Re-using extracted 8-speed chain pin OK/safe?

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I made a mess of cutting a new chain yesterday, but got round it, see fettling thread.

Is it safe to add links back using the pin I extracted, as it was an 8-speed chain (kmc x8 x99)?

Or is this just as risky as the modern narrow chains used for 10+ speed setups?

The Rookie

You can't re-use a pin, once its extracted the little lips that hold it in place are damaged and its a dead cert to fail with that pin coming out in the near future. Just buy a pair of powerlinks.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Thanks, sounds like I did the right thing just before dinner last night, after accidentally splitting the chain too short for the 11-34T cassette on my fat wheelset (some chain unhooked from the cassette without me realising).

I went back down and re-extracted the pin I tried to re-use. Very lucky for me, my FatNotFat wheelset had a brand new 11-30T cassette on it and my original split was two links too short for the 34T, so I swapped to my skinny setup.

A lesson in "check twice, cut once" is there to be learnt for next time, very fortunate I had an alternative option that fitted my mistake perfectly!

Semantik

If you hadn't pushed the rivet all the way out you should know that 5,6,7 and 8 speed chains can be rejoined using the same rivet, assuming you have only pushed it out as far as the other side plate. They don't have the so-called lips on them as seen on 10,11 speed chains.

Also, FWIW, I re-joined an Ultegra 10 speed chain a few weeks ago using the original rivet I had partially removed as above. Been using it to commute on every day since and it has not failed. Not recommending this as a general rule but worth knowing it can be done.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I had only extracted the pin as much as I need to to separate, it was left connected to the outer plate, interesting!

Man Of Lard

NitrousOxide wrote:

I had only extracted the pin as much as I need to to separate, it was left connected to the outer plate, interesting!

You may be lucky and it works - you may be less fortunate and it parts company as you stand on the pedals to push off hard leading to you smashing your stones on the crossbar and your teeth out on the handlebars - my testicles are precious to me and dental work is expensive and can be painful... You may have a different opinion regarding your crown jewels and a more relaxed attitude to emergency dental repairs.

drlodge

I remember back in the days when I had a 5 speed "racer", I always pushed the pin out to get the chain off, then pushed the same pin back in again. Chains have slimmed down a bit since though.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Man Of Lard wrote:

NitrousOxide wrote:

I had only extracted the pin as much as I need to to separate, it was left connected to the outer plate, interesting!

You may be lucky and it works - you may be less fortunate and it parts company as you stand on the pedals to push off hard leading to you smashing your stones on the crossbar and your teeth out on the handlebars - my testicles are precious to me and dental work is expensive and can be painful... You may have a different opinion regarding your crown jewels and a more relaxed attitude to emergency dental repairs.

Had a good attempt at the losing teeth thing almost 3 years ago, lost a couple, chipped the rest and had titanium plates inserted under general to put my maxilla back together. Wasn't chain related incident.;)

Chain is running without the 2-link section I accidentally removed and then re-inserted, using a new cassette that has a largest sprocket that is 4 teeth less.