Ranger63

Ultraman's right. Some of us love the technical side of life and others...don't.
And sometimes it just doesn't make sense.
Example:
When I had the LBS go over the carbon fibre motobecane (because it has FSA megaexo drive and I don't have a newer torque wrench or the BB tool-I'm switching to Shimano crank and BB after this season)they found the chain had stretched (yes virginia, the new chains do NOT last anywhere near as long as those we ran on our 5-8 cog drivetrains)
The cost for a Sram from the shop was $5. more than thru a catalog and as they had the bike in anyway, the labor was free.
In that case..I let the lBS do the fix every time.
Free'd me up to tweak the 5501GS to work with all 3 of my wheel builds on my 91 paramount.

himespau 

Also depends on how much mess you're willing to tolerate. I cleaned my chain/did some repairs this weekend and washed my hands in the kitchen sink. Cleaned out the sink but apparently forgot the faucet. My wife next used the sink to clean her pumping apparatus and got pissed to see chain oil on the outside of the milk bottles. I had to reclean everything and am still in the doghouse.

IdleUp

I finally did it. I can't believe how easy it was. I opted for a Dura-ace chain instead of the 105's I originally had and what a difference in shifting it made. The drivetrain is much quieter and shifting was precise and crisp.
Thanks to all

desertdork

Since your chain was only at 12-1/32", I'm surprised you already changed it out. Oh, well, that's not to say you can't put it back in rotation at a later time.

IME, new chains tend to feel that way...until the cassette is excessively worn.

zzMike

I'm fairly new to bike repair. I've change 3 chains and found it to be a really simple process.

But, newbikeman...a question on something you said. You mentioned that the chain is directional. I didn't pay much attention to that when i installed my chains...the chains seem to work fine...maybe i got lucky. How do you tell which direction the chain has to go on?

desertdork

zzMike, the newest Shimano chains (5700/6700/7900 series) are directional; they have unique left/right sides.