Bicycle Mechanics - My new SRAM chain doesn't fit!!!! Help!

I bought a new SRAM chain for my road bike. I took off the old chain, and lined it up carefully with the new chain, link for link. Allowing for stretch on the old chain (which added 1/8"), my new chain was two links longer than the old chain. So I took off two links from the new chain, plus one more to allow for the Sram powerlink.
I put the new chain on, and it's way too long. It sags at the bottom when on the big crank and the big cassette. Looks like it might still be 3-4 links too long. I can't understand how this can be, as I'm sure I have threaded it properly.
So I took the advice of one of you and went to the Park Tool website. They said there are three ways to measure a new chain: 1. Compare with the old chain. 2. Run it from the large crank to the large cog, through the front derailleur but not through the rear derailleur. Then take off two links, and it should fit. I haven't tried this yet. Should I? 3. Some God-awful math computation, which I don't think I will try.
I just can't understand how this new chain can sag so much when it is exactly the same length as the old chain (less three links). And I am reluctant to take off too many links, 'cause I'll never get them back on if I need to.
Anybody know what's going on? Thanks! :(

If your chain is the same length as the old one ( powerlink included) , then you probably didn't run the chain right around the jockey wheels trough the cage. It has to run in front of the top jockey wheel and behind the bottom one.

If you had 1/8" stretch in 1 foot, the new chain w/powerlink should be ~1/4-1/2" shorter than the old. :confused:

It's no biggie, since the chain is too long. I'd start from scratch, using chain length advice and links (pun intended) from this (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13523) thread. Contributors included none other than Sheldon Brown hisself!

Run it from the large crank to the large cog, through the front derailleur but not through the rear derailleur. Then take off two links, and it should fit.

Take off 2 links??? Are you sure you read that right? If it is just barely long enough on the big-big combo and you then remove links, you will have a chain that is not only too short, but one which will break teeth off should you try shifting into this combo.

Now-back to the original problem-are you sure that the derailleur return spring isn't broken? Also-was the old chain an original, or did some previous owner (or idiot bike shop mechanic) install a chain which was too long?

If neither of these are the case, then, I'm betting you've routed the chain wrong.

Originally posted by D*Alex


Take off 2 links??? Are you sure you read that right? If it is just barely long enough on the big-big combo and you then remove links, you will have a chain that is not only too short, but one which will break teeth off should you try shifting into this combo.

Yeah, go back and reread the instructions.If the old chain was CORRECT and the new one has the same # of links, including the power link, then you should be ok. I have yet to encounter a case where the B/B and then ADD 1" did not work either.