Originally Posted by
genejockey
I actually had a chain fall off once. Not just dropped, but literally fell off. I had replaced a chain because it had elongated, but some dirty rotten so-and-so had filched the quick link from the package. So I reused the one from the old, worn out chain, which broke as I stood up out of the saddle to try and keep my momentum going up the rise after a fast downhill. I was lucky - I was going over 30 mph, but neither crashed nor crushed the jewels on the top tube. But I did have to make The Call Of Shame.
I had my chain snap while moving up the outside of a high-speed pack ride, going north of 30mph. I hit the ground, and my bike did a few somersaults alongside the pack. Thankfully, I was the only one to go down. My helmet did its job and sacrificed itself to save my mediocre-quality grey matter. I made the 1/2 mile walk back to my car with a minor headache, some missing patches of skin, and a few scraped up bike parts.
My other chain snap was in a MTB race that I felt like I had a strong chance to finish on the podium. First steep climb inside the first mile of the race, riding in the top 10 - snap!. I fixed it and finished the ride at a comfortable pace.