deacon mark

I have used these before like them and realize they need to be put on facing the correct direction. I am good wrench but they still make it difficult. I looked at the drawing and did it what I thought was ok. I am pretty sure I did that with my other chains also. Well sure enough today out 45 miles from home in the 11 cog i notice it clicking and I think ok I have it on backwards. Well being a mechanic that drives me nuts so I stop to change the link direction. Sure enough dropped the part on the road/grass side and lost one piece. Frantically I start looking all over and thank the Lord ( deacons do this) I found it and managed to get it back together. Well sure enough the click goes away on the 11th cog and all is well.

My issue is the directions show the little heart shaped hole to connect into as facing like upside-down as you look at the chain from the drive side. I cannot really tell which side is convex compared to what is hitting the cog, in fact when the heart shaped hole is right side up as the chain goes across the top of the gears then no click. The directions say to have the side with the large radius engage the cog. This I do not understand the whole like engages the cog. OH well in any case it works. Any of you get this reverse at times.

FBinNY 

It is fairly obvious if you just take a moment (a short moment) to look. The overall shape of the plates is similar to a kidney. One side is generally concave, the other convex (with a notch to save weight and confuse people). The concave side goes toward the sprocket so the curves match as the chain winds on.

Other than not knowing about the importance of which way is up, this question separates folks who put stuff together from mechanics. An experienced mechanic could look at the link, and know instantly which way is right or wrong. It's especially obvious when the link is in the center of a straight run of chain.

Sometimes simply thinking like a mechanic and determining how "it has to be" is better than trying to memorize specific details.

HillRider

If you look carefully at the Connex link there is a deeper notch on one edge of the plates. The notch on the outboard side must face downward when installed on the lower run of the chain. Here is Wipperman's instruction sheet: https://www.connexchain.com/data-live...onnex_Link.pdf

deacon mark

FB, your explanation is right on and of course the guitar repairman ( me for a living) over thinks these situations. I take a look at the chain and what you said and of course you should have wrote the instructions. Like dress frets on a guitar sometimes it just takes an overall look at what you are dealing with rather than on one fret at a time.