Missing LInk

shoulder_of_orion

I did something stupid. Again.

I have taken to giving my bike a full clean and service about once a month. In an earlier thread I had asked how to get the flaming little pin back in when taking the chain on and off. Someone suggested SRAM superlink. A closer inspection of my chain revealed that I did in fact have such a thing on my chain.

So today, hey presto! I took the chain off and cleaned it. But what I didn't realise is that the superlink in fact detaches from the chain and when I went to look for it I could only find half of it.

So in order to get my bike back to working order I was forced to remove one link. I took the bike for a 2 mile test ride with a steepish section, which I sprinted up to put pressure on the chain and everything seems to be in order. Indeed it all feels a bit tighter and smoother and the gears are not slipping any more (I had planned on indexing my gears after replacing chain).

I am concerned about 2 things:

1) Am I at risk of my chain snapping at some point?

2) My rear derailleur is now more horizontal, i.e. the chain is pulling it towards the front of the bike. Is this a problem?

All the gears are working fine.

Should I replace the superlink or is it fine to leave as is?

cjcp

Do you mean the powerlink? I had the same as your (2) last year, although I couldn't reach the 21-25 sprockets. It felt tight, but my chain didn't snap (if only I had that leg power!).

shoulder_of_orion

sorry yes powerlink

_Brun_

Am I correct thinking that you've got rid of the powerlink completely, removed an inner half-link and then rejoined it with the old pin and conventional chain tool?

If it's a Shimano 10 speed chain, the pins are not supposed to be reusable. That might just Shimano being cheeky feckers and forcing people to buy new ones, but I'm not sure I'd want to run the risk.

shoulder_of_orion

_Brun_ wrote:

Am I correct thinking that you've got rid of the powerlink completely, removed an inner half-link and then rejoined it with the old pin and conventional chain tool?

If it's a Shimano 10 speed chain, the pins are not supposed to be reusable. That might just Shimano being cheeky feckers and forcing people to buy new ones, but I'm not sure I'd want to run the risk.

Yep all true but it's a Shimano 9 speed.

What do you mean the pins are not re-usable? You mean you can't take them out and put them back in again? Can't I just buy another powerlink and put that in and then it will be back to the way it was. What is the "risk" by the way?

The issue I noticed this morning on my commute was the gears are changing really slowly, I shift, then 1-2-3 the gear changes.

I guess I just need to re-index them?

_Brun_

As far as I'm aware it's specifically 10S pins that shouldn't be reused. Presumably the act of separating and rejoining weakens them, making a break more likely. You can't just a new powerlink because you've already removed an inner half link in order to rejoin the chain.

I'd expect if your indexing was out, you'd get a fairly constant noise from the cassette as the chain rubbed against adjacent sprockets. The delayed changing could be a product of the shorter chain and increased tension in the derailleur, although it sounds strange given that it was ok the first time out.

I'd replace the chain if I were you, but bear in mind that if your cassette is worn that may need replacing at the same time.

shoulder_of_orion

Ack. God, all this hassle over a lost half powerlink.

Can I not replace the removed halflink along with a new powerlink and then we are back to normal?

I could then replace chain and cassette when they actually need to be replaced which I don't think they do at the moment.

How do I tell if the cassette needs changing in any case?

Jamey

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

Can I not replace the removed halflink along with a new powerlink and then we are back to normal?

If you can reuse pins in your chain the yes, that will be fine.

If, however, it's one of the Shimano chains where they recommend using a fresh pin every time then I think you can buy Shimano joining pins separately and cheaply.

Gear indexing has very little to do with chain length. If you know how to index gears and you're still having problems it's almost always due to the cable so replace the whole thing (inners and outers).

Jamey

But do note that I said "assuming you know how to index gears".

It's very easy but lots of people think it's a black art.

leoccp

Gah! I've done exactly this in the past!

If you had a powerlink type thing then the chances are you have an SRAM or KMC chain so *should* be able to rejoin it okay. It'll still be a link short when you put the powerlink back in though (it's possible your chain was a couple two long anyway, you can check like this http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html#chain)

However, if it was a shimano HG 9 speed chain (HG73 for example) then reusing a pin can cause it to snap. In fact, even using one of their special "joining pins" can cause it to snap, when pulling away from lights, uphill :evil:

Good luck sorting it

il_principe

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

How do I tell if the cassette needs changing in any case?

Things to look out for on both cassettes and chainrings are teeth that have become sharp at the tip (like sharks teeth). Have a gander below:

shoulder_of_orion

Il Principe wrote:

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

How do I tell if the cassette needs changing in any case?

Things to look out for on both cassettes and chainrings are teeth that have become sharp at the tip (like sharks teeth). Have a gander below:

Thanks. Is that the granny ring from your prince?

il_principe

Funny man... :x

hamstrich

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

Ack. God, all this hassle over a lost half powerlink.

Can I not replace the removed halflink along with a new powerlink and then we are back to normal?

I could then replace chain and cassette when they actually need to be replaced which I don't think they do at the moment.

How do I tell if the cassette needs changing in any case?

Can't see the problem with your powerlink solution...seems a waste to chuck the chain! With regard to cassette wear, as Il Principe says, shark teeth are the biggest clue, but generally you should be able to get several chains' worth out of a cassette. Just make sure you replace the chain before it's too worn, otherwise you'll wear out your sprockets faster.