Fixing a bike chain on the street is no harder than fixing a flat tire if you are prepared. Read on...
This article is sponsored by Momentum Magazine and MonkeyLectric. An edited version of the article appears in Momentum issue 50
This article is sponsored by Momentum Magazine and MonkeyLectric. An edited version of the article appears in Momentum issue 50
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Signing UpStep 1: What you need
To fix a broken chain all you need is a chain tool. These are compact and built into many common multi-tools like the one shown. You may even have one on your multi-tool that you never even knew what it was for!
At home in your garage its possible to repair a chain with just a hammer and pliers, but a chain tool is easier, and really the only option on the street.
At home in your garage its possible to repair a chain with just a hammer and pliers, but a chain tool is easier, and really the only option on the street.
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We now have a chain on the bike that has a nifty no-tool-link but we can't get it off.
It looks like an open chain link, flat on each side and is supposed to come off by hand...
Does anybody know what the trick is?
By the way, modern chains for derailleur systems come in different widths, 8 speed, 9 speed, 10 speed, etc. If you buy a superlink for your chain you need to get the proper width to match your drive train. (Count the rear sprockets.)
(I replied to the other sketch before seeing this one)
I will tell you how it went :).
A superlink is not a "forever" part, btw. If you keep using the same one on a succession of replaced chains, it could eventually break. Much as an ordinary chain that is overmileage can break, or a chain that has had an OEM pin pounded in and out, will fail.
I have broken one myself, one of the pins failed by breaking off of the plate. But it was a used one of unknown mileage and I should have known better. Not a problem, though: along with a patch kit, pump, and spare tube, I always carry a small chain tool, a couple of hyperglide pins, and if I have one, a new superlink as well. A few spare ordinary chain links complete the set in case of a chain that gets hopelessly bent or something.
Keep in mind that if you elect to work on your own chain, having a tool-less link won't obviate the need for a chain tool entirely. To join up a new chain straight out of the package, even one that has a tool-less link in the package, you will almost certainly have to have a chain tool on hand so you can remove a few links to make the chain fit your drivetrain. If old chain length worked fine, lay new one flat on bench next to it, and copy the length. Use tool to get rid of extra links, then put chain on bike and join it with the handy superlink.
In my opinion, a tool-less link's highest and best use isn't to free us from having to buy a chain tool--for a well-rounded bike mechanic will still need one as seen above. And any rider not wanting to get stranded should carry one, even if they have a tool-less link on the bike. What if you bend the chain a few links away from the superlink? The best part is that you can remove and replace a chain without stressing it, for cleaning. (I do intermediate cleaning on my own bikes, on-the-bike: a rag with citrus solvent, grab the lower section, pedal backwards, thoroughly 'pedal' chain through this rag. Oil, wipe down again so as not to have an oily "dirt magnet." Only at longer intervals do I remove chain for cleaining/soaking.)
There are some other principles to drivetrain maintenance, replacement, etc. , I think I will have to gather up all of these comments I've made, add to them, and produce an instructable.
-Get some slack in the area of chain where link is. (pull chain off of the chainrings, let it flop onto the crank bearing part of frame.
-the special link won't come undone if it is in line with the rest of the chain:
You need to have the adjoining lengths of chain that connect to this link, held at ninety degrees to the superlink. Once you manage that, squeeze the back plate of special link down, while at the same time pushing the front plate of special link up.
-if done right, you end up with two separate pieces that make up the special link. Each one has a single pin at one end of it's figure-eight shape, and an oval keyhole at the other end. By mating these two pieces the connection is made.
-just remember you can't undo the connection if the chain is strung out all in a line. You have to make those 90 degree bends. Otherwise the chain plates do not have the necessary leeway to free the interlocking pins from the special keyholes.
But seriously, in the case of repairs as well as for initial assembly purposes, you shouldn't be working with the short OEM pins ever. If there is one dangling on there from the factory, you should "lose it." (it may have been left on at the factory for expediency.) As you've seen, in the box nowadays there is either a bullet leader type joining pin, twice as long as the OEM pins; you will be snapping off the forward leader portion after driving the pin home, or better yet, the box will contain a keyhole-type quicklink that is tool-less and can be undone indefinitely without stressing the chain. I just partly covered this in a reply I was giving over at my bike car instructable today. (30 yr. pro bike mechanic here.)
Most all modern chains-this has been true for more than 10 years now-- require the use of a special bullet-shaped leader pin to keep from gouging out the holes in the hardened side plates, if you are not going to use the quick link type fastener. (quick links, such as by SRAM or KMC etc. make a nice upgrade to your chain if you didn't get one initially, btw) These pins are consumable items, known as "hyperglide pins" in Shimano-speak. I carry a few with me in my seat bag along with the chain tool.
Some folks don't know you can't drive existing chain pins in and out willy-nilly anymore. The hardened side plates-this hardness is a key point- will shed fingernail-shaped crescents of metal if you re-drive an OEM pin, (instead of receiving the pin in the more malleable way that chain plates used to do) and so enlarging the holes and immediately weakening that link of chain. Put a white towel down on your bench, drive a regular pin in or out, and look for these tiny metal shards. In a shop environment we witnessed many chain failures right after a customer skipped using the proper joining technique for these hardened side plates. In the beginning the change in technology was more published to mechanics but most good shops will give chain buyers a brief lesson about this now.
The increased side-loading of modern shift patterns requires that chains be hardened, with robust pin-into-plate design, and tight pin tolerances. It's a real improvement, though: the engineering of "hyperglide" and similar drivetrains has allowed us riders to shift under load, especially on the rear. The twisted-and-ramped sprocket machining, along with these hardened chains that can bend locally without breaking, lets the chain grab onto an adjoining sprocket's tooth--at the very same time as we are still driving hard on the cog we are exiting. It's fantastic for keeping momentum while shifting. You'll remember in the 'old days' it was not only good form, but at that time downright necessary, to ease up on the pedals if we wanted the darn chain to nicely grab a better sprocket for that hill we were tackling.
Somethin' else, on loosening a tight link: lacking the right tool, bending the chain back and forth might loosen a tight link, but the pro tip is that the second fence on better chain tools (sometimes compact seat-bag chain tools don't have the 2nd fence) is used to nudge the far sideplate away just a touch. This is what takes the bind out. You'll notice that when using the primary fence of a chain tool, at the extreme end of tool away from the threaded drive rod handle, this fence butts tight up to the far sideplate. All your driving force is met by this primary fence. When you park the chain on the nearer secondary fence, you can see a space behind the far sideplate: this lets that plate migrate a touch away from the center rollers = nice free link. Shouldn't be overdone, it's a very subtle tweak of the drive rod. If the near end of the chain pin submerges below the hole of the near sideplate, you've overdone it; aim for just a bit proud. You should be able to catch your fingernail on the head of the driven joining pin when done right. Also, don't try to do a full-on drive-out-the-pin on that 2nd fence; darn thing will break on you at some point as it's only meant for that 'light touch operation' I outlined.
Anyway, just so you know I love seeing any and everything about bikes at this site-not trying to pull rank on you. I know you'd share your expertise with me as well. Cool stuff. Great place to learn.