Bicycle Mechanics - stupid question but i'm frusterated

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Edward515
08-13-02, 11:16 AM
alright i'm a real newbie and i need to degrease my chain bad! do i just poke something at one of those black pins till it comes out or what. I've looked the thing over and there doesn't seem to be a master link or anything like that so should i just get an ice pick or something and go at it?

Rotifer
08-13-02, 11:18 AM
Go to the local bike shop and buy a chaintool. You use it to "break" the chain by forcing a pin through one of the links. If the shop is worth a darn, they'll take a moment to show you how it works.

One more thing: Of course, you don't need to take your chain off. Buy some orange degreaser, slather the drive train and scrub. Hose it off and repeat if necessary.
pokey
08-13-02, 11:28 AM
Try buyin a book too, while you are thee.'zinn and the art of road bike or mtb bike maintenance' is worth the $20. you might even pick up a sram 'power link' to use with your chain.

moabrider47
08-13-02, 11:40 AM
Try looking at one of the chain cleaners also. Most require no removal of the chain, and they work very well. I have found that the Park Tool brand liquid degreaser works best in chain tools.
If you feel as though the chain's just got to come off to clean it, youi'll need a chain breaker to pop one of the rivets out. The concepts not very hard, but if the chains old or has other problems, it can get tricky to line the pin up correctly and get it back in cleanly. A little practice and it wont be a problem though.
Good Luck.

-Moab
dmahar
08-13-02, 01:10 PM
All good advice but, you can even try a simplier solution that many pro wrenches use. Get a sponge and some degreasing dish soap like Dawn squirt some on the sponge and wrap the sponge around the chain and peddle backwards to clean the chain pretty well. Keep using a clean section of sponge until the chain is clean. I have used this as well as the park chain cleaning device and I would recommend using these solutions as opposed to breaking your chain frequently.
MichaelW
08-13-02, 01:50 PM
"Breaking" a chain is pretty easy with a chain tool, but it does weaken the link a bit. I got my bikeshop to show me how. You can install a master link; Sachs chains come with them.
If you have a fancy 9speed bike the chain may be one of these thin ones with special non-re-usable rivets. Dont re-use that type.

2 good online references are

http://www.parktool.com/

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/hub.html