# Quick link direction.



## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

Morning,

My Whyte 901 came with a KMC chain with quicklink, I noticed the other day during a mickle session that the quick link has an arrow on it. This is not pointing in the direction of chain travel. I can't think it makes much difference but if it does please enlighten me.


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## Markymark (18 May 2017)

User said:


> If you have it the wrong way, time goes backwards.


And you end up in Norfolk.


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## Tim Hall (18 May 2017)

Aren't KMC quick links the two piece sort? With one piece "pointing" one way, and the other the other way? So if your visible arrow is pointing backwards, what is the other one doing?


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## mjr (18 May 2017)

Not noticed that on KMC links or most others, but it might vary by speed and single-use/reusable. I think it's only Clarks links that I've used where it mattered because they were noticeably convex on the "outside" and the chain skated if it was wrong.


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## Yellow Saddle (18 May 2017)

The chain travels in all directions but mostly in two parallel runs. At some stage the arrow points in direction of travel.
I have not seen a KMC link with an arrow. Can you post a photo?
Some links are asymmetric (Connex) and require careful orientation otherwise they contact the spacer between sprockets on the high gears where the spacer is not that deep down.


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## subaqua (18 May 2017)

Markymark said:


> And you end up in Norfolk.


Or Thanet


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## Shortandcrisp (18 May 2017)

Markymark said:


> And you end up in Norfolk.



Sadly, no longer true!


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## Racing roadkill (18 May 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> Morning,
> 
> My Whyte 901 came with a KMC chain with quicklink, I noticed the other day during a mickle session that the quick link has an arrow on it. This is not pointing in the direction of chain travel. I can't think it makes much difference but if it does please enlighten me.


It's a directional link, for a directional chain. The chain link plates are different on the sprocket side, to enable better / smoother shifting ( particularly upshifting). I've put directional chains on 'back to front' in the past. The sky has fallen in, angels have been seen weeping, the four horsemen of the apocalypse turned up at my door, and refused to leave until I put the chain on the right way round.


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

Racing roadkill said:


> It's a directional link, for a directional chain. The chain link plates are different on the sprocket side, to enable better / smoother shifting ( particularly upshifting). I've put directional chains on 'back to front' in the past. The sky has fallen in, angels have been seen weeping, the four horsemen of the apocalypse turned up at my door, and refused to leave until I put the chain on the right way round.



It shifts perfectly, maybe it's not a directional chain. The chain is a sram pc 1110 11 speed.

I originally said it was kmc but was mistaken.


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

Apparently Google tells me that chain is multi directional so it seems not to matter.


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

Tim Hall said:


> Aren't KMC quick links the two piece sort? With one piece "pointing" one way, and the other the other way? So if your visible arrow is pointing backwards, what is the other one doing?







mjr said:


> Not noticed that on KMC links or most others, but it might vary by speed and single-use/reusable. I think it's only Clarks links that I've used where it mattered because they were noticeably convex on the "outside" and the chain skated if it was wrong.





Yellow Saddle said:


> The chain travels in all directions but mostly in two parallel runs. At some stage the arrow points in direction of travel.
> I have not seen a KMC link with an arrow. Can you post a photo?
> Some links are asymmetric (Connex) and require careful orientation otherwise they contact the spacer between sprockets on the high gears where the spacer is not that deep down.



My mistake, it is not on but a sram pc 1110 11 speed which is multi directional. Thanks for the replies.


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

subaqua said:


> Or Thanet



Oi, I cycle to Thanet regularly.


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## Bazzer (18 May 2017)

Racing roadkill said:


> It's a directional link, for a directional chain. The chain link plates are different on the sprocket side, to enable better / smoother shifting ( particularly upshifting). I've put directional chains on 'back to front' in the past. The sky has fallen in, angels have been seen weeping, the four horsemen of the apocalypse turned up at my door, and refused to leave until I put the chain on the right way round.



Yeh but apart from that how was the riding


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## Racing roadkill (18 May 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> Apparently Google tells me that chain is multi directional so it seems not to matter.


Some are, some aren't. It's not a difference that most people would notice anyway. I've had a couple of people come to me having noticed that they've put a directional chain on back to front, and after it's been sorted, not noticed.


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

User said:


> Do you stay there though?



Best to keep pedaling, a moving target is harder to hit.


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## Arjimlad (18 May 2017)

Salty seadog said:


> Oi, I cycle to Thanet regularly.


I'd rendezvous with Janet, quite near the Isle of Thanet, she looked more like a gannet,


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

Did you get right up between her rum and her ribena....?


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## Arjimlad (18 May 2017)

She wasn't half a prannet !

Anyway, must go.. the curse of fifty witches making wormwood of my soul


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## Salty seadog (18 May 2017)

Her father helped me plan it


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## huggy (19 May 2017)

Yellow Saddle said:


> The chain travels in all directions but mostly in two parallel runs. At some stage the arrow points in direction of travel.
> I have not seen a KMC link with an arrow. Can you post a photo?
> Some links are asymmetric (Connex) and require careful orientation otherwise they contact the spacer between sprockets on the high gears where the spacer is not that deep down.



It doesn't travel in all directions, it travels clockwise (except when pedalling backwards) yes it travels left to right on the top chain line and then right to left on the bottom. But a arrow on the chain will either point in the direction of chain travel all the time or point opposite of the direction of travel all the time.


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## Yellow Saddle (19 May 2017)

huggy said:


> It doesn't travel in all directions, it travels clockwise (except when pedalling backwards) yes it travels left to right on the top chain line and then right to left on the bottom. But a arrow on the chain will either point in the direction of chain travel all the time or point opposite of the direction of travel all the time.


You are of course, right. I fixated on which way the arrow points.


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