I keep snapping chains!

[Supersuperleeds]

Snapped my second chain in two weeks! I'm hoping the second one was a bad chain otherwise there is something else wrong with the bike which is causing the damage. This one fell off when I was washing the bike this morning.

 

[Crankarm]

Oh Lordy Lordy, there must be some cack handed people on here! I've ridden tens and tens of thousands of miles and never had a broken chain. I don't know what some of you guys are doing but what ever it is you need to change your ways if you want to stop the problem of chains snapping on you. Even when I used to push chain pins out and in with a chain link tool, I never used to have a broken chain. However it was time consuming and a bind. But now for many years I have used a quick link on all my bike chains making splitting and joining them a doddle - SRAM quick link for Shimano chains and Connex for Campag chains. I did once have a KMC chain which came with a KMC link but that was not a happy or long relationship. The KMC chain corroded only after a few weeks before it had even begun to stretch so I have not bought another KMC chain since. Anyway a chain link, chain link pliers, a long empty food tray to put chain in when taking off or indeed putting back on your bike and nitrile gloves is what you need. It is so easy even an idiot couldn't get it wrong.

 

[MattDB]

On my old tarmac my chain snapped 4 times, it was a sram 1031 chain all different links, i always replaced them correctly with my chain tool and with different links snapping (i always mark the ones ive re joined so i know) i dont think its me putting them together wrong, im 15 stone and climb in a very aggressive style out of the saddle i also sprint alot, ive now got a boardman with a sram 1051 chain and this has snapped twice now, it always seems to happen going up hill,

i asked in a small bike shop yesyerday if he has a chain tool i could buy and he kicked off saying i was an idiot and my bike is either broken or im "an idiot" he then walked me to the end of the shop and pointed at a photo of the pro peloton and said "their chains dont snap and they put out LOADS more power than you ever could your just a pathetic flea compared to them" ...low fell cycles gateshead .... Avoid the old git... Worst encounter ive ever had all i asked for was a tool! ....anyway any suggestions as to why this may be?

Both chains were less than a month old the boardman is probably over a month now, they are lubed and cleaned atleast weekly

Ha ha - that's my local bike shop and I had a similar reception - that's why I'm trying to do everything myself now! To be fair I'd been there previously and he'd been great but I bought a bike off the internet and took in to be set up (obviously as a paying customer!) - didn't seem to like that too much!

 

[shadow master]

Ha ha - that's my local bike shop and I had a similar reception - that's why I'm trying to do everything myself now! To be fair I'd been there previously and he'd been great but I bought a bike off the internet and took in to be set up (obviously as a paying customer!) - didn't seem to like that too much!

Best way to alienate your local is to go in quote all the stuff you just got offline,quote all the shoot brands that they spend hours trying to put right,and then say"could you just pump my tyres up"my track pump from lidls has broken!....I urge all people to befriend your local ibd.Most will bent over backwards to help you out,if you just show a bit of loyalty.

 

[MattDB]

Best way to alienate your local is to go in quote all the stuff you just got offline,quote all the shoot brands that they spend hours trying to put right,and then say"could you just pump my tyres up"my track pump from lidls has broken!....I urge all people to befriend your local ibd.Most will bent over backwards to help you out,if you just show a bit of loyalty.

Was that a terrible thing to do? I was still providing custom and paying £20 to have my gears and brakes adjusted - not asking for something for nothing. I'm all for supporting my lbs and have in the past, but in return I'd like them to be at least a little welcoming.

 

[MattDB]

Was that a terrible thing to do? I was still providing custom and paying £20 to have my gears and brakes adjusted - not asking for something for nothing. I'm all for supporting my lbs and have in the past, but in return I'd like them to be at least a little welcoming.

Best way to alienate your local is to go in quote all the stuff you just got offline,quote all the shoot brands that they spend hours trying to put right,and then say"could you just pump my tyres up"my track pump from lidls has broken!....I urge all people to befriend your local ibd.Most will bent over backwards to help you out,if you just show a bit of loyalty.

I know this isn't what this particular thread is about but can I just clarify what I'm trying to say was: I went to my lbs (fairly big shop) to buy a bike, they told me that I was too tall for any of their road bikes but there was one they could order in (more of a touring bike with pannier racks), but I couldn't try it out. I took them at face value and assumed my only option was to order online. Ordered online realised it wasn't set up like I'd thought so took it to a different lbs and asked them to set up. I do value the existence of lbs's and they've helped me out in the past but after several unhelpful experiences I'm now avoiding several of them. I'm not tarring all bike shops with the same brush by any means.

 

[Hip Priest]

Oh Lordy Lordy, there must be some cack handed people on here! I've ridden tens and tens of thousands of miles and never had a broken chain. I don't know what some of you guys are doing but what ever it is you need to change your ways if you want to stop the problem of chains snapping on you. Even when I used to push chain pins out and in with a chain link tool, I never used to have a broken chain. However it was time consuming and a bind. But now for many years I have used a quick link on all my bike chains making splitting and joining them a doddle - SRAM quick link for Shimano chains and Connex for Campag chains. I did once have a KMC chain which came with a KMC link but that was not a happy or long relationship. The KMC chain corroded only after a few weeks before it had even begun to stretch so I have not bought another KMC chain since. Anyway a chain link, chain link pliers, a long empty food tray to put chain in when taking off or indeed putting back on your bike and nitrile gloves is what you need. It is so easy even an idiot couldn't get it wrong.

You absolute hero.