Rockville MD - Replacement part question
 

Hey all,

Just bought my first bike about a month ago. I started riding and I absolutely love it.

I got some questions. I need to replace a chain (rookie move). I was wondering what a good starter price is for this type of thing (mods, if this is the wrong place for this, please move me).

I busted my chain while switching gears this week. Obviously I need a new one.
The question is: Is this something that could affect performance? Should/Can I get a better chain for more money. What is a good price for a chain? What do I need to do in order to replace it?

Also: Is there anyone else in Montgomery County MD looking to ride?

Thanks

Get a SRAM or Wipperman with a powerlink which will allow you to remove and reinstall the chain without any special tools. However all chains come too long so you will need a chain breaker tool to get it to the right length (just long enough to fit over the biggest chainring and biggest sprocket). Cost is about $20 for chain and $10 for the tool. Breaking chain while switching gears indicates that you probably need to make adjustments to you gear change system and dont stand on the pedals while changing gear. Study the Park tool website

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/index.shtml

Good luck

Hi Roderic, I'm in Prince George's County. Check out www.bikepptc.org for group rides in the area.

About that chain: You are lucky to be near the Rockville Performance Bike store, which is a national chain that has very good discount prices. What exactly happened to your chain? Sometimes a good cleaning and lubrication is all it needs. Check out the bike mechanics forum for advice on this. You can get a good 8 speed chain for about $12 at Performance, a good 9 speed chain for about $16. I recommend the SRAM PC-58 or PC-59 chains, which are nice because they have a special link that allows you to remove them without tools.

You should still get a chain tool as well, a basic one costs about $15. It is a little vice-like tool with a a screw that pushes against a pin in the chain and forces it out. Learning to remove and replace a chain is not very hard. But first you oughta learn how to properly clean and lube your chain (emphasis on CLEAN), because your bike's gears wear very quickly when your chain is dirty.

I was crossing a road on the WOD and there was a guy in a car waiting for me to cross. I didn't want him to wait long so I crossed the road. I tried switching gears so I could go faster. The chain slipped, I kept crankin' away. The chain bent in multiple places. Bummer.

I will head to performance now. Thanks for the tip.

Okay, here's another tip :) If just a couple chain links are bent, you can usually remove just those links and the bike will still work fine, because bikes are generally sold with unnecessarily long chains. You'll need a chain tool to do that. Afterwards, check that you can still shift into all the gear combinations (namely, big chainring with big cogs) with binding the chain... even if the largest possible gear binds, this is usually no big deal because you're not supposed to use that combination anyways.

Or just buy a new chain :) Performance is a friendly shop, don't hesitate to ask the mechanics at the back desk for help.

I went to performance. I found it very nice inside and people were friendly and they had SICK SICK deals on everything I needed. There were jerseys and shorts and it was awesome. I found one that was a little closer to me though. Its the one on MuddyBranch. Really nice places. Thanks for the tip.

Glad to hear that PB worked out for you. The store prices are excellent when they're having sales!