Review of Park Tool CC-2 Chain Checker

Park Tool CC-2 Chain Checker
By: Park Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 2
More Information

Simple, accurate, durable

On: 2009-09-01

This tool measures chain-wear and its very simple to use. The bottom of the tool has two metal pins, one pin is mounted to a lever and is offset in a way that changes the spacing between the pins when the lever is moved. This allows you to very precisely measure how much a bicycle chain has stretched. The stretch amount is visible through a small window.

The tool is machined out of solid aluminum and the color is anodized (not painted). There are no plastic or fragile parts. The tool will never wear out -- one is all youll need for the rest of your bike-riding life.

Chains have a sequence of narrow & wide links. Each narrow & wide pair of links on a new chain will measure exactly 1.0" from center of pin to center of pin. If you were to use a ruler to measure 20 links (10 "pairs") it should measure exactly 10.0" on a brand-new chain. The chain will stretch with use as the hinge points wear. 1/16th of an inch is normal -- at 1/8" its time to replace the chain. But using the Park Tool is a easier and faster than using a ruler.

Set the lever to the "0" position and set the tool on your chain (keep mild tension on the chain to get an accurate reading -- measuring a chain hanging slack will not be accurate) so that the pins on the tool are between the links on your chain. Push the lever until it stops then read the stretch value through the window on the tool. A brand new chain will measure .0 -- any used chain will have some stretch. Values below .5 are considered normal/acceptable amounts of wear (the tool reads from 0 to 1.0 in .25 increments.), but above .5 means your chain will need replacing soon. I replace my chains when they read .75.

Why do you care?

Chains are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace, but if theyre not replaced they can create problems. The chain will begin to slip and jump -- usually under heavy load such as trying to ride up a steep hill or on an aggressive climb on a trail (which is exactly when you _dont_ want that to happen). A stretched chain will also wear the sprockets -- itll mildly affect the front chainrings, but it can more rapidly affect the rear freewheel or cassette and these are more expensive to replace.

If you ride aggressively on trails you should be checking your chain about every 100-200 miles of riding. If you ride more gently or only on mostly flat streets then you may only need to check every 300-500 miles.

I give this tool 5 stars (and Im not one to just give out five stars because I bought one myself) because its simple to use, its easy to read, its accurate, and its constructed of durable materials -- not cheap plastic parts -- down to every detail (including anodizing the aluminum instead of painting it -- so theres not even any paint to wear off.) They did everything right when they made this tool. I couldnt ask for anything more.

Essential tool; eliminates doubt on when your chain is worn

On: 2008-09-16

There are several ways to measure whether its time to replace a bicycle chain but this handy tool from Park eliminates any doubt. Its dead-simple to use - you just put it on your chain, move the gauge to measure the amount of wear, and read the output. If its time to replace the chain, youll know immediately.

If youre reading this, you probably know that you need to watch your chain wear because if you ride too long with a worn-out chain you can prematurely wear out the cogs on your rear cassette and wear out the cogs on your chainrings. Chains are cheap by comparison -- you can replace two or three chains (assume you catch them in time) before you need to replace your cassette or chainrings...and this tool removes doubt about when to do that.

A little pricey, but, like all Park Tools, its a quality piece of gear.