[Doggus]

Stoker is unhappy. She sees surface rust on timing chain. I have told her a multitude of times that this is not harming the performance of the bike. I wash the chains in mineral spirits and keep them very tidy, but the damn things continue to have a little surface rust. Mix that in with the a-holes who have picked up on this and continue to egg her on about our rusty timing chain and...well...you get the picture. What are friends for? They'll get their's.

I've searched and found the advice about getting the same type chain as your drive side (9 vs 10 speed), buying 3 and making two complete chains etc...but I can't find anything in this tandem forum about stainless or 'non-rusting' chains. I've searched in other forums and it seems that some are on the fence about stainless chains due to being brittle.

Anyone with advice on a stainless or other non-rusting chain to get for the tandem?

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[stapfam]

Anyone with advice on a stainless or other non-rusting chain to get for the tandem?


Ocasionall I go out for a wet ride and for some reason the Tandem does not get the attention is should and in preparing for the next Ride I have a rusty chain (s). It never lasts though as plenty of lube and a decent ride and it is gone.

Have you ever thought though that the reason the timing chain goes brown is due to some other influence that rust. I always blame it on the Pilot if the timing chain goes rusty as it shows that the real effort to propel the bike forward must be working the Drive chain that never goes rusty. (Shimano XT). Any chance that you can convince a gullible stoker that it is their fault?

[zonatandem]

While cleaning a chain in mineral spirits (or kerosene or whatever) is great for getting dirt/crud off, applying some type of lubricant will inhibit rust forming, even in the rain.
We use the old fashioned wax method to do both of our tandem chains.
Clean'em, dry'em. Then put coffee can on 1-burner little electric camping stove we've had for years (outside . . . not in the house!). Dump a couple blocks of canning wax into the can, let it melt. Drop chain carefully into the liquifying wax and let it be for about 5 minutes. Pull chain out of can, with long handled pliers, and let it dry on piece of newspaper/cardboard or hang it up to drip/dry.
After chain cools, use clean rag to wipe off some of the excess wax. Re-install chains. A side benefit is that when you grab chain bare-handed nothing comes off on your hands . . . no more chain 'tattoos'! Wax is re-usable for quite a few times.
Been doing this for 30-some years, and it work for us.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

With this method you will have a few blackened waxflakes coming off onto he bike, but just wipe 'em off.
Result: very smoothchain; liquified hot wax has penetrated to chain pins, making for quiet/smooth chain.
Re-do as needed.

[R900]

ProLink Lube!

[TandemGeek]

Anyone with advice on a stainless or other non-rusting chain to get for the tandem?

Any good chain (Shimano XT grade, SRAM, KMC, etc...) should remain relatively rust free if it's treated with any conventional lubricant and given just a little special attention after getting wet either from riding in the rain or immersion in water during off-road use. Even the original grease chains come packed in do the job quite well.

Bonus Material:

If you opt for aftermarket lubricants, your best bet is to stick with one type and to apply it after stripping the OEM grease off of a new chain using a very strong solvent... I'm still using the same pint of gasoline in a 1/2 gallon container that I was using in 1991. After soaking my chains in gasoline they go into my parts cleaner filled with citrus degreaser purchased by the gallon from the Home Depot (cheap). Just be mindful of what you do with your contaminated solvents: recycling centers are your best bet.

Once your chains are "clean" they must be lubricated and protected with something; nothing is not an option and will lead to excessive wear, tear, and surface rust... more so in certain climates than others. Any petrolium-based or synthetic "lubricant" will work so long as it is re-applied on a regular basis: 30w motor oil, Tri-lube, ProLink, White Lightning, Pedros, 3-in-1 Oil, diesel fuel, lard or just about anything else that will put a layer of something slick between moving parts and leave a protective residue on metal surfaces that is viscous enough to remain there under normal use.

Like Zona, I'm an old-school hot-melt paraffin wax user for the tandems and the bikes that don't see much in the way of rain or sloppy conditions. My wax bath uses a combination of paraffin, petrolatum, mineral oil, and bees wax and resides in a Fry Daddy. If you're really anal about bike cleanliness and don't get caught riding in the rain much, it's worth investigating. Otherwise, don't waste your time. I still wax for the same reason that I still shave my legs: old habits die hard.

For high-mileage riders, chances are your time is better spent riding vs. cleaning chains so apply your lube of choice after riding, wipe down before the next ride, and don't bother cleaning your chains: just wear latex gloves when you pull the thing off and chuck it out every 2,500 - 3,000 miles. Hit the cassette and chain rings with some citrus degreaser or Simple Green and a scrub brush before putting on the new chain.

For everyone else in between, figure out what works best for you and stick with it. Again, anything works better than nothing, just stick with the same thing and apply it often enough to prevent dry-squeaks or rust. Remember, if you've got surface rust or a noisy chain, whatever you're doing ain't workin.

If you want to cut-down the amount of "crud" that collects on your drivetrain, regardless of what you're using as a lubricant, just take a few minutes after each or every other ride to wipe the gunk off the side plates and exterior surface of your chains with a thick terry cloth rag. Putting the bike in a work stand and running the drivetrain with your right hand while holding the rag on the chain with your left hand makes this a snap and "wiping down" will still leave a rust-inhibiting coating on your chains. You'll still get crud on the rear sprockets, chainrings, and idler wheels but that doesn't become a problem if you clean your drivetrain each time your chain needs replacement.

