# Why SRAM 1/8 chains are a load of Bor-Locks



## Blonde (4 Jun 2009)

Why SRAM 1/8 chains are a load of Bor-Locks

At about 40-45kph, half way down a fairly long descent, my week-old SRAM 1/8 chain snaps, goes between spokes and wrapping itself around the cog on opposite side of the rear wheel. Bang, rear wheel is totally locked out. This was the first I knew of the snapped chain of course. I managed to not crash as the bike bucked and careered wildly in rush hour traffic, with WMV right up my arse. I managed to stop, but I found this had totally written off my not-at-all- worn rear Bontrager tyre. I still rode 26 miles on it next day despite the fact that a 10cm section of rubber was missing with the inner fabric all that was left - which just goes to show how wonderfully bomb-proof the Bontrager tyres are…. 

Rather annoyed about chain though. It was only a week old and to make things even more irritating, I only replaced it to try and avoid this sort of occurrence, ‘cos my 2 year old Izumi V was a bit stretched, but it hadn’t been quite up to the max limit so now I wish I hadn’t bothered replacing it. Tried re-joining the shoddy SRAM chain, but it was so mangled by it’s excursion into the other side of the wheel that I had to remove several links, rendering it too short to rejoin anyway, so I had an hours wait whilst my partner went home and returned with the car… 

The thing is, he has snapped 4 SRAM chains in the time my old Izumi has been on the bike.

The moral: Only buy Izumi or KMC chains…. (And always carry spare links)….

Ggggrrr!


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## Bigtwin (4 Jun 2009)

Nasty. What do you mean "snapped"? Link pin come out? How was it joined? Plate come off??

I've had them for years, including on a high-geared singlespeed and never had a problem.

Correct about carrying spare links though - amazing how many people don't.


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## ColinJ (4 Jun 2009)

Hmm - I've done at least 30,000 miles on SRAM chains and I don't remember ever breaking one. I was out with a mate once who snapped _his_, but I'd warned him that he was in danger of doing it - he was riding up hills in a huge gear and mashing the pedals round in a really brutal way (he was a bodybuilder, not a cyclist).

Were you on your fixed wheel bike and were you using a powerlink? If so, was the powerlink still intact when you stopped or had the chain come open at that point? Any other damage to the chain could have happened after that.

I'm just wondering if the chain wasn't in tension at the time and the powerlink popped open. On a bike with a freewheel, the chain is always under some degree of tension, but I've wondered what would happen on a fixed wheel bike when using leg-braking (or just not pedalling fast enough on a descent like the one you were doing).


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## Joe24 (4 Jun 2009)

ColinJ said:


> snip
> I'm just wondering if the chain wasn't in tension at the time and the powerlink popped open. On a bike with a freewheel, the chain is always under some degree of tension, but I've wondered what would happen on a fixed wheel bike when using leg-braking (or just not pedalling fast enough on a descent like the one you were doing).



Very doubtful. The quick links are different on fixed. You basicly have one plate with the two 'pins' in, that you put through the 2 links of the chain, then a plate goes on that, then a spring clip to lock it all together.
One of these bad boys:






Ive never had a Sram chain snap. but then ive always used Wipperman.


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## Blonde (4 Jun 2009)

No power link. I use a screw connector which was fine - It didn't break there. Difficult to tell what happened with it, as it was completely mangled having gone between the spokes and wrapped around the the other fixed cog (bigger gear) on the other side of my wheel.


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## dan_bo (4 Jun 2009)

That sounds quite spectacular. Lucky to get away with it!


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## ColinJ (4 Jun 2009)

Joe24 said:


> Very doubtful. The quick links are different on fixed. You basicly have one plate with the two 'pins' in, that you put through the 2 links of the chain, then a plate goes on that, then a spring clip to lock it all together.
> One of these bad boys:


Ah, well that makes perfect sense.

Mind you, I bet you that there _are_ people riding fixed with standard powerlinks...






