[Closed] Snapped Chain

Any reason not to just user a powerlink like everyone else does? I haven't rejoined a chain the old fashioned way for years now (with the exception of the occasional Shimano link pin) and also haven't snapped a chain in the same period either. There's a definite link (ha!) there.

They also have the added bonus that removing the chain for maintenance becomes a two minute job. In fact, I can't think of a single drawback...

Depending on the type of chain there can be specific links/plates for rejoining in.

If not you, you still need to be careful (any front mechs have a screw to split the cage)

@daern never got on with powerlink type things, as I didn't realise you needed yet another tool to get the buggers off. This chain didn't come with one, as far as I know, and I've had the chain tool since forever... No idea how to tell what "speed" the chain is, other than there's eight cogs on the rear block, so no idea which magic link thing to buy.

Buy a 9 speed quick link, way better solution than those useless joining pins.

You don't need the tool, but it's certainly a useful thing to have. I did mine for years with pliers, but wouldn't be without the proper thing now. For a fiver, it's a no-brainer, but they're easy enough to do without on the trail side.

I can't help with sizing, although you can get powerlinks for most sizes, but an 8-speed one is only a couple of quid so might be worth getting one and giving it a go. One of the useful side effects of carrying them in your saddlebag is that, when a chain does snap, the outer plates always bend out and can be a bugger to get back into place reliably. A powerlink replaces them, so the first thing you do when repairing is to chuck the two bent bits away, which always seems eminently sensible to my mind. You also don't need to artificially shorten the chain if the fishplates are kackered, so once repaired, it's literally good as new.

Life is way too short for snapped chains and other such mucking about so you might find that this is just one of those things where you need to change a habit of a lifetime. Good luck with it!

It might just be parallax effect but from the photo it looks as if you didn't drive that pin through leaving an equal amount each side. My cycling buddy did exactly the same and his snapped in a sprint causing him to crash.

Thanks all, just procured a 9 speed quick link from LBS, although I might have one in the parts box. Either way, bike maintenance this evening...

@globalti yes, it's not central, the pin was moving around when I was trying to set it up for a shot. Pretty sure I got it in fine when I rejoined the chain... 🤷‍♂️

9 speed powerlink won't work with an 8 speed chain... The chains are wider. Unless you're using a 9 speed chain on an 8 speed block, which does work, but is an odd choice.

+1 for not rejoining it properly - IMO once you've driven the pin out they don't go back together properly and you should just use a quick link or joining pin.

If it's an 8 speed cassette then it's probably an 8 speed chain in which case a 9 speed quick link is probably too narrow.

Can't see the chainring being the cause.  If anything, the teeth on that will be too narrow.  If it happened soon after you split and rejoined, I'd suspect the join being imperfect.

[i]9 speed powerlink won’t work with an 8 speed chain[/i]

Was just about to say this - plus and this is [i]important[/i]! you don't need a tool with 8 or 9 speed quicklinks! It's only when they made the skinny little 10/11 speed ones that they became impossible (except for real, skilled, ninja like heroes) to split/join by hand.

Also, yes, you never really snap a chain if its in gear properly when you put the power down. See Rachel A in that there UCI downhill - she was changing up the block while accelerating out of the gate, which is why her chain snapped. Silly billy. 😀

I have a set of these I'm happy with, although I've only used them once to actually undo a chain link (and that was just to test them).

https://www.amazon.com/KMC-MISSINGLINK-LEVER-Missing-Lever/dp/B07662N436

Dez's point is a good one, 10 and 11 speed (SRAM) ones are "PowerLocks" not "PowerLinks". Those pliers didn't exist until 10 and 11 speed stuff because the norm, and I wouldn't  bother with 8/9 speed chains, the links come apart easily by hand.

Did you check that the link wasn't stiff after rejoining?

And yes, get a quick link.

Would a narrow / wide ring actually be any use on an 8spd setup? (aren't NW rings for 10 / 11spd?)

Surely if the chain is wider than the ring, the retention abilities of the NW would be useless or massively reduced?

NW rings still work pretty well with 8 speed chains. far better at retaining the chain than a non NW and considering NW chainrings are no dearer than ordinary ones why not?

@uselesshippy

Did you check that the link wasn’t stiff after rejoining?

Yes, obviously not well enough...

Turns out that I had two 8 speed SRAM link things in the parts box. Which is just as well, as it turns out to be a KMC Z8 chain...

Park Tools link tool is better than the KMC ones as theirs does both open and close, but KMC do separate tools for each!

And yeah, not needed for 8/9 speed. I've never needed them for 10 myself. 11 speed is getting tricky but I've removed them by hand 50% of the time, even KMC and reused the Missing Link despite it saying non-reusable and the world didn't end. To be honest, not snapped a KMC chain in a very long time. They only get removed for maintenance or replacement, so the link tools stay at home. I just have the chain splitter in my mini tools I ride with.

I'm not sure why you'd ever want more than the tool I linked above:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/birzman-chain-link-removing-pliers/rp-prod165183

It opens and closes all types of powerlinks (SRAM and KMC) with minimum of faff and costs a mere fiver. Like @deadkenny, I keep mine in the workshop and just carry a traditional chain tool. I can normally open chain links by hand anyway, but when needed on the trail, it's always a pin that breaks, so a traditional chain tool is absolutely needed, but a power link can always be closed by stamping on the pedal 🙂

So... After posting that I had some 8 speed SRAM quick links thingies, could I get them to work...?  Thirty minutes of f'ing around trying to get either of the little bastards to close, before I gave up. Two minutes with the chain tool and a few spare links of SRAM 8 speed chain later, one working chain.

