Chain snapped as I cycled

[bobsinatra]

Hi

As the title suggests, the chain on my road bike snapped today. Luckily I was only 10 miles from home and was able to arrange a lift home.

I have all the kit to fix a puncture, but nothing for a chain snap.

Are chain snaps common on road bikes? What to be better prepared for next time.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers

BS

 

[bobsinatra]

 

[fossyant]

Chain tool and a quick link. Then when home bin the chain. Simple.

 

[Bianchi boy]

This happened to me once, fortunately i carry a chain splitter and a couple of spare links, dos`nt take up too much room in my saddle bag and will save the day, Are they common? well on a road bike i would think very unlikely to happen , But never say never

 

[Brandane]

You'll need a chain splitter tool (to remove the damaged link), as already posted. Then replace it with a quick link.
This video is a bit long winded for what is a fairly simple process, but explains what a quick link is, and how to fit it.
It has also just cost me £14.99 coz I never realised before that you can buy special pliers to remove quick links . They are easy to fit, but a complete PITA to remove without the proper tool.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Chain issues, including snapping, aren’t uncommon. Hence the reason for the invention of quick links, and chain tools, that can be carried in a jersey pocket.

 

[ianrauk]

Luckily I've never had a chain break whilst riding... but... I still carry a quick link just in case.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I’ve had links Pringle on me before, because of a bodged shift, but I’ve never had a chain snap, per se. It was the same end result though.

 

[Broadside]

I’ve never had a chain snap myself but I fix lots of bikes for friends nearby. I replaced a broken chain recently with a fractured side plate, upon inspection there were another 3 side plates which had also fractured. It was a KMC x9 chain, was not old or high mileage and had not been abused, it measured 0.6% worn. It must have been a manufacturing defect. So while it is rare it will sometimes happen.

 

[ColinJ]

I went many years without breaking one of my own chains but one finally snapped 4 or 5 years ago, and I had a second one break a couple of weeks ago. I have fixed chains for 6 or 7 other riders out on the road in the past 30 years. A friend's chain broke on a mountain bike ride along the side of Loch Etive but I fixed it very quickly. Good job - it would have been a bit of a nightmare pushing the bike back to the van which was parked about 10 miles away near Connel.

As people posted above - a broken chain is an easy thing to sort out as long as you carry a chaintool and a quicklink or two. I always carry 8-speed and 10-speed links so I have the right type no matter which of my bikes I am riding.

 

[bobsinatra]

What chain splitter tool do you recommend?

Are the quick links universal?

 

[RoadRider400]

There are different links depending on number of gears on the cassette.

 

[slowmotion]

I've had one in the middle of the one way system round Parliament Square , in heavy traffic. It's a very odd feeling when you turn the cranks and slowly glide to a halt, offering apologies to confused motorists. There was a Cycle Surgery in Victoria at the time so they fixed it after a bit of a walk.

 

[ColinJ]

What chain splitter tool do you recommend?

I carry a mulitool on the bike and that includes a chain splitter. Mine is the older version of this Crank Bros tool. There are lots of similar tools which are equally as good, and may be a lot cheaper!

It is ok for quick chain repairs but I treated myself to a big heavy duty chain tool to use at home.

Are the quick links universal?

As suggested above - match the link to the number of sprockets on the cassette (11-speed, 10-speed, whatever...). I don't think that the brand matters - I have used SRAM, Shimano, KMC etc. If you buy quicklinks one at a time from bike shops they can be expensive. I bought a bag of 10 unbranded links from a Chinese eBay dealer. They were really cheap but (literally!) took a couple of months to arrive.

 

[si_c]

I've had a chain brake a couple of times. Always carry a chain tool - I use one on my multi-tool - and a quick link helps fix things easier.

For reference I have a Topeak Hexus and it's great.