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

[ColinJ]

Oh, link ... pun not noticed until after posting!

 

[Drago]

I've seen them snap in the middle of the plate, and the strain Ln the remain f link caused it to become detached from the pin and deloopification occurred.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Learn to MICKLE and your chain woes will be over

 

[Profpointy]

I've seen them snap in the middle of the plate, and the strain Ln the remain f link caused it to become detached from the pin and deloopification occurred.

"like" for the word "deloopification" which I shall add to my vocabulary.

Rest is true as well

 

[ColinJ]

"like" for the word "deloopification" which I shall add to my vocabulary.

Well, you should really have 'Liked' @Dogtrousers's post then (#25 in the thread), where he invented the term!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Oh, link ... pun not noticed until after posting!

This is riveting.

 

[ColinJ]

This is riveting.

I received a chain letter promising me great wealth if I were to post the picture of my broken link 3 times on CycleChat ...

Ok, that was the 3rd time. Please transfer the £1,000,000 to my bank account as previously arranged ...

 

[MichaelW2]

My only chain deloopification happened at the end of a long day of MTBing in the USA. We rode 20 miles to a huge canyon, rolled down for 20 mins, climbed up for 2 hrs then rode back 20 miles. The chain cleft assunder just as I reached home when I powered up a grassy bank. I had to walk all of 10yards.

 

[Profpointy]

Well, you should really have 'Liked' @Dogtrousers's post then (#25 in the thread), where he invented the term!

duly done ! Drago retains his like for the "ication" suffix

 

[Ajax Bay]

I push hard to pedal and it snaps

I'm wondering whether "snap" is appropriate to describe the transformation of a chain from closed loop to linear segment.

Since the OP I have restrained myself from assaulting 'snap'. One has to admire @Dogtrousers constructive and discursive approach. But the repeated images posted by @ColinJ warrant 'snap' categorisation.
Perhaps the only lesson identified for the OP is to pedal seated and never to stand up on the pedals. I, for one, shall not be learning that lesson and will risk deloopification, mitigated by: regular mickling, replacing at <0.75% elongation and care during gear changes under load (avoid/moderate).

 

[Tom B]

My two most painful injuries on a bike have been following a broken chain and a pedal that shot of the spindle.

Keep an eye out for special offers on chains I bought a bunch of 8sp KMC for 4quid each recently. Measure and change often.

 

[MacLean]

Thanks for all the tips (and the puns lol) guys, hopefully will be picking it up from where it is locked up to get it sorted this week.

I don't know what is going on though, the universe seems to be really putting me off cycling lately - today (on a boris bike) I had the real unfortunate experience of cycling past the immediate aftermath of this incident with a lady that had looked to have been run over by the front left wheel of the coach. I was cycling past what must have been seconds afterwards so before the police arrived and I just seen a crowd and the driver trying his best to help. Very grim looking with a still body and blood dripping all over the place, really nasty thing to see and kind of ruined my day... Hoping that she makes it, and just to wish you all to be careful out there.

 

[MacLean]

Never lube a dirty chain, you're lubing the dirt, not the chain. Buy one of these.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-essential-chain-wear-tool/

This will give you a metric by which to gauge the amount of chain stretch, and stop any guess work, as to when to change it.

Keep the drive train clean and lubed, and get a chain link tool, and some replacement quick link chain links.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-5-to-11-spd-and-singlespeed-chain-tool/

And

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kmc-9-speed-chain-links/

Get the one with the rivet width you need ( get the one that matches how many speeds you have on your bike, the illustrated one is a 9 speed).

Watch this.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D707ZMWH7jQ


Have fun

Fantastic! Just what I need thanks!

 

[nickyboy]

Interested to hear others' experience of whether they had any prior notice of a failing chain.

I've had two chains fail on me. The first failed at the point where I had reconnected the chain (no quick link) so I presume I hadn't done a very good job. The other was a fractured (?) side plate that then failed. I should have known something was amiss as every time the link went through the sprocket/jockey wheel area there was a noise. Being something of a novice at the time I just ploughed on....until it failed completely

Certainly now I listen out for the "click" of a failing link

 

[Milkfloat]

I have only 'snapped' one chain. The first I knew about it was when my balls hit the top tube. The bike was only a few hours old so I was still in the 'listening out' for strange noises period.