Ugh I need to learn about chains - mine snapped yesterday and I hit the deck :-(

[Tim Hall]

@ColinJ - your prescient powers are required in this case.
OP - recommend a visit to your LBS who will sell you a (wide 1/2") chain, which I'd expect they'd cut to the right length and fit there and then, provided you don't go in when they're busy.

Cranks - no. Sprocket - yes (with that mileage). But this screws on very simply - again the LBS can do this very quickly (3 minutes, harder for you) so should not cost too much for labour.
@rrarider Glad you're fully recovered, even if you don't know why you crashed (and cannot therefore identify and learn any lessons therefrom).

1/2" chain? 1/8" surely? Unless you mean the length of each half link.

 

[smutchin]

Do you know of any resources where i can learn what chain I need to get to replace it

Have a look on the sprocket to see if it's marked either 3/32" or 1/8" - this is the gauge of the chain you will need. If it's not marked, take it into a bike shop and they'll be able to tell you.

They'll also be able to sell you an appropriate new chain - should be less than a tenner for something like a SRAM PC1. I don't think you need to spend more on anything too fancy.

 

[MichaelW2]

You can run a system if 2 chains, one on the bike and one in cleaning solvent. This enables you to switch to a clean chain when you need, and to inspect the chain properly. It also means that you can clean the grubby chain at your leisure.
You need a decent, reusable master link so some of the thinner modern chains may not be suitable.

 

[Ajax Bay]

1/2" chain? 1/8" surely?

Sorry. Thought '8' and fingered a '2'. Amended now.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Only ever clean a chain on the bike, if you reuse any master link ( regardless of what it says) you are asking for trouble. If you un pin, then re pin the chain, you will be weakening it. If you must take the chain off, use a fresh quick link when you replace it.

 

[martint235]

Only ever clean a chain on the bike, if you reuse any master link ( regardless of what it says) you are asking for trouble. If you un pin, then re pin the chain, you will be weakening it. If you must take the chain off, use a fresh quick link when you replace it.

Even if a new pin is used?

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ - your prescient powers are required in this case.

Ha ha!

Well, at least the blame can't be put on dodgy gear-changing since the bike was singlespeed.

I snapped a chain last year. I think it is the only time that I have done that, although I have witnessed at least 5 or 6 other people breaking chains on rides over the years. I got a second or so of notice in as much as I heard a subtle new noise coming from the transmission. I had been standing on a climb but was disturbed by the noise and went to sit back on the saddle. The chain snapped when my bum was only an inch or so off it so my balance was not affected too much and I was able to coast to a stop.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Pre ride inspection would have saved the OP an unpleasant ankle injury.

Bit harsh, unless there was an obvious problem, nephew picked up a new bike 3 weeks ago, first time out snapped a chain.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Even if a new pin is used?

Yep, the hole develops micro cracks, it would be difficult / impossible to re use the original pin anyway. It's possible to use a new pin, but certainly not best practice.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I snapped a chain last year.

Given the scholarly discussion we had over whether the word "stretch" is appropriate to describe the lengthening of a chain with use, I'm wondering whether "snap" is appropriate to describe the transformation of a chain from closed loop to linear segment. "Could it be" I hear you ask "that the word snap might induce the listener to imagine the actual plates snapping in two?". Indeed it could. Maybe we should use a less snappy term, like "separate" or "unrivet" or "deloopify".

 

[Drago]

I've seen chain failure where the links have been cleft in twee, positively split asunder.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've seen chain failure where the links have been cleft in twee, positively split asunder.

Ah. Clefty deloopification.

 

[Milkfloat]

I've seen chain failure where the links have been cleft in twee, positively split asunder.

Me too, just a few weeks ago a 'rouleur' friend of mine snapped both plates of a link clean in two whilst trying to not be the last up the hill and therefore getting the first round in on our return. The group of us all stood around lamenting that this was the one week that we had left our chain tools at home and working out who we were going to call for assistance, when I suddenly spied that we were lucky that it was the quick link that had failed and I had a spare, two minutes later we were on our way. A bit of a long story to say - yes they can snap at the plates and not fail at the pins. There seemed to be no damage to the plates at all, they were still correctly installed and nothing had twisted.

 

[Tim Hall]

Me too, just a few weeks ago a 'rouleur' friend of mine snapped both plates of a link clean in two whilst trying to not be the last up the hill and therefore getting the first round in on our return. The group of us all stood around lamenting that this was the one week that we had left our chain tools at home and working out who we were going to call for assistance, when I suddenly spied that we were lucky that it was the quick link that had failed and I had a spare, two minutes later we were on our way. A bit of a long story to say - yes they can snap at the plates and not fail at the pins. There seemed to be no damage to the plates at all, they were still correctly installed and nothing had twisted.

In cases of unplanned deloopification and the absence of a working chain tool, my preferred fix is to flag down a passing @Dogtrousers and use what ever he is carrying.

 

[ColinJ]

Given the scholarly discussion we had over whether the word "stretch" is appropriate to describe the lengthening of a chain with use, I'm wondering whether "snap" is appropriate to describe the transformation of a chain from closed loop to linear segment. "Could it be" I hear you ask "that the word snap might induce the listener to imagine the actual plates snapping in two?". Indeed it could. Maybe we should use a less snappy term, like "separate" or "unrivet" or "deloopify".

If you had followed my link, you would have seen that my chain did indeed 'snap' ...

Ok, one side of it snapped, causing the other side to 'deloopify'!