Originally Posted by
vledaD
i should just buy a chain tool and start doing all that work myself.
Yes, in the woods about five miles from your apartment is not a fun time to realize you don't have a chain tool when the a link on your rigid 29er SS explodes just as you crest a short steep bit of trail. I think I somehow bashed the inside of the chainring on one of the tricky rocks on the way up, bending a link which then blew apart during the very last mash up to the top.
I was lucky enough to be riding with a teammate who had a chain tool, but even with the EBB all the way back the tension was still scary. I did manage to baby it back to the shop though.