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When you own a bike or mountain bike, you always wonder how to fix your bike. But, whether it's regular maintenance or repairs, as a cyclist, there are always plenty of questions. What can I do myself? What should I have a bike mechanic do? Today, we explain how to repair a bike chain.
How do I check my chain for wear?
The chain is one of the key components of a bike's drivetrain but also one of the most fragile.
With wear and tear, due to dirt but also to friction, the chain will eventually become slack and risk derailing regularly. The only solution is to change the chain. Worse, if you ride too long with a worn or damaged chain, you will have to change several parts of the transmission. In order to avoid unnecessary expenses, it is therefore recommended to check the wear condition of your chain regularly.
The state of wear of the chain can be checked with the naked eye or by measuring the elongation of the chain, but it is recommended to use a tool that is called a chain wear indicator in order to benefit from a more accurate measurement.
The first method, which is very old, is not very recommendable because it is unreliable, especially with today's components since the chains are more flexible. It consists of positioning the chain at the large plate, pinching it and pulling it outwards. If you can see the top of the tooth, you should definitely change the chain.
The second method, which is a bit more reliable, consists of measuring the elongation of the chain. To do this, you need to stretch the chain and measure the length twenty links: when new, this length should be 25.4 cm. It is recommended not to exceed a 1% wear of the chain, that is, when this measurement reaches a length of 25.66 cm. However, it is best not to exceed a wear of 0.75% (25.6 cm) in order not to wear out the other components.
Finally, the last method - and the most reliable of the three - requires the acquisition of a small tool called chain wear indicator. With this one, you simply insert the tool into one link of the chain: if the opposite side fits into another link, you must change the chain. At 0.75 the chain change will be sufficient; at 1, you will have to change your cassette at the same time.
How do I replace the chain on my bike?
If your chain is worn, damaged or rusty, then you will need to replace your chain. Installing a new chain is not very complicated to do. Just be careful to buy a compatible chain with your transmission.
Position the chain small plate small sprocket to loosen it. If your chain has a quick release (most newer models do), find it and use a quick release clamp to open it. If your chain doesn't have a quick-release, you'll need to use a chain remover to remove a link. Now remove the worn chain, being careful when passing through the rear derailleur.
Now that the old chain is removed, you need to position the new chain. To do this, you need to determine the length of chain needed: refer to your old chain or your chain's manual for instructions on how to take this measurement, then remove the necessary links using the chain dereeler to get the correct length.
Now that your chain is new, don't forget to clean your chain and transmission regularly to extend its life.
How do I fix my bike's chain during a ride?
It can happen that your chain breaks during a ride. In order to get home without having to push your bike, there is a technique to repair quickly. To do this, you will always need to have a chain rip and quick release in your tool bag.
Place the broken link in the chain rip so that you can remove it and have two male links on each end of the chain. Connect the chain links with a quick fastener to close it. Because the chain is shorter, avoid using the gears at either end of the cassette. You can now go home until you change your chain.
Now that you're able to fix your bike's chain, how about finding out about other things you can fix yourself. Do you know how to fix a tubeless road bike tire?
How to change the wheel on your bike? How to fix a bike flat? How to put a patch on? How to fix a mountain bike disc brake?