Bottom Line: Timing chains are no different than drive chains when it comes to lubricants and cleaning. As far as durability, drive chains must be much more robust than timing chains so anything that works as a drive chain on a tandem will work as a timing chain... and then some.

[Doggus]

If you're really anal about bike cleanliness and don't get caught riding in the rain much, it's worth investigating.

Remember, if you've got surface rust or a noisy chain, whatever you're doing ain't workin.


Didn't mean for this to be a chain cleaning 101, but good info nonetheless. Part of the problem with the timing chain is I hit it with the bench grinder brush after the first bout with surface rust. Now it really likes to get brown quick. Never do that again. I am very anal about cleaning bike chains (with the exception of my commuter bike). I clean them, bake them etc and then use Purple Extreme which requires a very clean chain prior to application. This hot baked wax treatment in the Fry Daddy could possibly feed my OCD. My track bike chain could use some of this kind of love.

Back to the original question - the chain. I think I've found the chain I like Wipperman Connex 910 (Champagne) or the 909 (Gold). They have a tandem link where they specify they do custom fit chains for tandems and recumbents. I emailed and the response was:
If you need the chain for a tandem you might have to put several chains
together by using our connex links. Our chains are 113 links long plus the
connex link.

My next question is, would it be safe enough to string several of these chains together with their connex links and use as a timing chain?

[TandemGeek]

...would it be safe enough to string several of these chains together with their connex links and use as a timing chain?

Unless you're running something bigger than 42t timing rings, 1.5 chains should be long enough even at 113 links per chain, e.g., 168 links / 84" vs. what I suspect is a need for about 79" / 158 links. This underscores the suggestion that most folks can get two timing chains out of 3 regular chains.

The Connex links or any of the other, current generation of re-usable chain links are more than adequate for timing chains. There are no side loads on a timing chain and it only transmits the captain's power with a 1:1 ratio to the rear cranks, whereas the drive chain -- which can use the same quick links without any problems -- must deal with the combined team's power input + the multiplying effect of granny-gear ratios and sideloads from the front & rear derailleur shifting action.

[zzzwillzzz]

one more for the wax. it's great, it last a long time for the timing chain as there are no side loads and gear changes to knock it off. it stays really clean and you can rub it against your leg (or wherever) an not leave any marks.

question- if you use a connecting link on the timing chain is there enough play to disengage it? i usually just remove one of the timing chainrings

[TandemGeek]

.. if you use a connecting link on the timing chain is there enough play to disengage it?

No... not unless your chain is too loose.

? i usually just remove one of the timing chainrings

That works, as does loosening the eccentric, removing a crank arm fitted with a self-extracting bolt (which are good things to have for a number of reasons), as does derailling by hand. In regard to the latter, there is a sweet spot in timing chain tension -- about 3/4" - 1" of slack -- that will allow you to derail your timing chain by hand without buggering up the chainring teeth.

Assuming you have just enough slack, and being careful not to get your fingers caught (that would be a bad thing):

1. you merely grab hold of the lower part of the timing chain about 6" back from the front timing ring with your right hand, then
2. with the front crank in the down position, back pedal the front crank with your left hand,
3. while pulling the chain down and away from the bike.

About 2" before your hands hit the meat-grinding action of the chain meshing with the timing ring the chain should "roll-off" the timing ring as the teeth of the ring "miss" the chain. Starting the the crank in the down position prevents the chain from ending up stuck between the crank arm and the chain ring.

Re-installation works best with the rear wheel elevated; however, either way you must either get a feel for how your cranks align before setting the chain on the front ring and cranking it around to re-set the chain. There are a couple tricks for getting your cranks lined up that work regardless of how you remove your timing chain:

The first isn't so much a trick as it is a built-in benchmark for crank arm alignment: most seat posts are parallel so if you get the front crank lined up with the captain's seat post, you should be able to get the cranks back in sync by positioning the stoker's crank to be in line with the stoker's seat post when you put the chain around it's rings.

The second one is a trick: with your cranks properly aligned, clean off a spot on the chain ring and chain plates that sit opposite of the crank arms. Once they're clean, put a small spot of acrylic paint or nail polish on a chain link side plate and then another one on the face of the chainring right below it on both the front & back timing rings, using two dots or a different color on the front chainring and chain. These are now your "alignment marks". Just line up the dots and your cranks should be aligned.

Again, be careful to position the front crank behind the chain's movement so they don't tangle as you put the chain back on track. If after you get the chain on you find the cranks aren't properly aligned, make note of how many links forward or backward you need to go to get them aligned and simply derail, adjust, then re-set the chain.

[zzzwillzzz]

thanks, i didn't think that there would be enough slack.
i was a little worried about the derailing method without removing anything and try not to pull the cranks off if i don't have to. i have plenty of old sets that have been on and off tons of times and never have had a problem except with one self extractor that backed out an pulled some threads out of the crank and even that one still had enough threads for the crank puller to work

[zonatandem]

Another hint on removing timing chain, is to derail it by utilizing a thin flat bladed screwdriver as you pedal the cranks backward.