Stupidly wasted $80 on a chain checker that didn't work right

I picked up one of those cheap magnetic chain checkers off Amazon a few months ago... looked fine in the package but the magnet was way too strong and it kept sticking to the cassette. I figured it was fine until I checked a chain I knew was worn with my old Park Tool CC-2 and got totally different readings. Turned out the cheap one was off by like 0.5 percent which is a lot when you're trying to decide if a chain is done for. I threw it in the trash and went back to using my Park Tool one like I should have from the start. Has anyone else had bad luck with those magnetic wear indicators?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_moore2d ago

Man I used to think those magnetic ones were fine for a quick check, but after watching a buddy shred through three chains in a season because his cheap checker was reading wrong I totally changed my tune. That 0.5% difference doesn't sound huge until you're replacing cassettes way earlier than you should be. I grabbed a proper CC-2 after that and haven't looked back.

felix4782d ago

Hold on, I get where you're coming from but I've actually had the opposite luck with those magnetic checkers. I used the same cheap one for two full seasons on my mountain bike and it never let me down, or maybe my chain was just wearing evenly. Isn't it possible your buddy just got a bad batch of chains, or was riding in super gritty conditions that would kill any chain fast? I trust my eyes and a ruler more than a tool that can get bumped and give a false reading anyway.