Road Cycling - Any surefire way to tell if your chain is worn?

I'm getting sick of this... I think my chain is worn, but I'm not sure. I'm getting an fairly audible clicking sound when I pedal, especially when I pedal hard. I've had something similar once before, and it was my chain. I've got literally about 1,000- 1,200 miles on this new chain, and I just have a hard time believing that it's the problem. Is there any way to tell for sure, without a guage?

the guys at the lbs showed me a trick;
pull the chain away from the front of the chainring it's on
does it pull away a whole lot or just a little?
if it's a lot, you may want to think about a new one (don't want to wear out that drivetrain)
but
they also recommended getting a chain measuring tool
it'll tell you without doubt if it's too stretched
I read in another thread about measuring it with a ruler
I'm sure someone else will chime in on that one

could it be a derailleur problem? the clicking that is? cable stretch?

You can measure it yourself. Get a good rule and measure 12 links. 12 links should equal 12". The longer the 12 links are then 12" the more wear the chain has. At 1/8" of stretch, it needs replacing. I generally replace a fair bit before that.

I bought a chain measuring tool...Thought the chain stretched..Did not use a ruler.
Took bike to LBS, sure chain needed replacing..Mechanice said it was ok..
Checked the chain a couple times before taking the bike in...THe mechanic said the chain measuring tools are often wrong..That is why the makers constantly re-design chain checkers..>Said the most relaible method is the ruler?

the guys at the lbs showed me a trick;
pull the chain away from the front of the chainring it's on
does it pull away a whole lot or just a little?


Not sure what you mean by pull the chain away...you should be able the leave the chain on the big chainring and look to see if the chain sits snug with teeth. If the chain is stretched, you should be able to see a little daylight between the chain and the chainring. You should change a chain before this. 1,200 miles should not wear out a chain...depending on the chain, it should last at least 2,500 miles if you keep it clean.

The clicking sound could be coming from many things: bb, pedals, derailleurs, even spokes.

I bought a chain measuring tool...Thought the chain stretched..Did not use a ruler.
Took bike to LBS, sure chain needed replacing..Mechanice said it was ok..
Checked the chain a couple times before taking the bike in...THe mechanic said the chain measuring tools are often wrong..That is why the makers constantly re-design chain checkers..>Said the most relaible method is the ruler?

I don't have a huge amount of faith in chain checkers either. I measure 12" length of chain from the start of one rivet to the start of another. When the distance stratches to 12 1/16" it's time for a new chain. If the distance stretches to 12 1/8", chances are it's time for a new cassette also. Chains are cheaper than cassettes so you're money ahead off to replace the chain sooner rather than later.

With the chain on the big ring, you grab one link and pull it radially. The more it is worn, the further you can pull it.

Are you sure the clicking's not coming from your other components?
Could be rubbing against your front der, your rear der could be misaligned, which I think is the most likely case. The gears aren't even gears anymore, each tooth is different than the next to help shifting, if your thing is misaligned, it could just be rubbing against the gears.

Here, all about bike chains http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html I reference this guys page all the time so I don't have to write about it myself.
I was getting clicking too it seems to have worn in now though, my click is in the bottom bracket though as it clicks at the same pedal position every time.