Checking chains for wear

[Abui]

I clean my chain often to keep the parts from wearing fast. I clean it with several rinses and shakes in a can of denatured alcohol.

Since it's off the bike I might as well check the wear.
Procedure (let gravity do the work of alignment)

(1) A 4-foot "yardstick" hanging on a nail.
(2) Hang the chain on a nail above the stick. Nail is set so a chain rivet lines up on an inch marker. A perfect chain would have a rivet exactly on each inch marker.



(3) Check the bottom end of the chain.

A picture of an almost new chain.



A picture of a worn-out chain. Not to be used.

[OMR]

those chain checker tools are really easy to use while the chain is still on the bike...

[silverspot]

... Or just get a chain wear indicator and check it while it's still on the bike.

[Abui]

Originally Posted by OMR

those chain checker tools are really easy to use while the chain is still on the bike...

Chain checkers don't measure the true pitch the teeth see, they can be fooled by wear between the rivets and rollers.

(If you clean often, checking is trivial)