Chain & Charge

How We Pick

The honest version of a methodology page. Here's exactly what we do to rank gear — and, just as important, what we don't.

Most “best gear” sites open a methodology page with a photo of a workshop and a claim like “we tested 47 locks over 300 hours.” We can’t write that sentence honestly, so we won’t. Chain & Charge does not own the products it ranks and does not run a test lab. What we do is different, and — we’d argue — more checkable than a testing claim you have no way to verify.

The honest scoreboard

Let’s put the numbers that usually get hidden right at the top, because in these three the good number is zero:

  • Units we claim to have tested: 0.
  • Sponsored placements: 0.
  • Free products accepted: 0.

That raises a fair question — “then why should I trust your picks?” — and the rest of this page is the answer.

1. We compile the published specs, and cite them

Every product on this site carries a small table of specs — shackle diameter, security rating, lumens, capacity, listed wattage — read directly from the maker’s or retailer’s own listing, on a dated visit that we link. If a maker doesn’t publish a figure (budget e-bike torque is a common one), the table says so rather than filling the gap with a guess. No number without a source is the rule, and it’s enforced in the code, not just the style guide.

2. We lean on real, third-party standards

Where an independent standard exists, we use it instead of our own opinion. For locks, that’s the Sold SecureBronze/Silver/Gold/Diamond ratings and the makers’ own security scales — the same tests police and insurers reference. For helmets, it’s the mandatory U.S. CPSC bicycle-helmet standard (16 CFR 1203)every helmet sold in the country must meet. For e-bikes, it’s the three-class system and the federal power limit. These are verifiable facts, not vibes.

3. We do the math, and show our work

The most useful thing we can add is arithmetic competitors leave out. Our e-bike vs car cost modellays out every assumption — electricity price, miles per year, the AAA cost-of-driving figures — and the calculation, so you can plug in your own numbers. Our lumen guideturns “how bright?” into a simple table by riding condition. When a recommendation rests on a number, the number is on the page.

4. We rank on buyer fit, and say who should skip a pick

A product is only “best” for someone. Every roundup ranks on the specs above plus honest fit — who a pick suits, and just as importantly who it doesn’t. We’ll tell you when a cheaper option is the smarter buy, and when a category (like a $15 combination cable) is a false economy for the job you have in mind.

5. Prices are live, or they’re absent

We never hardcode a price. Every price on the site is pulled from Amazon and expires after 48 hours; if our daily refresh misses or a product goes unavailable, the number disappears and you see “Check price” instead of a stale one. It’s an Amazon requirement, and it’s also just honest.

What this method can’t tell you

We’re equally clear about the limits. Spec-reading can’t tell you how a saddle feels after an hour, whether a budget bike’s brakes fade on a long descent, or how a lock sounds under an actual grinder. For that, hands-on reviews from testers who own the gear are worth reading alongside us — and we’ll often point you to them. What we promise is that everything we do claim is traceable to a source you can check yourself.

Sources