I may not have made my abhorrence of quick links / power links, or what ever the wee f***ers are called, overly clear, they are the work of Stan and utterly pointless bits of crap. Hate them. 🤬🤬🤬

Now I just need to source a replacement pin driver bolt thingie for my ParkTool IB-3 so I can sort a chain when I'm out and about...

I take it you don't like quick links but who the hell is Stan? Is Sram short for Stanley Ramsbottom??

@ads678 Stan = the dyslexic devil...

Two minutes with the chain tool and a few spare links of SRAM 8 speed chain later, one working chain.

Feel free to share a photo of your next broken chain when it happens 🙂

More seriously, I'm not sure what you're doing wrong, but they really aren't that hard to work with . Being honest, I've never used an 8-spd one, so perhaps they are different. One piece of advice - squeeze the plates together while locking them into position as they have a sort of keyhole profile, and squeezing them helps the pins slide into place in the slots. Same goes for opening them up.

OP I think SRAM chains are OK to be re-joined, they certainly used to be, so you should be OK.

KMC Z8 *appears* to use a peened over pin design. Rejoining with a pin you've just removed isn't generally going to be a long term solution unless you are lucky.

If you can't join quick links, how do you manage to work a chain tool?

removing the chain for maintenance

You what now?

Some people like to take them off to clean them.

No, i don't either.

You what now?

@scotroutes It's about 10x easier to service linkage bearings, or to clean / relube a chain with it off the bike. I've always routinely removed chains and it would seem odd to not be able to. Obviously not everyone likes to do this, but some (including me 🙂 ), do.

@ghostlymachine
If you can’t join quick links, how do you manage to work a chain tool?

Cause a chain tool is a piece of piss to use...

To be honest it's very rare the chain would come off for maintenance. Might be to swap out a mech, but then I could undo the cage and remove the jockeys, but that's more of a faff. Doesn't come off for cleaning but then it's rarely cleaned beyond a wipe down (Squirt lube to thank for that). If it really needs it I use a chain cleaner while it's on the bike.

In the main it only comes off to replace it and that's when it's done to death and cassette is getting replaced also. A good couple of years.

I use KMC chains and links. I have never had a link removal tool, I do it by hand.
7, 8 and 9 speed chains are different widths, measure the width over the pins, the split link
has the number on it, I think they are 7.4mm, 7.1mm and 6.6mm.

I take chains off to clean, oil and check the lengths of them.

I have never split a chain and reused the link-pin - its not meant to be done as far as i am aware..

I have never used a tool for a quick link ever - i dont see the need? you squeeze the plates together and then apply weight on the pedal with rear brake on to make it click into place (for stubborn ones), but 90% of the time no need to do this..

taking them off, use a bit of wire or bent spoke to hold the chain untensioned (easiest way) and again squeeze the plates together and push and they fall apart?

I would prefer to use these and know my chain isnt going to explode as i reused a link-pin..

Don't want to sound snarky, but if you don't have the mechanical sympathy to get a powerlink closed I'll be damned if I'd trust my nuts to a chain that you'd closed the traditional way.

As above. Join them and pull the chain either side apart and they'll click into place. Failing that, back brake on and stand on the pedal and that will supply the oomph, guaranteed.

Just don't be a numpty and have the powerlink in the bottom run of chain as you do this - the tension's in the top bit only. Not that I've ever sweated and jumped on the pedals in the garage having had a brain fade moment about this before, obviously.

Cause a chain tool is a piece of piss to use…

Compared to a quick link, a chain tool is PhD level engineering.

When rejoining with a chain tool, you need to make.sure that the rivet is sticking out of both sides enough, otherwise the outer plate comes off like it did for the OP. You have to.push it through a little too far then turn the tool around and push back from the other side using a different slit in the tool, so that the outer plate is free to.be pushed back.out with the pin to.open the link. Otherwise you get a stiff link. Just make sure your joined link looks like all the other ones.

So this happened on this mornings ride...

Used the chain tool on my Topeak ratchet rocket to break the chain, then, gasp, I successfully used a quick link to join the shortened chain and limp home. Wonders will never cease...

If you had a quick link already installed you would just un- and reclip to mend.

half the hastle 🙂

@on and on I'd still have had to shorten the chain to run it single speed...

You can expect to see this same kind of failure if you remove links from the 'wide' end of a new chain to shorten it.
If i'm not using a quick link, I'm only ever going to intentionally shorten the chain once and I'm pulling links off from the narrow end of the chain and using a brand new pin in the process.. (new pin in unmolested hole)
driving a pin back into a wide link thats already had a pin removed is a recipe for failure IME.
On the trail or workshop repairs and a quick link is the only solution. re joining a chain using existing pins is only ever to simply to limp home.

You all know about the shoe lace/cable/whatever strong cord trick to remove stubborn chain links don't ya?

@chestercopperpot I didn't know about the standing on the pedals with the rear brake on to set one, so don't know about this one…? Assuming you wrap the cable round the quick link pins and tighten?
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@ k1100t - Yup around the two rollers in the quick link, cross over and pull. I've used a shoe lace out on the trails! Obviously the cord or whatever needs to be strong and thin enough to go through the chain links!

Had three SRAM chains break in exactly the same way, on three separate drivetrains, across two bikes. The plate has opened and jammed around the mech cage, pulling it forward under pedalling. Could be coincidental of course!

That chain also looked very dry and lacking any lubrication.