I think that it is fairly obvious why that wouldn't be a great idea... 



Blonde said:


> No power link. I use a screw connector which was fine - It didn't break there. Difficult to tell what happened with it, as it was completely mangled having gone between the spokes and wrapped around the the other fixed cog (bigger gear) on the other side of my wheel.


Well, whatever happened, I agree with dan_bo - you were very lucky not to have had a serious accident there!

Not so sure about the wisdom of riding 26 miles on that knackered tyre though...


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## Greenbank (4 Jun 2009)

SRAM PC1 comes with a snap link to join the chain. It's not a quick link as shown above, it doesn't have the spring clip. One side plate with two pins, and the other side plate is fitted by bending the chain and it clicks into place, I'm not sure it's designed to be removed (i've never tried nor bothered) as I clean the chain in situ rather than bother removing it.

I've used SRAM PC1-N chains for more than 2 years on fixed (10,000km a year) and had no problems, and I've done plenty of hilly rides on it (Elenith and Bryan Chapman) with no problems.

I did climb up through Crayke and then to Coxwold with the chain like this:-






But that was due to my own numptiness. I'd added some links at the start of Day 2 in Thorne when I swapped from 46x16 to 48x18 but didn't realise that my spare chain links were from the original Miche chain and had fatter side plates (and longer pins). I'd used a pin from the Miche chain at one end of the splice, but not at the other, and the SRAM pin wasn't long enough so off popped one sideplate.

Fixed it outside the nice pub in Coxwold by splicing in a new stretch of spare links with the longer Miche pins at both ends and then carried on to Alston (via Yad Moss), and the next day up to North Berwick via Eskdalemuir and the Moorfoot hills. I replaced the whole chain as soon as I got back. 

I carry 10" or so of spare PC1-N chain (whatever is leftover when fitting a new chain) plus a few Taya SC33 1/8" snaplinks.


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## Blonde (4 Jun 2009)

ColinJ said:


> Not so sure about the wisdom of riding 26 miles on that knackered tyre though...



It wasn't intentional - It just didn't occur to me that the tyre could be knackered after a skid and I didn't know about it till I started out for work the next day and it felt a bit squirmy, but by that time, a few miles into the ride, I didn't have much choice. Changed it when I got home.


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## Blonde (4 Jun 2009)

On Bike Radar http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12627937 someone posted a picture of the way their new chain snapped and my partner just said his last broken one went in exactly the same way. I didn't keep my chain so I don't know how/where it broke, but it does seem possible that it was faulty. Seems like we're having a bit of a run of bad chains lately!


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## fossyant (4 Jun 2009)

OMG.............

I have an Izumi on my new fixed - asked my LBS about spare links etc.... to carry....he said..."you won't snap this.............."


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## Bigtwin (4 Jun 2009)

Blonde said:


> On Bike Radar http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12627937 someone posted a picture of the way their new chain snapped and my partner just said his last broken one went in exactly the same way. I didn't keep my chain so I don't know how/where it broke, but it does seem possible that it was faulty. Seems like we're having a bit of a run of bad chains lately!



Even ignoring the rust on that chain, it looks like it's seen some serious service to me. They can't last forever. That said, could be change of machining/supplier/metal - who knows.


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## rogerzilla (15 Jun 2009)

Before a TT, I check the chain has no pins that might be working their way out. Modern SRAM chains aren't supposed to be joined with a normal chain tool, only with the master link provided (sometimes you get a 3-piece, sometimes you get a snaplink connector).

The Wipperman White Star "anti-rust" chain is cheap, crude, rather noisy and, as far as I can tell, indestructible. Full bushing design.


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## skwerl (16 Jun 2009)

fossyant said:


> OMG.............
> 
> I have an Izumi on my new fixed - asked my LBS about spare links etc.... to carry....he said..."you won't snap this.............."



is he going to pick you up when it snaps 20 miles from home?
I always carry a few spare links. Never had one snap though


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