Replacing chain

[benb]

Hi all

After my chain mishap the other week, the company sent me a new one.

The thing is it seems too long for the sprockets.
When the gears are both on the smallest cog, so when the chain has the least distance to travel, the tensioner is pretty much pointing straight down.
When they are both on the biggest cog, the tensioner is as far as it can go, and the chain is very loose.

I reckon I need to remove 6 or 7 links.

I have a chain tool, but looking at the chain the pins are not removable.

What do I do? Take it to my LBS?

 

[Herzog]

What type of chain is it?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Highly unlikely

I have a chain tool, but looking at the chain the pins are not removable.

 

[benb]

What type of chain is it?

Shimano, HG chain, super narrow, 9-speed, 114 links

 

[chillyuk]

A video to explain how to use a chain tool, which I suspect is your problem rather than an unsplittable chain.

splitting a chain with a chain tool



PS Some Shimano chains need a new pin for when you rejoin it. May be worth checking if this applies to yours.

 

[Cubist]

Forget rejoining the chain with a shimano pin, I personally think they are a waste of time.

I would heartily recommend getting a SRAM powerlink .

Benb, use a chain tool to remove the pin from any link to split the chain. If you can find the original link pin then remove that, (they have a different shape to the other pins) and throw it away.

You then need to remove the necessary extra links ( the easiest formula is to wrap the chain around the BIGGEST sprocket and the BIGGEST chainring, bypassing the rear mech.) The chain will meet with an overlap. That overlap should be two full links, that's two sideplates. Any other links are now surplus to requirements.

Use your chain tool to remove the pin from the surplus links. You will now have a chain with he right number of links, one end will be inner plates with roller, and the other will have sideplates. Remove the pin holding the sideplates on so that you've got two roller only ends. .

Now rethread your chain around the chainrings and through the rear mech.

Top Tip : Pull the rear mech as far forward on its spring as you can, and cable tie it to the chainstay. This means you won't be fighting the spring when you're trying to rejoin the chain.
Use the powerlink to join the chain by matching the pins to the slots and pulling hand tight either side of it until it clicks into place.
Cut the cable tie holding the rear mech up and check for smooth shifting etc etc.

 

[ColinJ]

I was riding along the side of Loch Etive last week with a friend and a couple of family members when my pal broke her chain. She is tiny and was hardly putting any force on the chain when it went. The bike is only a couple of months old. I looked at the chain and one of the plates had just sheared off where the pin went through. It definitely looked like a manufacturing defect.

Anyway, with my trusty chain tool and a spare powerlink I had her back on the bike again within 5 minutes. She was pretty impressed.

Top Tip : Pull the rear mech as far forward on its spring as you can, and cable tie it to the chainstay. This means you won't be fighting the spring when you're trying to rejoin the chain.

I adopted an easier approach - I just unshipped the chain from the chainring to take the tension off it.

 

[benb]

Forget rejoining the chain with a shimano pin, I personally think they are a waste of time.

I would heartily recommend getting a SRAM powerlink .

Benb, use a chain tool to remove the pin from any link to split the chain. If you can find the original link pin then remove that, (they have a different shape to the other pins) and throw it away.

You then need to remove the necessary extra links ( the easiest formula is to wrap the chain around the BIGGEST sprocket and the BIGGEST chainring, bypassing the rear mech.) The chain will meet with an overlap. That overlap should be two full links, that's two sideplates. Any other links are now surplus to requirements.

Use your chain tool to remove the pin from the surplus links. You will now have a chain with he right number of links, one end will be inner plates with roller, and the other will have sideplates. Remove the pin holding the sideplates on so that you've got two roller only ends. .

Now rethread your chain around the chainrings and through the rear mech.

Top Tip : Pull the rear mech as far forward on its spring as you can, and cable tie it to the chainstay. This means you won't be fighting the spring when you're trying to rejoin the chain.
Use the powerlink to join the chain by matching the pins to the slots and pulling hand tight either side of it until it clicks into place.
Cut the cable tie holding the rear mech up and check for smooth shifting etc etc.

Fantastic advice, thanks, especially the bit about determining how many links to remove.
The chain did come with a spare pin, so I think I'll use that for now but invest in some power links (a friend I was talking to last night called them magic links, I think they're the same thing) as well.

 

[al-fresco]

Fantastic advice, thanks, especially the bit about determining how many links to remove.
The chain did come with a spare pin, so I think I'll use that for now but invest in some power links (a friend I was talking to last night called them magic links, I think they're the same thing) as well.

Last time I changed a chain I struggled for about 45 mins before I realised that Shimano make several different 'master' links and they all have a different technique to fit them. So if you have trouble with it look at the link carefully and make sure you're following the correct set of instructions!

 

[Alun]

I adopted an easier approach - I just unshipped the chain from the chainring to take the tension off it.

You need one of those Dog Fang jobbies, it'll stop that happening !

 

[benb]

Well I adjusted it this morning before I left for work.

Cubist's advice about the correct length (fnarr) was perfect.
The pin on the link popped out no problem, so I don't really know why I thought it wouldn't do that - it just looked as though it was rivetted in.

So I popped out the main pin that I had used to close it up in the first place and kept that. Measured how many links to remove as above and popped out a normal pin from there. Then got the pin back in with the chain tool no bother.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Borbus]

I would heartily recommend getting a SRAM powerlink .

I wasn't able to get a PowerLink to work with a 7sp Shimano chain. Do they work with 9sp or 10sp chains? I'm sure I read that Shimano had finally released their own version too.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Well I adjusted it this morning before I left for work.

Cubist's advice about the correct length (fnarr) was perfect.
The pin on the link popped out no problem, so I don't really know why I thought it wouldn't do that - it just looked as though it was rivetted in.

So I popped out the main pin that I had used to close it up in the first place and kept that. Measured how many links to remove as above and popped out a normal pin from there. Then got the pin back in with the chain tool no bother.

Thanks for your help.

Benb just in case you did not know you are not supposed to reuse the special rivet - +1 re Cubist's advice regarding xxxxlink.

 

[Herzog]

I wasn't able to get a PowerLink to work with a 7sp Shimano chain. Do they work with 9sp or 10sp chains? I'm sure I read that Shimano had finally released their own version too.

You use different Powerlinks depending on the chain. There is a Powerlink available for a 7 speed chain.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=871

 

[benb]

Benb just in case you did not know you are not supposed to reuse the special rivet - +1 re Cubist's advice regarding xxxxlink.

Oh right. Seemed OK this morning. I won't be able to get a power link until Friday. Hopefully it will get me home OK, then I can swap it for the power link when I get that.