00:26 Longitudinal wear (Recommendations from Abby Tools)
02:02 Lateral wear (Recommendations from Abby Tools)
03:30 Our experience with the Abby LL Chain Wear Tool
A chain wear checker is now available from Abby Tools that has gotten the attention of Lenard Zinn (author of Road Bike Maintenance). We're going to look at the recommended use from Abby Tool and then a look at it works in a real life setting such you and I experience.
The LL in Abby LL Chain Wear Tool stands for longitudinal and lateral wear indication.
To check longitudinal wear:
• Pinch the chain roller into the V-shaped notch on the tool, then line up the pin on the chain with one of the holes on the opposite end of the tool to measure linear wear.
• The V-shaped notch allows you to accurately measure chain wear regardless of the roller size by centering it in the notch.
• Once the roller is in the notch, align the pin on the chain with the appropriate hole on the tool to see the percentage of linear wear.
To check lateral wear:
• Remove the chain from the bicycle.
• Extend a section of chain off the bike, pinch it against the tool's designated area, and observe how much it sags to assess side-to-side play; the tool's markings will indicate the level of wear on both aspects of the chain.
• The markings on the tool indicate the level of wear, with higher numbers signifying greater wear and potential need for chain replacement.
However, in a real life setting that you may experience or I in my shop, use of the tool is a little different. These are my conclusions:
• For longitudinal wear, we hold the chain with the in the grove on the back with the left hand (thumb and fingers) and with the right hand we'll pull on the chain looking into the holes of the tool to see where the pin lines up the best. This is somewhat awkward and it's difficult with overhead lighting to see the pin of the chain behind the tool. If you have a head lantern of spot light, this becomes easier.
• Second of all, I don't have the time or patience to remove the chain each time I want to check for wear, even if I have a re-usable master link. Since the chain must be removed to check lateral wear, the tool become useless for this purpose.
• Finally, at $50+ for the tool with tax and shipping, is it really worth it?
I'll leave it up to you as to whether you want to purchase and use of the Abby LL chain checker. This tool has potential and we'll revisit the Abby LL as more data becomes available.