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A dirty, worn chain tears up the cassette and chainrings, is prone to chainsuck, shifts lousy and is less efficient. Here are 3 fast fixed for cycling’s most neglected part.

1. Clean and lube.

It’s best to leave the chain on the bike when cleaning it. Every time you break a chain, it gets weaker – and more likely to break on its own during a ride.

One of our favorite pro-team wrenches likes this on-bike quick-clean: Squirt a generous dab of dish soap into the center of a sponge. Wrap the sponge around your chain under the chainstay, then backpedal 10 revolutions. Rinse the sponge, leave it damp, wrap it around the chain again and backpedal 10 more revolutions. Repeat until the sponge no longer gets dirty when you do this. You can use degreaser instead of soap.

Let the chain dry for 10-15 minutes, then apply your favorite lube. If you’re picky, drip lube onto each pin, one at a time. Most of us position the lube over the lowest pulley on the rear derailleur, then let it dribble onto the chain as we backpedal, Let the lube steep for 10-15 minutes, then wipe the chain dry – any lube you remove isn’t inside the mechanism where it needs to be to work, and the excess attracts grime.

2. Check chain wear.

Although it’s called “stretching,” your chain doesn’t actually lengthen – the pins and bushings wear away, which increases the distance between pins. When this happens, the chain doesn’t sit right on the cog and chainring teeth. Signs of a worn chain are slow and imprecise shifts, noisy operation and a rough pedaling feel – as if gravel is in the drivetrain – that can’t be eliminated by lubing. The only cure: A new chain.

3. Check for tight links.

If you’ve cleaned your chain and it passes the wear test but still skips, backpedal slowly while watching the rear derailleur. If the derailleur jumps, a tight link just passed through. Identify the link, then hold the chain with one hand on either side of the bad link. Flex the chain out and back 3-5 times. It should loosen. If not, use the inner position on a chain breaker, the part designed to loosen tight links. Failing that, it’s time to buy a new chain.

· Clean and lube chain every two weeks, or every 10 hours of riding.

· Check chain wear every 500 miles.

3 WAYS TO DETECT A WORN CHAIN

· Ruler. Tension the chain by pressing lightly on the right pedal. Hold a 12-inch ruler against the chain. On a fresh chain, 12 full links (from pin to pin) measure exactly 12 inches long. If 12 links measure 12-1/8 inches or more, replace the chain.

· Special chain checker tool. Easy to use and impossible to misread – but you gotta buy it. (Park Tool, www.parktool.com)

· Chainring test. Shift to the middle (on triple-ring bikes) or small (on double-ring bikes) ring. Hold the ear wheel stationary. Apply load to the right pedal with one hand. If the chain floats above the teeth rather than directly contacting it, it’s time for a new chain (and maybe rings as well).