I keep snapping chains!

[jack smith]

On my old tarmac my chain snapped 4 times, it was a sram 1031 chain all different links, i always replaced them correctly with my chain tool and with different links snapping (i always mark the ones ive re joined so i know) i dont think its me putting them together wrong, im 15 stone and climb in a very aggressive style out of the saddle i also sprint alot, ive now got a boardman with a sram 1051 chain and this has snapped twice now, it always seems to happen going up hill,

i asked in a small bike shop yesyerday if he has a chain tool i could buy and he kicked off saying i was an idiot and my bike is either broken or im "an idiot" he then walked me to the end of the shop and pointed at a photo of the pro peloton and said "their chains dont snap and they put out LOADS more power than you ever could your just a pathetic flea compared to them" ...low fell cycles gateshead .... Avoid the old git... Worst encounter ive ever had all i asked for was a tool! ....anyway any suggestions as to why this may be?

Both chains were less than a month old the boardman is probably over a month now, they are lubed and cleaned atleast weekly

 

[Hacienda71]

If I pop a link on a chain I will repair the chain with a quick link to get me home but I will replace the chain when I get back.

 

[ColinJ]

I was getting deja vu there ... We were discussing duff chains in a different thread earlier.

Anyway - does THIS sound a bit like the way you ride, and if so, there's your problem!

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

The guy in the shop does have a point. You either have a very poor pedalling technique or are not putting the chain together correctly as there is no information available about that chain being a problem.

 

[shadow master]

Two different bikes, two different chains,albeit the same brand,only one common denominator... you!
Seriously its not a really common problem,the tensile strength of a good chain is 1200kg+ obviously your not producing that sort of power!but a chain is only as good as the weakest link!your style of riding may have an effect on this....maybe try a different brand kmc,shimano?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

im 15 stone and climb in a very aggressive style out of the saddle i also sprint a lot...

If you said that bit up there, then it's hardly surprising he then did the bit below:

i was an idiot and my bike is either broken or im "an idiot" he then walked me to the end of the shop and pointed at a photo of the pro peloton and said "their chains dont snap and they put out LOADS more power than you ever could your just a pathetic flea compared to them"...

 

[jay clock]

rejoining chains is the only time I have ever had snappage

 

[shadow master]

rejoining chains is the only time I have ever had snappage

Yep thank god for the quick link....removes the human error!

 

[jack smith]

As said above they dont snap in the same place, i carry a chain tool but it was just cheap and it snapped trying to repair it the otherday, the links that break are never near the previous, im mad about maintenance so its always spotless the bloke in the shop also said the best brand of chain on the market was the one he happened to sell and that chains only last 1000 miles so tbf i think he was full of sh*t anyway!

 

[shadow master]

As said above they dont snap in the same place, i carry a chain tool but it was just cheap and it snapped trying to repair it the otherday, the links that break are never near the previous, im mad about maintenance so its always spotless the bloke in the shop also said the best brand of chain on the market was the one he happened to sell and that chains only last 1000 miles so tbf i think he was full of sh*t anyway!

I'm at a loss really,I know your 15 stone and stand sprint etc...but I know lots of riders with real power and not feather weights either,they don't have this problem,but none use SRAM chains either

 

[jack smith]

Tbf @ColinJ your comment in that post is similar to me I bodybuilt for ages and have legs that look abnormaly large i dont like climbing short hills by spinning id rather sprint up them and ive got a few kom's so i must be doing something good, i do put the power down on them hard i see pro riders doing the same and surely chains should be made to handle that sort of thing cav for instance puts down up to 2k watts in a final sprint! I dont have a power metre but broke the spinning bike at my local gym sprinting during a spinning class , that goes up to 999! So nowhere god knows my output but im sure its nothing on pro's

 

[jack smith]

Must admit i never had an issue with the shimano chain i had on the venge and i rode that harsher than the other two road bikes, and on my rockhopper (touchwood) has been great and i smash that more than the road bikes think next time i get a chain it will be kmc

 

[shadow master]

Must admit i never had an issue with the shimano chain i had on the venge and i rode that harsher than the other two road bikes, and on my rockhopper (touchwood) has been great and i smash that more than the road bikes think next time i get a chain it will be kmc

You don't see SRAM chains fitted by many OE suppliers these days,unless the bikes SRAM equipped obviously. Nearly all kmc,shimano,or fsa

 

[ColinJ]

Tbf @ColinJ your comment in that post is similar to me I bodybuilt for ages and have legs that look abnormaly large i dont like climbing short hills by spinning id rather sprint up them and ive got a few kom's so i must be doing something good, i do put the power down on them hard i see pro riders doing the same and surely chains should be made to handle that sort of thing cav for instance puts down up to 2k watts in a final sprint! I dont have a power metre but broke the spinning bike at my local gym sprinting during a spinning class , that goes up to 999! So nowhere god knows my output but im sure its nothing on pro's

You don't see Cav and co mashing gears - they spin them!

Imagine a crane is to lift a heavy concrete block attached to it by a bicycle chain. If the crane takes up the slack in the chain slowly, then it can lift the block.

Now imagine that the crane operator tries to start lifting the block too quickly. When the chain is suddenly pulled tight, the block stays where it is and the chain snaps!

So ... I reckon you need to develop a smoother, more elegant pedalling style!

 

[zizou]

your comment in that post is similar to me I bodybuilt for ages and have legs that look abnormaly large i dont like climbing short hills by spinning id rather sprint up them and ive got a few kom's so i must be doing something good, i do put the power down on them hard i see pro riders doing the same and surely chains should be made to handle that sort of thing cav for instance puts down up to 2k watts in a final sprint! I dont have a power metre but broke the spinning bike at my local gym sprinting during a spinning class , that goes up to 999! So nowhere god knows my output but im sure its nothing on pro's

In a sprint someone like Cavendish has a cadence of 115+ rpm so he's not mashing a big gear but spinning one, thats putting less stress on things than grinding out a big gear with low cadence.

KMC chains are good, they make Shimano chains too (although the design is different, Shimano dont have the quick link whereas KMC does). I