Tried taken the chain of. now I can't put it back on!!

thefonz78

I don't know why I tried taken the chain off i should have just cleaned it on the bike. I don't know the first thing about bike repair. In my stupidity i thought if i take the cogs off the rear derailleur and took the screw out of the front derailleur the chain would come off. What i ended up with is a twisted up chain. I also so not know which cog goes where on the rear derailleur one has a bearing in the other does not, which one goes where? I'm guessing i need a tool for opening the chain. Can i get one in Halfords?

dodgy

The one with the bearing is the lower jockey wheel, the upper has no bearing as it is designed to 'float' and give the chain a little room for sideways movement.
You should be able to untangle the chain and refit without tools.

Zendog1

To break the chain you need a chain tool like one of these
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/search/cycle/7/?Wd=chain%20tool
Halfords will have one but I would'nt bother until you need to replace the chain. You can clean it well enough on the bike.

thefonz78

I can't get the chain back on as its tangled up. I think I might have to get a chain tool. what are the master links like? the reusable sram any good?

Weejie54

Actually, both your pulleys will have bearings but they are different. The top one will likely say "(Centeron) G pulley" (you have an Allez Sport 2010?) and the bottom one will likely say "Narrow".

Weejie54

I can't get the chain back on as its tangled up. I think I might have to get a chain tool. what are the master links like? the reusable sram any good?

It's easy to get flustered with doubled up chains. Try and remain calm and open up each doubled over portion working in the same direction a link at a time. It is much easier with rivet removed. If you have a Shimano chain, the master link is a plain (probably silver but maybe black) jobbie - quite distinct from the others.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=25

a_n_t

If you didn't break the chain then there's no way it cant be untwisted from whatever state you've got it in!

sturmey

Have you considered a career at Halfords?

As a mechanic I mean?

desweller

sturmey wrote:

Have you considered a career at Halfords?

As a mechanic I mean?

Ooh, harsh!

As a previous poster said, if you've not actually split the chain you will be able to reset the whole shooting match without splitting it.

If I read your post right, you are saying you dismantled the derailleur? You might have put it back together around the chain incorrectly (easily done as it's a job that needs about three hands). Try to have a good think about how the chain threads through the derailleur and around the cassette. If you want I can post some photos tomorrow showing how it should work.

jgsi

get the chain splitter, split chain.. get a powerlink SRAM or a KMC one.. variants for 8/9/10 speed .. all cheap .. all belongs in the basic bike toolkit..
then have a cuppa before putting the derailleurs back together again

Ben6899

Why are you advising the OP to split the chain? It doesn't need to be split.