Measuring a new SRAM chain

[beardedrider]

Planning to swap whatever third party chain which was installed with my bike, and I was wondering when I measure the new chain against the old one, do I make sure it is one link shorter in order to take into account the power link? Or should it just be the same as the old one, and then attach the power link? Cheers.

 

[ColinJ]

Don't measure against an old chain - it will have 'stretched' and may not have been the proper length to start with. Work out the right length for yourself. I like the Sheldon Brown method described HERE, which usually gives good results for me.

If you are unsure about whether to include an extra pair of links or not - do! If the chain is then too long, it is easy to take out those spare links. It isn't so easy to put them back in if you make the chain too short!

Treat the Powerlink as any other link when calculating the length of the chain. (All you are doing is replacing a fixed link with a more convenient one.)

 

[MichaelW2]

Parktools have 3 means of determining chainlength.
When leaving space for your powerlink, check that each end terminates in an "innie", not and outie.

 

[Smokin Joe]

http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/bike/chain_length/chainlengthcalc.html

 

[Kestevan]

I've always gone with the simple method of wrapping the chain round the big ring and biggest sprocket, then adding 2 links..... Can't say I've ever had a problem.

 

[Citius]

Just count the plates. Or if the old chain was the right length, just line them up side by side.