Chain changing worries...

Mikey23
Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
edited April 2013 in Workshop
Apologies if this has been asked before but couldn't find owt in a search. Have 105 compact groupset and chain needed changing for the first time. So went into LBS and purchased shimano 105 chain and decided that instead of paying 12 sovs for my chap to do it, for the same price I would buy a chain splitter and have a go myself... Valuable skill particularly as doing a four person French trip next month. All goes well and I get it measured and ready to install. Then got a bit confused with that shimano break off pin thing and pushed it through twice (with light resistance) before I finally got it installed the way I think it should be and flush with the chain.

Thoughts that I may not have done it correctly are flooding my anxious brain. Will the pin hold and have I damaged it by pushing it through. It did seem to go in a lot easier than i was expecting so perhaps could come out just as easily. To be honest I'm a little nervous about riding it in case I die a horrible and agonising death when my chain comes off twenty miles from home. Does anyone else have any experience with this system and how robust is it?

Comments

  • shadow4532
    shadow4532 Posts: 133
    well those pins are one use wonders so if you have pushed it through all the way you may have damaged the side plates on the chain. i would recomend that you use a kmc speed link insted as it is then much easyer to remove the chain for cleaning etc.
    hope this helps
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  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    The SRAM/KMC style links are much better. As long as the "speed (9,10) is the same, they work.
    These links connect innie to innie so think carefully before you split the chain.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I fitted a new 105 chain last night. Chopped off the requisite number of links at the end with the joining pin and used a KMC quick link to join the two inner ends. Hassle and worry free.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Oh and in future I'll be buying KMC chains so I get a new quick link each time.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Ok thanks for the advice ... I think I will go down that route. Just to update, I just did 20+ at fairly modest pace so must have got it right but not 100% confident and I am a bit of a worrier!
  • TheRealGuybrush
    TheRealGuybrush Posts: 125
    As people above have said, if you've pushed the pin all the way through you may have damaged the side plates. This is why Shimano say that if you ever remove the chain and put a new pin in, always push out a different pin, not the original connector.

    It may be fine now, but it 'could' go at any time. As others have said, id push that link out, as well as the one next to it, and use a KMC quicklink.

    You can re-use the link so you can always buy another Shimano chain and just re-use the link. I prefer the Shimano chains to KMC. All the bikes we have in the shop come stock with KMC and I've changed a few to Shimano an the shifting is almost always better. It could be that they're cheaper KMC chains though. I won't write off the whole brand, I'm sure the higher up KMC chains will shift just as well.
  • Papa Ado
    Papa Ado Posts: 76
    TheRealGuybrush wrote:
    As others have said, id push that link out, as well as the one next to it, and use a KMC quicklink.

    +1

    The outer flange on Shimano's pin will damage the plates when pushed through. This means the pin holes on the plates are compromised and could peel off of the pin when shifting or putting torsion on the chain. Cut that link out and put in a KMC link.

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