Is half-link more or less durable than regular chain?
- Thread starter Jezston
- Start date
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Rohloff_Brompton_Rider
Formerly just_fixed
More pins= more stretch. Been there, done that on a fs as mtb. They really do stretch a lot
rustychisel
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Adelaide, Australia
Yes, more stretch. The 1/8 half link chains sold to fashionistas are heavy and cr4p.
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
They don't have any more pins than a regular chain but they do wear more quickly.
Hover Fly
Lazy so and so
- Location
- Besides the lake, beneath the trees
The side plates straighten out under the strain of fixters heaving on them with all their might so they stretch. If 1/2 link chains had any advantage they would be all over industrial power transmissions. They ain't, only gullible fashion victims' bikes.
Smurfy
Naturist Smurf
- Location
- Smurfette's Kitchen
I thought I'd heard once that the advantage with half-link chains is that they bend more easily around the extremely small sprockets used on BMXs. I was in Evans at the weekend and they had a BMX wheel for sale fitted with a sprocket of just 9 teeth!
From the posts above 'bendability' would appear to be the only advantage (assuming it's true).
From the posts above 'bendability' would appear to be the only advantage (assuming it's true).
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
It's their abilty to slide without catching an edge on metal and concrete surfaces when grinding which is their reason for being.
Counter arguments (not from me, I'm still open but erring towards the anti camp from this thread!)
1. Claim that they are much bulkier and sturdier, pins are thicker, thus in fact less prone to stretch.
2. For same reason as above, less likely to fail.
Why is it believed they wear more quickly?
1. Claim that they are much bulkier and sturdier, pins are thicker, thus in fact less prone to stretch.
2. For same reason as above, less likely to fail.
Why is it believed they wear more quickly?
Rohloff_Brompton_Rider
Formerly just_fixed
been there, done that and they do. not for fashion but when i ran a cf fs mtb ss.
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Not sure I understand why thicker pins would wear less, it' a material strength thing, isn't it? If anything I would expect more stretch because there are more pins, 4x0.2mm > 2x0.2mm.
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Dan
Rohloff_Brompton_Rider
Formerly just_fixed
carbon fibre full suspension mountain bike single speed.......come on keep up!!
Rohloff_Brompton_Rider
Formerly just_fixed
that's what i thought, but mickle disagrees
I don't see how you work that out. There are the same number of pins on a full chain. On a normal chain each link consists of an inner and an outer with 2 pins. Half links are shorter and have one pin, but you need twice the number for a chain.
