On Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 12:30:48 AM UTC+2, wrote:
On Friday, September 15, 2017 at 4:49:05 AM UTC-5, John B. wrote:
I've been thinking about chain wear, sometimes called chain stretch,
and have done a bit of research on the subject.

One method is to lay the chain on a flat surface and measure the wear
over, perhaps 12 inches of chain length, from the head of one pin to
another. But modern multi speed chains are a bit more complex then the
old fashioned chains and the rollers on a modern chain are not
supported by the pins but by protrusions on the inner surface of the
inner links thus does the distance from roller to roller relate to
distance from pin to pin?

Another method is to ignore the pin to pin distance and simply measure
the roller to roller distance using a chain gauge. But I have also
read that when comparing roller to roller measurement to pin to pin
measurement there is not necessarily a correlation, or in other words
a pin to pin measurement might show one thing while the roller to
roller might show a totally different wear pattern. In addition I read
that in at least one case the roller to roller wear was not constant
and varied from place to place in the length of the chain

Brandt, I believe, wrote a treatise on chain measuring gauges and
argued that nearly all of them gave an incorrect figure for wear, or
perhaps, did it the wrong way.

So the question is what is the best system to use to avoid unnecessary
sprocket wear, assuming that sprockets cost more and are more trouble
to change than chains.

There seems to be three options. One, to use a ruler and measure from
pin to pin. Two to use a chain tool and measure from roller to roller.
Or three, to use some combination of the two.

Or perhaps there is a fourth - ignore the whole thing as a tempest in
a tea pot :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

Since the switch to cassettes (8+ cogs) from freewheels https://www.sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html , the axle width has remained the same while the cog teeth and chains have become narrower. Since the load and the length are the same, the pressure per square inch has increased to the point where an 11 speed chain basically needs changed with the tire. Single speed chains will basically last until rusty.

I get 3 tires out of a 11 speed chain and if the same criteria is used for replacement for a single speed chain as for a 11 speed than the difference is that much.

Lou