Park Tool CC-2: Check, Please!

Park CC-2 Chain Checker

It doesn’t make any difference whether you pound a two-wheel machine against the rocks of the Sierra, slide through muddy twisties in the upper Midwest or power along the pancake-flat highways of the Gulf Coast, there is one thing that you will someday learn to be true: your chain gets infinitesimally more worn with every spin of the crank. I am fully prepared to bet that almost everyone who has ever taken a bicycle into the shop for that first-ever tune-up was told, “Your chain needs to be replaced.” More than a few of you also learned, “You probably need a new cogset, too…”

A Clean Chain is a Happy Chain

Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber - CM-5.2

On a recent visit to the local bike shop I got to listen while a couple of… may I say “dilettante”? cyclists brought their bikes in for repairs of the most basic sort: one’s tire kept getting soft (a slow leak) and the other’s computer wouldn’t read (a misaligned sensor).

My word, their chains must be a mess…

Not so around our house, because we have a chain cleaner: a Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber CM-5.2. This handy little device is one of the keys to long drivetrain life and smooth-shifting chains. The Cyclone is a simple little plastic box that fits over your chain (any width) so you can clean out all the old lubricant plus the grit and grime accumulated on your rides.

The M.U.L.E - CamelBak Goes for Volume

CamelBak M.U.L.E Hydration Pack (100 ounce)

The exercise docs tell us that we should consume about 32 ounces of water per hour while performing endurance sports. I know, I just asked over at WebMD (a pretty trustworthy source, IYAM). As our longer rides crested three hours and headed for four, the 70-ounce CamelBak Rogue I’d used for several years was overmatched. One dare not suffer dehydration in the sweltering steam bath of a central Indiana summer day, so an alternative seemed in order. That alternative was a CamelBak M.U.L.E. (“M.U.L.E.” is a carefully contrived acronym), with its 100-ounce capacity. It’s more than a mere water bottle, however

The MULE’s designed with cyclists in mind, a low-profile pack that rests on the rider’s back out of the wind. Like all CamelBaks, there’s a polymer tube that routes from the water bladder over the shoulder to a bite valve near the cyclist’s “intake.” This pack is also designed as a sort of biker luggage, with storage galore and lots of comfort features.

No Oranges Were Harmed to Make this Degreaser

Pedro's Oranj Peelz Citrus Degreaser

If your preferred form of two-wheeled travel entails sweat, exertion and the occasional sore butt (as

opposed to loud mufflers, gray braids, and Harley-shop tee shirts), you’ve probably learned that one of the keys to keeping your machine at peak performance is keeping the chain in top condition. That means regular attention in the form of cleaning followed by treatment with a suitable lubricant. Whenever my chain feels like it needs some attention, I pull out the work stand and my Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber and get down to business.

Although a small bottle of Park's Citrus ChainBrite came in the kit with the Cyclone, it was empty and the last time I hit my LBS they only had Pedro’s Oranj Peelz Citrus Degreaser in stock. It’s noticeably less expensive than the Park brand, and Pedro’s is a respectable name, so I bit.