Originally Posted by
CliffordK
...I've been using the HG73 9S chains. I bought a few of those replaceable pins, but seem to have misplaced them. So, on 2 chains so far, I've just pushed the pins out and back in. So far, they're at about 90% worn out without failure. I marked the link on the second chain... just so I'll know in case of failure. I ended up with a kink on the other side of the chain that had to be worked out. And, I've started carrying a chain tool... just in case.
I would say +1 on your marking the pushed pins and carrying a chain tool, but have you ever thought what would happen if you were perhaps grabbing a shift as a car went by, and the chain broke?
This will happen sooner or later, sooner if the bike is shifted often under load, and what will likely happen is that your foot will momentarily lose it's force on the pedal as your weight falls on that leg, likely causing a sharp swerve to the side of that leg. A passing car may run you over, you may go into the deep ditch along the side of the road, and you may take out any other riders who are alongside or just behind you. At the least your shoe may hit the ground, stubbing your Sidi's toe cap (as happened to me).
I've broken a few chains over the years, and it isn't good. If it happens during a brisk out-of-saddle effort it tends to be much worse, and I've had to throw a series of left-legged kicks to the road to sustain my "balance" as I rolled to a stop. It's violent.
On another bike, a Pedersen, I broke the chain on the final, steep pitch to the finish line of the Mt. Diablo climb, but was lucky enough to be on a bike with a tall, tensed horizontal strap in place of a top tube, so caught my fall with my thigh and right cheek and was able to simply run to the finish line. But I can think of bikes I've ridden where the rear wheel might have lifted far off of the pavement!
It's unfortunate that the word didn't get out as quickly as the new breed of HG-style chains appeared. Bigger chain packaging warnings should have appeared(!) since of course so few will fully read the directions for a procedure they have done many time before!
Making matters worse, I've even heard many shop persons acting like knowledgeable mechanics claiming that using proper connecting hardware wasn't absolutely necessary, even some who claimed that they pushed old pins back in all the time, and internet geniuses followed suit, though to an ever more skeptical audience. Jeez,
25 years on and the question still comes up. The chain packaging still needs bigger, bolder warnings!