joseph_green13•12d agoProlific Poster

Had to pick between a torque wrench and a chain checker last week

I was at my local bike shop in Portland and realized I only had $40 left in my pocket. I needed a chain wear checker bad because my last chain snapped on a group ride and it was embarrassing lol. But I also really wanted a beam style torque wrench for carbon frame work, which was $35. So I stood there for like 10 minutes weighing the options. I went with the chain checker because I figured it would save me money on drivetrain parts in the long run. Good call honestly, I checked my bike at home and the chain was at 0.75 wear already. Has anyone else had to choose between two must-have shop tools on a budget?

3 comments

3 Comments

milalewis12d ago

Snapped mid-ride, seriously?

the_faith12d ago

Did you at least get a cool crash story out of it?

sullivan.quinn12d ago

Feel for you man, nothing worse than standing there doing mental math while other customers are grabbing stuff off shelves. That chain snap on a group ride sounds brutal, at least you caught the wear before it happened again. I think you made the right call though, torque wrenches are great but drivetrains get expensive fast