

[iakobski]

CC-3

Agreed.

Two measurement points: 1. Replace chain now; 2: Left it too late

No need for anything else

[clarion]

         Park CC3C Chain Wear Indicator - Only £5.95 - Worldwide Cycling Mail Order Specialists and Consultants - Parker International
      

simple and effective (and cheaper than a metal ruler)

That's the fella.  Easier to use than a ruler

[αdαmsκι]

Easier to use than a ruler

Being honest here, I could measure chain stretch with a ruler, but have I either done this?  Nope; I'm too lazy.  Having a tool that makes life easier means I'll actually be bothered to check how much the chain has stretched. 

yacf consensus suggest the Park took is the thing I should get ask Father Christmas for.

[andrew_s]

In terms of accuracy, the ranking is
1) a ruler
2) the Shimano version
3) all the others

"All  the others" measure the distance between a roller pushed one way along the chain, and a roller pushed the other way, and thus include the amount of play between the roller and the inner link bushing (or equivalent). There's no reason to assume that this play is either consistent between differeent chain manufacturers, or constant as the chain wears. I've certainly come across people grumbling that a brand new chain shows up as half worn out.

The Shimano checker has 3 prongs so that the two rollers it is measuring between are diplaced in the same direction. It's pretty expensive though, and a ruler is much cheaper.

[cc93]

simple and effective (and cheaper than a metal ruler)

No it's not.

But it's not long enough, it stops at 12"   

[saturn]

Indeed. I use a metal ruler  .

I use a plastic one, with the edge filed away. 

Beware accuracy of plastic rules, we've got one that has significantly longer mm's that others, maybe it's stretched.

[clarion]

I used to have a steel Megalithic Yard.  It was marked for three different calculations of the MY, and had gradations for thermal expansion (or contraction, if you're measuring a stone circle in the cold)