Chain removal

mutantllama

My first attempt at removing my chain did not go so well. Was using a Cyclo Universal Rivoli Chain Rivet Extractor on a 10-speed Shimano 105. Found the pin to be really tight, had to turn the screw with a lot of force but the pin would not come out, so tried another link and, with the same amount of force, managed to get it out. Unfortunately, the link I had first attempted to remove is now really tight, it's not as flexible as the rest of the links.

Wondering what was most likely the thing I did wrong, was it overtightening e.g. should the pin pop-out easily, poorly aligned link in the removal tool, poor quality tool etc?

t4tomo

You have damaged the first link you tried, you'll need to remove it and replace with a quick link. I have a similar tool,it works fine, but just make sure you get the alignment right and it does need a fair amount of strength to initially pop the pin.

dennisn

Don't know what size your current chain breaker is. If it's a sort of "carry along on rides size" then yes they are a bit of a chore to get them to work. Get yourself a shop size one for home use. Mine has a nice handle on it to hold it with and a big handle on the threaded part that helps you get more than enough force into it to get the job done.

keef66

This^

I'd chopped old 8 speed MTB chains with ease for years, but my first attempt to split a 10 speed 105 chain with a cheapo Halfords chain tool led me to bend the handle like a banana. 10 speed pins are much tighter and the ends peened, so that pushing them out actually shaves a small ring of metal off the end. You can often find this on the pin of the chain tool afterwards. That's why they cannot be reinserted, and your joining options are either a new snap-off Shimano pin, or a KMC missing link or similar.

I'm putting a decent chain tool on my christmas list.