Oh man, that sounds like a nightmare. I feel for you, I really do. Five years in the rain is basically a death sentence for any drivetrain, that chain was probably more rust than metal at that point. I've been there with a bike that sat out for three years and even that was a huge hassle, I can't imagine double that time. At a certain point you just have to be straight with the customer and say look, the labor alone is going to cost more than a new chain and cassette, and that's if the rest of the bike isn't completely shot too. It's a bummer, but sometimes the kindest thing you can do is save them the money and the headache of trying to revive a lost cause.

The whole "Used to call it fake, now I swear by it" thing really hit me. I actually read a study just last week that said more people are changing their minds about things like supplements and alternative treatments because of real results they see in their own lives. It's not just hype anymore, you know? My neighbor swore up and down she'd never touch magnesium powder but now she takes it every night for sleep and wont shut up about it.