Why SRAM 1/8 chains are a load of Bor-Locks

Blonde

Why SRAM 1/8 chains are a load of Bor-Locks

At about 40-45kph, half way down a fairly long descent, my week-old SRAM 1/8 chain snaps, goes between spokes and wrapping itself around the cog on opposite side of the rear wheel. Bang, rear wheel is totally locked out. This was the first I knew of the snapped chain of course. I managed to not crash as the bike bucked and careered wildly in rush hour traffic, with WMV right up my arse. I managed to stop, but I found this had totally written off my not-at-all- worn rear Bontrager tyre. I still rode 26 miles on it next day despite the fact that a 10cm section of rubber was missing with the inner fabric all that was left - which just goes to show how wonderfully bomb-proof the Bontrager tyres are….

Rather annoyed about chain though. It was only a week old and to make things even more irritating, I only replaced it to try and avoid this sort of occurrence, ‘cos my 2 year old Izumi V was a bit stretched, but it hadn’t been quite up to the max limit so now I wish I hadn’t bothered replacing it. Tried re-joining the shoddy SRAM chain, but it was so mangled by it’s excursion into the other side of the wheel that I had to remove several links, rendering it too short to rejoin anyway, so I had an hours wait whilst my partner went home and returned with the car…

The thing is, he has snapped 4 SRAM chains in the time my old Izumi has been on the bike.

The moral: Only buy Izumi or KMC chains…. (And always carry spare links)….

Ggggrrr!

Cranks

Who fitted it and where did it snap? (ie was it at the joining pin?)

I would never ride a KMC chain.

elPedro666

Why would you say that? KMC have a good reputation for strength, as far as I'm aware.

As do SRAM generally, which, like cranks suggests, makes me think the fitting might have been the issue, rather than the chain itself.

Blonde

Partner fitted it. I dont use a power link. I use a screw connectorr which was fine - It didn;t break there. It was difficult to see whatt had happend to the chain as it was mangled at either end of the break, due to gong between the spokes and wrapping around the other fixed cog on the other side fo my wheel.

redddraggon

elPedro666 wrote:

Why would you say that? KMC have a good reputation for strength, as far as I'm aware.

I've snapped a few KMC chains this year - dodgy batch methinks:

Blonde

I did wonder if mine was the same and just from a bad batch or something. My partner's last broken chain DID go in the same way as that above. I didn't keep my chain when i got home though, so can't go over it with me specs on to see if there are any splits in it like on that picture. I don't wear my glasses for cycling as I'm long sighted - but close work such as en route checking of chain or finding punctures in inner tubes is then always a bit of a squinty-eyed job done at arms length!

Gavin Gilbert

Come to think of it, it was a KMC chain that broke on my Racelight TK. It managed to take the rear mech, gear hanger and 2 spokes with it when it went.

And it cost me a walk from Shepherds Bush to Ealing

dennisn

Man, every time I see a picture like that I get the very strong urge to put my chain under
the microscope. Or just trash it and put on a new one. Even if it's only a week old.

nielsamd

On fixed wheel I take it. One always hears of not having a slack chain.. but I have also come across advice that a chain should not be too stretched to the limit. A possibility? Just thinking if you had on a new tire..means you had the wheel off/on recently.