Hot take: I thought the 'freeze your chain' trick was total nonsense until last month
For years, I heard other mechanics talk about putting a new chain in the freezer for a few hours before installing it. I figured it was just shop lore, you know, like tapping a bottom bracket to 'seat' it. Then I got a batch of really tight KMC chains for some fixie builds. The first one fought me for twenty minutes trying to get the quick link closed. My buddy in the next bay said 'just throw one in the freezer over lunch.' I did, and after about three hours, that cold chain went on like butter. The metal shrinks just enough to make a real difference. I've used it four times since on tight 11-speed setups and it saved me a ton of swearing and pinched fingers. Has anyone else found a weird little trick like this that actually works?