Gear combos and chains

onthedrops
onthedrops Posts: 19
edited January 2011 in Track
Hi All
Apologies in advance if there is a blindlingly obvious answer to this one....anyway here goes...
I now need 2 or 3 combinations of chainring and sprocket. This is likely to mean I end up with a couple of chains. Although I won't be swapping chains inbetween races, I will need to change them periodically. I was under the impression that removing links and rejoining will stiffen the links and weaken the chain. Is this correct or unfounded? Maybe there are better options- are the track chains with master links for example?
Thanks for any pointers....
Andy

Comments

  • Andy, some riders will put a short link in the chain which they can either insert or remove if they are making big changes. What range were you thinking of? I have a 50 x 15 as a standard (90"). I have also got a 51 c/ring which is approx 92". If I wanted to go lower I could use a 49 c/ring for an 88" all of this can be accommodated with no change to chain length.

    If you wanted a bigger jump, then you can change the rear sprocket which with the same rings will either give you the same range - a 14 sprocket will give you 94-98" range, while a 16 would give you 82.5 - 86" If you discard the extreme ratios, you might fnd you don't need to change the chain length.
  • Eddy S
    Eddy S Posts: 1,013
    Andy,

    Some of your question may also be answered here - http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... ight=chain - some of this is dependent on your bike and the length of the drop-outs and what they can help accommodate.

    To be honest, with the relative low cost of chains, there seems little reason not to have a couple of them if you need different lengths (instead of messing around adding links) and on the track, they will each last you for at least a couple of seasons if not longer.
    I’m a sprinter – I warmed up yesterday.
  • Thanks the feedback. It is to try accommodate max U16 gear of 46x14 (6.9m rollout) with lower gears for training. I suspect simplest thing is 48 and 49 x 15 which just means buyng a new 49 chainring.