So-----what is the opinion of members on the life of a chain. Assuming regular oiling and cleaning, how many miles should a chain last?

I don't know, I've never ridden a bike far enough to have to replace one. A friend of mine has a Vision R40 with about 6000 miles on it. He took his bike into the LBS for a tune up. They checked his chain and said it was still good.

My LBS checks the chains on my bikes every time I go in for any kind of service.

Probably the oldest chain I have is on my Giant Yukon MTB (the chain on the '86 Batavus was changed out a couple of years ago). I've had that bike since 2002, and the last time I was in the shop they checked it a pronounced it "just fine." I didn't have a bike computer on it for the first few years, the wired computer I then added took a dump on me somewhere around 2,000 miles and the new wireless I have on it shows right around 300 miles.

I did additional research on chain life or wear. I found out that Park bike tool company makes a tool to check chain wear. You can find it at the Park internet site.

FYI I just turned 3000 miles on my 2008 Rans Stratus. I use Mobil 1 oil, and keep the chain as clean as possible. Also I only ride hard surface trails or highways. As of now, the tool indicates less than the .75 point.