Originally Posted by
FBinNY
First of all, keep in mind that transit times via mail from japan to the USA is MUCH shorter than a month. Figure a long week, or maybe 10 days.
Secondly, are you sure you need 118 links? I ask because most of us end up cutting 2-6 links off 112 or 114 link chains anyway.
If your current chain is 118 links, you can do a simple test to see if a shorter chain will serve. Shift to the big/big combo, and use a piece of string to toe the chain at the top of the chainring so it can't come off. Then disengage the chain from the bottom of the chainring and pull it forward until it's straight, and hook a roller onto the bottom of the ring. (The string should keep the crank from turning, though you might help).
Now count how many links you've pulled up. The first 2 (1") represent the added slack for shifting (big/big +1"), the rest can be done without. So if you started with 118 links, and pulled 6 up, then you only need 114.
As a last resort, you can buy two chains and splice them together, which is what recumbent owners have to do as a matter of course. Save the unused chain for the next go round.
I have found out that for sure 118 links is required for my setup. Going the two chain route is an interesting thought. The 114 and to some extent the 116 link versions of this chain are far more readily available. Of course that would mean using two links, but would that really be ok to do? I'm definitely going to stick with the Shimano pin link system, because using the Sram PowerLink, and also trying the KMC MissingLink, both resulted in a kind of skip happening each time they went around the rear cog. I took a look at both links, and they do not have the flare in the middle of the link like the chain itself does, which must be the reason they suffer from this issue.