Chain break - What repair tools?

Granite Head

Out for a spin last weekend and my chain snapped :eek:
Had to resort to mobile and "pick up". Chain now repaired at LBS.

I would like to be self sufficient out on the road for most repairs so wondering what equipment I would need to pack in my saddle bag to be able to repair a snapped chain on the side of the road?

Recommendations re brands welcome.

PS it is a 10 speed if that makes any difference re links?

funkyjebus

A chain tool to take off the broken links and a 10 sp quick connect link will do the trick. A few extra links wouldn't go a miss although you'll make it home with out them.

If it was a 8 or 9 speed, just the chain tool will suffice.

Zorba

BBB and KMC do links that just pull apart to link and push together to take off the chain, just need to get the link specific to your chain. ie shimano or campag.

Mr. Grieves

funkyjebus wrote: »

A chain tool to take off the broken links and a 10 sp quick connect link will do the trick. A few extra links wouldn't go a miss although you'll make it home with out them.

If it was a 8 or 9 speed, just the chain tool will suffice.

What makes 10 speed chains different that you'd need the quick connect link?

Zorba

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

What makes 10 speed chains different that you'd need the quick connect link?

U don't need it u can use the original chains with their pin links, just using the connect type link makes life a lot easier and u don't need special tools just some brute force.

ednwireland

this thread broke my chain last night :mad:

funkyjebus

Zorba wrote: »

U don't need it u can use the original chains with their pin links, just using the connect type link makes life a lot easier and u don't need special tools just some brute force.

Can you? you sure about that. Now, im no expert, but due to the width of the 10 speed chain it would be unwise to rejoin unsing the original links and pins, and thats if you manage to
pull it off. have you ever broken and rejoined a 10 sp??

seamus

Depends on the chain, I don't think 8/9/10 speed makes a difference. Though the ability to re-use the pins (provided you don't push them all the way out) tends to be more for 7 and 8 speed chains.

Some shimano chains (typically 9/10 speed road chains) you can't reuse the same pins at all, you need to insert a new connector pin every time you split the chain. This is because the old pin is flanged and can't be re-inserted once removed.

It much easier to bring a spare quick link than to worry about whether or not you can re-use rivets

Granite Head

What is the difference between a "Connect link" and a "Power link" ?

Zorba

funkyjebus wrote: »

Can you? you sure about that. Now, im no expert, but due to the width of the 10 speed chain it would be unwise to rejoin unsing the original links and pins, and thats if you manage to
pull it off. have you ever broken and rejoined a 10 sp??

I stand corrected, u can reuse the pins but it's not advisable AFAIK

doozerie

A lot of chains these days "require" a brand new pin to rejoin them. That's according to the manufacturers and it is a recommendation that I'd certainly heed. You could probably get safely home on the chain by re-using the old pin, assuming it is really usable, but a chain snapping under tension is not a risk worth taking if you can avoid it so it makes sense to carry a spare pin(s) or a connector link.

It's worth checking the recommendations for your chain to know if it is considered safe to re-use a pin. For some chains it is fine, for others it certainly isn't - I hope to never have to do a hatchet job on my Campag 11-speed chain at the side of the road, for example, as I'll almost certainly be walking home.

Mr. Grieves

Interesting, I have a Shimano 9 speed which I've connected without a power link, though with some difficulty. I didn't know it might not be advisable. It came with special long pins for connecting it initially, though I snapped 2 of these before giving up on them. I may buy one of these quick connect links, is the one linked above generally recommended?

blorg

orth keeping in context; a broken chain is very rare IF you maintain it properly and replace it regularly. Spoke and cable failure probably more likely. If you want to carry a chain tool anyway Topeak have a tiny one that actually works well and has storage for connecting pins.

Columbia

If I ever repair my own chain, it's just to get me home and buy a new one immediately, which I get my LBS to put on.

Last time I fixed my own chain, the newly put-together link broke in the middle of a training sprint the next day, and I came down for the worst crash of my life. Way too nervous to put on my own and leave it now.

