Chain broke - :(

JonathanAnon

Hi guys,
broke the chain on my bike, and there isnt a bike store for miles and miles. I've googled and found a youtube how to do it BUT I need a chain breaker. Is is possible to use anything else to fix the chain? I have every other type of tool here bar the one I need.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Stick an order in with CRC and you should have it within 48 hours.

Are you familiar with exactly how a chain-breaker works? If so, you may be able to bodge something, but I'm not aware of any common tool that would do the job.

victorcarrera

Might be possible to do a temporary job. If the rivet of the broken link is still connected to one of the outer plates then try to press it back on with for example a vice grip and peen it with a hammer and punch. Otherwise try to get to your nearest LBS or Halfords later on today and buy the chain splitter/riveter and some spare rivets and DIY. Bring the chain with you as there are different rivets for each chain width.

kenmc

Can use a nail, hammer and a nut. Especially if you have a powerlink or something to replace it with and are not worried about the links. Use the nut to support the link, use the nail and hammer to pop the rivet out. Ain't pretty but it works

JonathanAnon

Firstly, thanks for all the advice. In response to the question above, I have attached a picture of the break. I know (I think) I need to remove the broken link and rivet the two good bits together. How are the rivets held in place, is it just the friction between the rivet and the walls of the chain? Can I just use a centre punch to punch it through to free the bad link. Then use that same rivet and punch it through to connect the two good linkes

kenmc

depends on the chain really- shimano pins can't be reused.
To be honest that chain looks manky. I'd say it's time for a new chain.

JonathanAnon

kenmc wrote: »

depends on the chain really- shimano pins can't be reused. To be honest that chain looks manky. I'd say it's time for a new chain.

The bike was sitting up for about ten years. If I get someone to drop me over to Halfords, will they put it on. I'm sure it's worth my while learning how to do something (i.e. change a chain) if I need to do it only once in my life.

flickerx

If you want to do that with taking the bad link out and putting it back together, you'll need a chain breaker, nothing else will do the job, because when you pop out the rivet from the new connection point, you still need to leave it in at the edge of the plate so you can push it back in again.

Also of course if you do this your chain will be shorter than before and this brings problems in itself if you're riding a geared bike.

kenmc

JonathanAnon wrote: »

The bike was sitting up for about ten years. If I get someone to drop me over to Halfords, will they put it on. I'm sure it's worth my while learning how to do something (i.e. change a chain) if I need to do it only once in my life.

Doubt it and I wouldn't trust them even if they would.Drop it into a reputable BIKE shop (not a car accessory shop that sells bikes) and get it a once-over if it's been lying up for 10 years. Likely to need new cables,brake blocks, tyres, tubes and the bearings will all need lubing.

JonathanAnon

Hey there, just to update.

I went in to Halford's today. they DO actually fix bikes as well. The guy there was busy so I decided to just buy the rivet tool and a new chain and have a lash at it myself. I reduced the chain to the same length as the chain that was on the bike, and stuck it on the bike.

But, it's slipping about every two revolutions of the pedals. I showed the guy the bike so I'm assuming he gave me the right chain. The links are slightly longer though? Am thinking of just lashing on the old one.

zzzzzzzz

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Hey there, just to update.

I went in to Halford's today. they DO actually fix bikes as well. The guy there was busy so I decided to just buy the rivet tool and a new chain and have a lash at it myself. I reduced the chain to the same length as the chain that was on the bike, and stuck it on the bike.

But, it's slipping about every two revolutions of the pedals. I showed the guy the bike so I'm assuming he gave me the right chain. The links are slightly longer though? Am thinking of just lashing on the old one.

The old chain has probably stretched so the new one needs to be measured like this:

http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html#chain wrote:

The best technique for setting chain length is to thread the chain onto the large/large combination, without running it through the rear derailer. Mesh the two ends on to the large chainwheel so that they could be connected (outer link meets inner link), then make the chain one complete link (one inch) longer than that. In almost all cases, this will give the optimum length.

Not sure if it's chain length causing the skipping though.

I wouldn't make any assumption about it being the right chain for your bike if you bought it in halfords...

blorg

It sounds like the cassette is worn- if you didn't maintain the old chain very well this can lead to chain wear, which in turn wears the cassette. This sounds likely if you think the links are slightly longer (on the old chain?) - all chains have exactly the same length links (it is a 1/2 inch standard) but they "stretch" over time especially if not cleaned/lubed regularly (grit wears down the rivets.)

You probably need to replace the cassette as well- to do this you will need a chain whip and a cassette lockring tool.

JonathanAnon

Think I have it sorted, the issue seemed to be caused by tight links, which were not moving as the chain passed through the rear derailleur. Dont think that rivet tool I got is the best. Doesnt really hold the chain in place that well as has a tendency to put the rivets through crookedly (which I think was the cause of the links being tight).

thanks to everyone who helped.