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Just realized that I installed my Shimano Ultegra chain wrong reverse side in front

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Just realized that I installed my Shimano Ultegra chain wrong reverse side in front

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Old 09-10-15, 08:41 PM
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Just realized that I installed my Shimano Ultegra chain wrong reverse side in front

I did maybe 50 miles with the chain in reverse. Could I have damaged the cassette or the chain? I had no idea there was a forward side and a reverse side.
Thanks
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Old 09-10-15, 08:48 PM
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It's doubtful that anything is out of the ordinary. Reverse it to the right direction and carry on.
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Old 09-10-15, 10:09 PM
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I wouldn't bother with it. The risk cost of having a weaker joint is probably less than the cost of a connecting pin.
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Old 09-10-15, 10:58 PM
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I'd just go ahead and reverse the chain and ride it normally.

What are the differences? Aesthetics? Asymmetrical pins? Anyway, it is doubtful you've torn up your bike from that, and there is nothing you can do about it now anyway.
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Old 09-11-15, 12:17 AM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
What are the differences? Aesthetics? Asymmetrical pins? Anyway, it is doubtful you've torn up your bike from that, and there is nothing you can do about it now anyway.
The instructions state:

As illustrated in Fig.A, we strongly recommend to set the connecting pin in the hole of the outer link on the front side in the direction of travel. The chain’s level of strength is enhanced compared to the method in Fig.B.
I'm not sure why that is, I'd think the other method is stronger.
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Old 09-11-15, 01:41 AM
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I believe the instructions also recommend never removing the replaceable pin, always choose a new one if you need to cut the chain a second time.

So, is the chain backwards so the inside plate is on the outside?

Or essentially turned inside out, so the outer plate is on the right side, but the chain is upside down (and thus running in reverse direction).

If the latter is the case, I'm trying to imagine why the chain would be asymmetrical. Perhaps they have a rotation recommendation to ensure the chain is always replaced in the same direction if removed.
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Old 09-11-15, 06:05 AM
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I did that once, flipped it over to the correct side and the bike actually shifted much better.
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Old 09-11-15, 06:49 AM
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Not 11 speed Ultegra I suppose? Those are reversible.
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Old 09-11-15, 07:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Bezalel
I wouldn't bother with it. The risk cost of having a weaker joint is probably less than the cost of a connecting pin.
Never re-use a pin on a (9?), 10 or 11 speed chain. The ends of the pins are mushroomed to hold the side plates on, and when you push the pin out, the tiny flanges on the pin break off, so that plate is weakly held together.

A Sram Powerlock is simple to install. Push out the two pins on an outside plate and replace it with the powerlock. It's easy and makes a strong connection.

From a store description:
Unidirectional (asymmetrical) design uses different inner and outer plate chamfers and dimensions to accommodate the different shifting requirements when moving the chain inward or outward.
So, running the chain "inside out" will just make the shifting less precise. It won't break anything. I'd flip it and use a powerlock.

Last edited by rm -rf; 09-11-15 at 07:18 AM.
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Old 09-11-15, 07:05 AM
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Originally Posted by dr_lha
Not 11 speed Ultegra I suppose? Those are reversible.
Yes, AFAIK, the only "directional" chains were the CN-5700, CN-6700 and what ever Dura Ace was their contemporary. Everything before and after was reversible.
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Old 09-11-15, 07:13 AM
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I did that once and the bike shifted like crap, dropped chain, etc. Writing should be on the outside. I used a KMC link, so it was easy to correct once I figured out what I'd done wrong.
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Old 09-11-15, 04:38 PM
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Flipped the chain, now it works much better.
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