Paul Kiernan

I broke and rejoined a Shimano 105 chain by just pushing out and then back in one of the pins. I've been using it for months without any problem. Am I just lucky or is it likely to snap and leave me on my arse? I can't just replace the appropriate link as I've no way of knowing which one it is!

seamus

Paul Kiernan wrote: »

Am I just lucky or is it likely to snap

You're just lucky that it hasn't snapped
Chains, especially narrow ones like 10 speed ones, have very little tolerance in them. The plates are only a mm or 2 wide, so they only need to move by that much to slip off the pin. In reality, the pin is well pressed in and the overall construction means that it's very rare for them to do so. But the pins on 105 chains are flanged as I mentioned before, which stops the plate slipping off the pin. When you press the pin out, it actually pulls some metal off the plate, so it's now a tiny bit wider than the pin.

Of course, you need some significant sideways pressure in order to bend the chain that way to make the plate slip out. So the dodgy pin would probably have to be in a certain spot in the cycle and you'd have to be making a hard gear change in order for it to pop off. But stranger things have happened. IMO, it's only a matter of time before it does. And chains usually break when you stand up to make a hard push. Ouch.

Give the chain a good clean and painstakingly examine each pin on both sides. You should be able to spot one where the plate looks a little different to the rest.

doozerie

I agree with seamus, continuing to ride with a re-used pin on a chain where the pins in theory are not reusable is not a risk that I would take personally. Snapping a chain is a pretty dangerous thing to have happen - even assuming that you don't come a cropper at the instant the chain snaps, which is a big assumption, without the resistance of the drivetrain against your feet it is very difficult to control a bike. It is easy to assume that the chain is more likely to go while pushing hard on a climb, but it is just as likely to go on a descent when changing into big ring and pushing hard - the potential outcome in either case is bad, but likely worse for the latter.

Even if you had to replace the entire chain if you are unable to find that potentially dodgy link, I'd consider the expense worth it.

tomasrojo

You can get packets of replacement rivets for Shimano Hyperglide chains. I usually carry one with me, and a chain tool (it's built into my multi-tool anyway). You definitely should use these, rather than push the original rivet back in.

But blorg is right; if you replace the chain every few thousand kilometres, and maintain it even passably well during those few thousand kilometers, you're really quite unlikely to break the chain. I have broken chains, but it was when I knew nothing of maintenance, and left the chain on for several years of heavy use. In one case, I couldn't even cycle up a modest incline because the chain was so worn it kept slipping under even the slightest load.

murph226

What multi-tool are you using Tomas?

pprendeville

not really applicable as I don't think you'll fit this in your saddle bag but I got this maintenance kit recently. seems like decent quality drop forged gear.
http://www.bike24.com/p24624.html

also picked up a SRAM 1091 hollow pin chain (currently only €34.90). so far so good. apparently the Shimano's are very brittle.

Mr. Grieves

I connected a Shimano 9 speed 2 weeks ago and rode 50k on it last weekend with no problem. Today the a link partially came apart while I was changing gear I think and caught on the rear derailler cog wheels, ripping it apart and bending the derailler hanger.

I think I'll take this as a lesson never to attempt to connect a 9 speed chain without a quick connect link again.

So I'm looking for a new 9 speed chain (and derailler + hanger). Are all 9 speed chains the same or are there any compatibilty issues? Thinking of getting an SRAM one as they seem well regarded.

blorg

They are all compatible once the chain speed is equal or greater to what you have on the back. I find no reliability difference between any of the manufacturers I have used, Shimano, SRAM, KMC and Wipperman (Mavic.) AFAIK these are all made in the same place by KMC anyway- on an occasion where there was a bad batch the same problem appeared in KMC, Shimano and SRAM chains at the same time. Using the Shimano pin system it is essential to install it correctly according to the instructions but if you do this it is as good as a quick link.

tomasrojo

murph226 wrote: »

What multi-tool are you using Tomas?

It's not manufactured anymore. The reviews of it weren't all that good, but I rather like it.

Details here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66554450&postcount=8

Hail 2 Da Thief

Apologies for veering a little off topic but has anyone ever used a Mavic 10 Speed Chain?
They're currently on sale in CRC & possibly worth buying a couple at those prices if they're decent quality!

blorg

Yes, they are a re badged Wipperman that normally retails at £30 or so. I put one on my cross bike and it seems to work well. Comes with a quick link.