Am I the only one who thinks chain length debates are way overblown?

I keep seeing people online argue for hours about exactly how many links to add or remove on a new chain. Meanwhile I've been winging it for like 8 years just using the big-big method plus two links and never had a shifting issue. But then last week I swapped a chain on a customer's older road bike and the derailleur started acting weird on the smallest cog. Maybe it's just me but I feel like frame geometry and cable tension matter way more than counting links down to the millimeter. Has anyone else found that the 'perfect' chain length makes zero difference in real riding conditions?

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1 Comment

briancampbell1mo ago

That's just wrong, a few millimeters of chain length can wreck your whole drivetrain.