When putting my bike on the trainer for the winter, I decided to check the chain for wear and tear. I used a bike chain checker, to see if the chain had stretched and I discovered that it had indeed stretched too much.

Riding with a stretched chain can cause other, more expensive, drivetrain components to wear out prematurely.  It is much easier and cheaper to replace a chain, compared to cassettes and chain rings.  I needed a good chain to put on my bike.

At the time, the only other bike chain I had, was my ‘race chain’.  This is a high-end, expensive chain that I only use in races.  I decided to put this chain on the bike, until I could buy another chain for everyday use.  Even this expensive chain, is cheaper than other components, and a few extra miles on it would be just fine.

My new everyday chain arrived today.  Now I just have to clean and wax it, before putting it on my bike.  I don’t have to wax a new chain to use it, but cleaning new chains for waxing, is much easier than cleaning chains contaminated with oil based lubricants.  I have written a blog post before about waxing my bike chain.

I will be switching out chains after my ride tomorrow.  I will not only wax the new chain, but also clean and wax my race chain, so it is ready for my next race.  There is always something to do, to keep my bike in shape.