Bicycle Mechanics - Secret of the SRAM PowerLink removal...

I use Robogrips on my links.

The best way I can describe the removal technique is to put your thumb on one side, middle finger on the other and with light pressure applied, snap your fingers... we used to mess with our friends on the trail by popping their master links with one hand and then riding off while they cursed us out and put their chains back together.

If a powerlink gets dirty and is not removed somewhat regularly they can be a pita to remove with both hands... most often people put too much pressure on the plates and this also makes removal difficult... it takes a lighter touch than you would think.

Oh crap,,, now I have to kill my partner in stoned-ness.

:lol:

Here is the way to do it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeTmy6N_VQA

Thanks for the responses. These will probably be helpful for people who do searches on this problem. The youtube link above seems be a gold link (from a 9-speed SRAM chain, if it is an SRAM PowerLink). Looking at the instruction sheet that came with my chain, it is probably the "PowerLink 9 SPD." If you look at the beginning of the thread, back in 2005, people were having trouble with the one for 8 speed chains, "PowerLink 8 SPD". Those are the current part numbers, apparently. People said they didn't have any trouble with the gold, 9 speed ones. It was only the 8 speed ones that were a bear, and still are. The youtube video seems to be showing someone doing just what it says to do in the instruction sheet, and a lot of people, including myself, find that that method just doesn't work on the 8 speed links.

That is not a reason to feel stupid, anymore than not being able to resize an image is.(I don't know how to do that :) )

In microsoft paint (XP) use the image toolbar then select attributes and choose the new size. Paint is cheap as it gets.

Sorry, but this is bad advice... Paint's resize algorithm totally blows chunks. <-see wut I did thar : p

Here's some good advice: if you don't know how to do something, ask Google.

http://www.google.com/search?q=resize+image+online

Somewhere between looking up Robogrips from LesterOfPuppets and checking out bicycletutor.com/quick-release-chain-link posted by IrvJamison, I got an idea, which I tried and it worked. It is not the same as either one of the methods shown in the video on bicycletutor.com, for Type 1 or Type 2 (which is what we are dealing with here in the SRAM Powerlink 8 SPD). However, I couldn't get his Type 2 method to work. The method given below resembles the Type 1 method more, at least in the general way that the pliers approach the link.

The definition of "good pliers" in this case is pliers with sharp edges on the ends, with good steel, and a mouth that can be made about 3/4" wide. I had two pairs of tongue and groove (or grooved joint) pliers that answered to those specs.

Method:


Grab Powerlink from underneath with left index finger behind and left thumb in front (and not over the holes).
Give the chain a little twist, pushing the hole end away from you and the other end toward you. This will press the plates together.
Position pliers with one edge over the edge of the plate without hole, and the other edge over the edge of the pin, and give a little squeeze.


By the way, I'm only so precise about just which fingers go where, because when hints are too vague, then I often can't figure out how to get them to work. If I get one precise set of instructions that I can successfully follow, then I'm off and running, and can make my own variations.

The real secret is Park Tools MLP-1 pliers. bk