A customer in Bend told me my chain checks were too quick

He came back after a week with a skipping chain and said, 'You just glanced at it, you didn't check the stretch.' I felt bad, so now I always pull out my Park Tool CC-3.2 gauge for every single tune-up, even if the chain looks fine. Has anyone else had a simple comment make you add a step to your routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbychen3mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, that "quick look was good enough" idea is a trap. I used to think I could spot a stretched chain just by eye, especially on newer bikes. Then I had a customer bring in a bike that looked fine but the chain was just past the mark. It skipped under hard pedaling. Now the gauge comes out for every single one. It takes ten seconds and saves the whole "come back angry" situation.

elizabeth_bailey263mo ago

My old boss used to say a quick look was good enough for chain wear. Then I had three come back in one month with the same skip. Now I measure every time, no matter what. What's the point in rushing if you have to do it twice?

riverm482mo ago

Man that "come back angry" thing hits hard. Same thing happened to me a while back, customer came in all pissed because his chain started skipping after I gave it a quick once over. Felt like a total idiot, especially when he pulled out his own gauge and showed me it was toast. Now I measure every single chain too, no exceptions. @abbychen is spot on about it taking ten seconds, that time is nothing compared to dealing with a callback. Its one of those lessons you only need to learn once.